Download Lesson 13 - Factors Impacting Climate Fill-in-the

Grade 9 Academic Geography – Strand 3 Lesson 13 Climate Factors
Factors Affecting Canada’s Climate
Task
Using the word list, fill in the blanks
CANNOT
COOLS
DRY
EQUATOR
EVAPORATION
INTENSE
MODERATING
PREVAILING WIND
PROXIMITY
TILT
WARMS
WINDWARD
There are four main factors that determine Canada’s climate: (1) mountain ranges and altitude, (2) ocean
currents, (3) wind direction and ___________________ to large bodies of water, and (4) latitude (i.e.,
distance north or south from the Equator
Mountains – Altitude

Higher you climb, colder it becomes (i.e., colder air temperature

Impacts precipitation – Air rises to get over the mountain. The air cools,
condenses and falls back to earth as rain or snow on the
________________________ side of the mountain. More rain and snow fall on the windward
side of the mountain (…the side facing the oncoming winds). On the windward side, the air rises
and cools as it travels up the side of the mountain. As the air cools, it condenses and moisture
falls back to earth as rain or snow.

On the leeward side, the air is ____________. As a result,
there is little precipitation on the leeward side. The
leeward side or “rain shadow” is drier. On the leeward side
it is dry.
Ocean Currents

A warm ocean current (1) brings moisture and (2)
________________ the nearby land (e.g., Pacific
Ocean off BC).

Cool ocean currents (1) _________________ hold as much moisture and (2) cool the nearby land
(e.g., Atlantic Ocean off Labrador).
Wind Direction and Proximity to Large Bodies of Water

Air over water collects moisture. This is called
________________________. Over land, the air rises,
_______________, and the moisture falls back to earth as rain
or snow.

Water warms and cools slower than nearby land. In the summer, water is cooler than the land
and the air temperature over the water is also cooler. The cool air cools the nearby land. The
water has a _____________________ effect on land
temperature.

Canada’s _____________________ is from the west.
Latitude

The further north from the ___________________, the colder it becomes. In the north, the sun’s
rays strike a very large area of the earth’s surface. The rays are not very
_________________________, and thus, the land is not warmed as much as at the equator. This
is due, in part, to the curvature of the Earth compounded by the ____________ of the Earth.