Download Weather and Climate Chapter 4, Section 1 - Parkway C-2

Name
Date
Weather and Climate
Topic
Class/Subject
Chapter 4, Section 1 (pg 108-115)
What Causes Climate?
Define climate.
Climate is the average, year-after-year conditions of temperature,
precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area.
Define microclimate.
Microclimate is a small area with climate conditions that differ
from those around it.
Name 2 main factors used Factors used to describe climate:
to describe climate.
1. precipitation
2. temperature
Name the 4 main factors
that influence
temperature.
Factors that influence temperature:
1. latitude
2. altitude
3. distance from large bodies of water
4. ocean currents
How does latitude
influence temperature?
Climates of locations near the equator are warmer than climates
of areas far from the equator.
Describe the 3 temperate
zones.
Temperate zones:
1. tropical zone = found between 23.5° N and 23.5° S, and is
warm year round
2. polar zones = found from 66.5° to 90° N and 66.5 ° to 90° S,
and is cold year round
3. temperate zones = found from 23.5° to 66.5° N an d 23.5° to
66.5° S, and ranges from warm or hot in summer to c ool or
cold in winter
How does altitude
influence temperature?
•
•
In the troposphere, temperature decreases approximately
6.5°C for every 1km increase in altitude.
Cool climates result.
How does the distance
from large bodies of water
influence temperature?
•
•
•
Oceans make temperatures of nearby land less extreme.
Marine climates (coastlines) have relatively mild winters and
cool summers.
Continental climates (inland) have cold winters and warm or
hot summers.
How do ocean currents
influence temperature?
•
•
Name the 3 factors that
affect precipitation.
Factors that affect precipitation:
1. prevailing winds
2. mountain ranges
3. seasonal winds
How do prevailing winds
affect precipitation?
Prevailing winds, the directional winds that usually blow in a
region, move air masses from place to place. The amount of
water vapor in the air mass influences how much rain or snow
will fall.
How do mountain ranges
affect precipitation?
Warm, moist air blows in from the ocean and is pushed up by the
mountains. As the air rises, it cools and water vapor condenses.
Moisture in the air is released as precipitation on the windward
side (the side the wind hits). The land on the leeward side
(downwind) is in a rain shadow and little precipitation falls there.
How do seasonal winds
affect precipitation?
Seasonal winds are similar to land and sea breezes, but occur
over a wider area. Monsoons are sea and land breezes over
large regions that change direction with the seasons.
What causes the
seasons?
The seasons are caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis as Earth
travels around the sun.
Warm currents from the tropics to the poles bring warm air.
Cold currents from polar zones to the equator bring cool air.
What is the effect of the
tilted axis?
Summary
The main factors that influence temperature are latitude, altitude, distance from large bodies
of water, and ocean currents. The main factors that influence precipitation are prevailing
winds, the presence of mountains, and seasonal winds. The seasons are caused by the tilt
Earth’s axis as Earth travels around the sun.