Google Earth & microclimate

Google Earth came in handy today for illustrating microclimate. At lower elevations in the Bridger Range near Bozeman, Montana, dense pine forests form on north-facing slopes, whereas grass dominates the south-facing slopes. There is enough of a difference in soil temperature and moisture between the two sides of the ridges to make a significant difference in the microclimate, and hence the vegetation.

Earth science is a very visual topic—I use PowerPoint with lots of images, maps, and graphs—and Google Earth provides an additional tool for classroom and laboratory use.

Grace and Peace

Plant hardiness zones

Welcome to The GeoChristian. Out of over 600 posts on my blog, this one on plant hardiness zones is the one people find second most often via search engines. The purpose of The GeoChristian is twofold: 1. To enhance science literacy within the Evangelical Christian community. 2. To present a Biblical Christianity that is hostile to neither science nor the environment. I invite you to take some time and read some other posts.

Plant hardiness zone maps show the average low temperatures for large areas and are useful for determining which plants can be grown in different regions. Seed packets sometimes have these on them, so one can determine where a specific type of plant can be grown. For example, orange trees have little tolerance for frost, so oranges are grown in pink and red areas (zones 9 and 10) on the following plant hardiness zone map of the United States (from The National Arbor Day Foundation):

There are other climate and soil restraints on growth of orange trees, so they are grown primarily in Florida and California.

Similar maps can be found on the internet for other regions of the world. The following maps are from The Pacific Bulb Society:

I’m not presently into gardening, but find these interesting from the perspective of climate.

Grace and Peace

Kilauea lava flow videos

The Hawaiian volcano Kilauea has been erupting more or less continuously since 1983. Current lava flows are reaching the Pacific ocean, and Honolulu television station KITV has videos:

Lava Reaches Ocean Creating Spectacular View

HT: Geology News

Grace and Peace