Download climate factors

Factors That Affect Climate
Identify five factors
that affect climate
and explain
how each
affects climate.
1. Latitude – Most important
Latitude - higher the latitude, lower the
angle of the sun and therefore, lower the
intensity of insolation so temperatures
are cooler/lower
Latitude and Temperature
• As latitude increases, average yearly
decreases
temperatures ____________
high
temp
low
0o
90o
latitude
Warmer at the equator
Colder at the poles
Yearly Temperature Range based
on Latitude
low
Equator to
tropics
mid
Tropics to
arctic/antarctic
circle
high
Above the arctic/
antarctic circles to
North or South Pole
big
Yearly
Temp
Range
small
0
latitude
90
As latitude _________,
increases yearly temp range
__________
increases
Temperatures do not vary much throughout the
equator
year at the ________.
• There is a bigger variation in temperatures throughout
the year as you go farther from the equator
2. Mountains and Elevation
Higher the elevation, lower the temps
because air cools as you going higher in
the atmosphere
Lapse rate – for every 160 meters up, the
temperature drops about 1o C
Low Temp
High Temp
hot
Average
Yearly
Temps
cold
high
low
Elevation
• As elevation/altitude __________,
increases
average yearly temperature ___________
decreases
Indirect relationship
Mountains and Moisture
WET
DRY
condenses
precipitation
cools
expands
rises
sinks
compresses
warms
WIND
WINDWARD
LEEWARD
• http://vimeo.com/9764153
3. Closeness to large bodies of water
• Water warms and cools much more
________
slower than land does.
• What property of water causes the slow
Specific heat
heating and cooling? ___________
• Sea or land locations affect temperature ranges.
• Since land gains and loses heat much more
quickly than water, land areas tend to have
_______
warmer summers and ______
cooler winters.
cooler
• Coastal areas near the ocean have ______
summers and ___________
Warmer/milder winters. (The
climate is more moderate – smaller temp ranges
throughout the year)
• Marine or coastal climates - ______
small
yearly temperature range
• Continental or inland climates - ______
large
yearly temperature range
Continental climate;
• Location A: ___________
large
________
yearly temperature range
Marine climate; ________
smaller
• Location B: ________
yearly temperature range
4. Ocean Currents
• A stream of water that circulates through an
ocean basin
heat with the air it contacts
• A current will Exchange
____________________
Warm current will warm the air above it
Cold current will cool the air above it
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ttv10.sc
i.ess.watcyc.currents/the-role-of-ocean-currentsin-climate/
http://www.wimp.com/gulfstream/
Ocean Currents
• Are driven by _________
Prevailing winds
• Are driven by ___________
Density differences
Cold water is _______
dense than warm
more
more dense than fresh
Salt water is ______
• Ocean currents can make the climate of a
coastal region warmer or colder than
normal for its latitude
4
• ESRT Page ____
• Cold currents originate from high latitudes,
warm currents originate from low latitudes
Warmer or Colder
Due to the ocean currents, the
• East coast of North America is _________
warmer
than normal
• West Coast of North America is ______
cooler
than normal
• What current warms the coast of England?
North Atlantic Current
• What current cools the coast of South
America?
Peru Current
http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/s
urface/currents/orthographic
5. Winds
esrt p14
• A. Global Winds
• Two major influences •
1. Unequal heating of Earth’s surface
•
2. Coriolis Effect
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Us1sPXBfA
&feature=youtu.be
Describe the unequal heating of
Earth’s surface
• Cause: more direct rays at equator,
less direct at poles
• Effect: low pressure at equator,
high pressure at poles
Describe the Coriolis Effect
• Cause: Earth’s rotation
• Effect: Winds are deflected to the
right in the Northern Hemisphere;
left in the Southern Hemisphere
Equator, 60o N and S
• Where might you find rising air? _________
Air converges = low pressure
Why? ______________
• Rising Air = Low Pressure
Wet Climate
• and a ____
o N and S, Poles
• Where might you find sinking air? 30
_________
Air is diverging = high pressure
Why? ______________
• Sinking Air = High Pressure
• and a ____
Dry Climate
ESRT Page 14
In what direction
do storms move
at Norwich’s latitude,
42o N?
storms move from
SW to NE
b. Regional Winds
• Monsoon - Seasonal shift in wind direction
Rainy Season
Winds are coming off the ocean
Dry Season
Winds are coming off the land
• Annual Climatology: Albany, NY (ALB)
• Elev: 275 ft
Lat: 42o 45'N
•
Long: 73o 48'W