Download Factors Affecting Weather and Climate

Factors Affecting Weather and Climate
There are 6 factors that affect weather and climate.
1) Latitude
The relationship between latitude and the weather and
climate is very straightforward: as latitude increases, whether
north or south of the equator, temperature decreases.
Geographers have divided the world into three temperature
belts. Two of the zones are extreme – Tropical and the Polar.
Between them the conditions mix to create the Temperate
Zone.
2) Elevation
Temperatures drop when the elevation rises because air
expands as it rises from the earth’s surface. This decrease in
air pressure results in cooling. The rate of cooling is about
1degree for every 100m in height.
3) Winds and Air Masses
Wind is air moving horizontally across the earth’s surface.
Winds are the great “movers of the atmosphere.” They can
move cold air to moderate a hot area, or moist air to bring
rain to a dry one. Winds follow one basic principle: they
move dense, heavy, falling air from high pressure areas
toward low pressure, where the air is less dense, lighter and
rising. Since cold air is heavier and denser than warm air, the
air in the polar areas has a high pressure. In the hot
equatorial areas, the opposite is true.
4) Nearness to Large Bodies of Water
The oceans, the world’s largest bodies of water, have a
tremendous influence on the weather and climate. They
influence the air above them, and then that air may be carried
inland. Large lakes such as the Great Lakes can also exert a
considerable influence on the air around them.
The great water bodies tend to act in the opposite way to the
great land masses. Water heats and cools much more slowly
than the land. As a result, the oceans and large lakes tend to
be cool when the land masses are warm, and vice versa.
When an air mass moves inland from over an ocean, it warms
the cold areas in winter, but cools the warm ones in summer.
5) Physical Features: Barriers or Throughways
Differences in relief can have a considerable influence on the
weather and climate. High mountain ranges can make
coastal areas heavy with moisture while keeping plain areas
on the other sides relatively dry. In areas where there is no
significant relief more extreme conditions can appear.
Generally flat and open plains allow for cold, air masses to
pass through northern areas and hot, dry air in more southern
areas.
6) Ocean Currents
The effect of oceans has already been outlined above.
Ocean currents can increase or decrease that effect. If the
currents are warm, they will keep both winter and summer
conditions on the land somewhat warmer than expected.
Cold currents will have the opposite effect.
Heavy and frequent fogs along coastal areas occur when
there is a mixing of air above the cold and warm water
currents. The cooling of the warm, moist air leads to
condensation and foggy conditions.