Why biomes sit where they do
Biomes follow climate, and climate follows latitude, altitude and distance from the sea. That is why rainforest belts sit near the equator worldwide.
Part of your national curriculum
- Human and physical geography: Understand weather and climate, including the change in climate from the Ice Age to the present
- Human and physical geography: Understand the key processes in biology relating to biomes, vegetation belts and ecosystems
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Locate major biomes and describe their climate
Key learning points
- • Global circulation in brief
- • Reading a climate graph
This lesson at a glance
- 20 minutes
- 12 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 12
Visual introductionPicture this
Why biomes sit where they do
Biomes follow climate, and climate follows latitude, altitude and distance from the sea. That is why rainforest belts sit near the equator worldwide.
In a nutshell
Locate major biomes and describe their climate
Explore the idea
Part 2 of 12
Learn
Global circulation in brief
Rising air at the equator brings heavy rainfall; sinking air around 30° north and south brings the world's great deserts.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 12
Learn
Reading a climate graph
Bars show rainfall, the line shows temperature. A high, flat temperature line with heavy year-round bars means tropical rainforest.
Reset break
Part 4 of 12
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 3 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 5 of 12
Quick check
Part 6 of 12
Quick check
Part 7 of 12
Reset break
Part 8 of 12
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 3 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 9 of 12
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 10 of 12
Game · Recall cards
Which piece of evidence best supports the claim that recent warming is human-caused?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 11 of 12
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Why biomes sit where they do
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which piece of evidence best supports the claim that recent warming is human-caused?
2. Deserts cluster around…
3. On a climate graph, bars usually show…
4. Tundra vegetation is low-growing mainly because of…
Lesson round-up
Part 12 of 12
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Points this lesson
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Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 12 · Watch & discover
How this is going
- Not looked at yet
Understand weather and climate, including the change in climate from the Ice Age to the present
- Not looked at yet
Understand the key processes in biology relating to biomes, vegetation belts and ecosystems