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Weather and Climate
Nelson Perspectives 10
8.1 Weather and Climate
8.1 – Weather and Climate
Describing the
Weather:
• Temperature
• Type and amount of
precipitation
• Wind speed
• Relative humidity
• Atmospheric
pressure
8.1 – Weather and Climate
Weather = the atmospheric
conditions, including
temperature, precipitation,
wind, and humidity, in a
particular location over a
short period of time, such as a
day or week
Weather is caused by
interactions between water
and air on Earth with the
energy from the Sun
8.1 – Methods for Predicting the Weather
How do
meteorologists predict
the weather?
• Weather stations
• Weather balloons
• Aircraft
• satellites
8.1 – Climate
Climate = the average of the
weather in a region over a long
period of time
• Climate is determined over
weather measurements made
over 30+ years and then
averaged over time
• Climate tells you what to expect
at a particular time of year
– Ex: warm and humid in the
summers in Southern Ontario
8.2 – Climate Zones
Climate zones are areas with similar temperature,
precipitation and plant communities
8.2 – Ecoregions
Ecoregions are based on landforms, soil, plants and animals
in addition to climate
Climate Systems
Nelson Perspectives 10
8.3 – The Sun Powers Earth’s Climate System
8.4 – Components of Earth’s Climate System
8.8 – Energy Transfer within Climate Systems
8.3 – The Sun Powers Earth’s Climate System
• Climate system
= the
components
that interact
with each
other to
produce
Earth’s climate
The importance of the Sun in
Earth’s Climate
• Almost all energy on Earth
comes from the sun
• The sun produces:
– Ultraviolet radiation (shorter
wavelength; higher energy)
– Infrared (longer wavelength,
lower energy)
– Visible light
Earth Absorbs Energy from the Sun
• What
happens to
radiation
from the
Sun once it
reaches
Earth?
Energy absorbed by
Earth and atmosphere
Energy radiated back
again by Earth and
atmosphere
• This energy balance
means that Earth’s
global temperature
remains fairly constant
How does latitude affect climate?
• Energy from the sun is
more intense near Earth’s
equator because it receives
energy more directly
• Energy from the sun is less
intense at the poles, since it
hits Earth’s surface at an
angle and spreads over a
larger area
8.4 – Components of Earth’s Climate
System
• There are four components
of Earth’s climate system:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere (living
component)
1. Atmosphere
• Atmosphere = the layers of
gases surrounding earth
• Earth’s atmosphere reaches
more than 100 km above
Earth’s surface!
• The part of that atmosphere
closest to Earth’s surface is
called the troposphere
– Composed of 78% nitrogen; 21%
oxygen; 1% argon, carbon
dioxide, helium, hydrogen and
ozone traces
The role of Ozone
in the Atmosphere
• In the
stratosphere
layer of the
atmosphere,
ozone absorbs
high energy UV
radiation from
the Sun and
prevents it from
reaching Earth’s
surface
• In the troposphere layer of the
atmosphere,
• ozone does not provide UV
protection
• ozone can combine with
exhaust from cars to produce
photochemical smog
• Photochemical smog is harmful
to human health, damages
buildings and negatively affects
plants and animals
2 – The Hydrosphere
• Hydrosphere = the
climate system
which includes all
water on and
around Earth
– Solid water in the
form of ice at the
polar ice caps,
icebergs
– Liquid water in
lakes, streams,
rivers, oceans,
underground
reservoirs
– Gaseous water in
water vapour, clouds
The Water Cycle
Large bodies of water and climate systems
• Large bodies affect
climate of nearby
regions by absorbing
and storing thermal
energy
– Water heats up and
cools down more
slowly than land
• Regions near an ocean
or lake are cooler in
the summer and
warmer in the winter
than inland locations
Ice and Climate Systems
• 2 % of Earth’s water is frozen and
can be found in:
–
–
–
–
Arctic sea ice
Glaciers
Permafrost
Mountaintops
• Surfaces that are covered in ice and
snow reflect more radiant energy
compared to soil, rock or vegetation
– Causes a decrease in temperature in
the region
• The ability for a surface to reflect
light is referred to as its albedo.
3 – The Lithosphere
• Lithosphere – the
part of the climate
system made up
of the rock, soil
and minerals of
Earth’s crust
Land formations and climate zones
• Land formations affect climate zones
– Mountains or cliffs can affect how air moves over an
area
Altitude and Climate zones
• At high altitudes,
atmospheric
pressure is lower
because there is less
air pushing down
• Air rises and cools
more easily, which
causes cooler
temperatures
4- Living Things (Biotic Component)
• Plants and organisms
change the amounts of
gases in the atmosphere
• Plants take in carbon
dioxide and release oxygen
through photosynthesis
• Plants AND animals take in
oxygen and release carbon
dioxide through cellular
respiration
Energy transfer in the Atmosphere
• The atmosphere and
hydrosphere act as heat
sinks
• Heat sink = a reservoir,
such as the ocean, that
absorbs and stores
thermal energy
• When air is warmer
than the ocean, the
ocean absorbs energy
from the air
• When the air is cooler
than the ocean surface,
the ocean releases
energy back into the air
Convection Currents in the Atmosphere
• Convection currents are
created in air or other
fluids when warm fluid
(less dense) rises and cold
fluid (more dense) sinks
Energy Transfer in the Atmosphere
• Air at the equator
heats up and rises
• Rising air cools and
falls
• When air rises, a
low pressure area
is created,
forming clouds
Energy Transfer in the Oceans
• Thermohaline Circulation =
flow of water around the
world’s oceans driven by
differences in water
temperatures and salinity
– Water at the poles cools and
becomes more salty as ice
forms
– Saltier, colder water sinks,
causing another convection
current
• Ocean currents around
the globe slowly move
water and the heat it
carries to places around
the world
“Yo, Miss! All of this was just an
INTRODUCTION to Climate Change?!?”
• Watch this video as
Bill Nye explains
the basics of
climate change …
and what we can
do to reverse its
effects
http://www.explorecuriocity.org/Content.asp
x?contentid=2498