Download Factors Affecting Climate in Canada

Factors Affecting Climate in
Canada
Geography Now!
Grade 9 Applied Geography
How many factors affect climate?
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The answer is 6!
L is for latitude
O is for ocean currents
W is for winds and air masses
E is for elevation
R is for relief
Near Water
1.
 Latitude
 The closer you are to the equator, the hotter
it is.
 The closer you are to the poles, the cooler it
is.
 This is because the earth’s rounded surface
causes the sun’s energy to be spread out
over large areas.
2.
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Ocean Currents
Ocean water travels in paths called currents
Some currents are warm and some are cold
Warm ocean currents raise the temperature
of the nearby shoreline
 Cold ocean currents lower the temperature
of the nearby shoreline
3.
 Winds and air masses
 An air mass is a large volume of air.
 Air masses move over an area of land and
bring weather conditions with them.
 Cold air masses bring cold temperatures
 Warm air masses bring warm temperatures
 Ocean (maritime) air masses bring wet
weather
 Land (continental) air masses bring dry
weather
 In Canada, winds tend to move from west to
east. These winds are known as
“westerlies”.
5.
 Elevation
 Mountains influence climate because the
higher up you go, the colder the climate is.
 In dry air, the temperature decreases at a
rate of 1°C for every 100m of altitude.
 In moist air the temperature decreases at a
rate of 0.6°C for every 100 m of altitude.
6.
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Relief
Mountains force moist ocean air masses to rise.
As air rises, it cools
Moist air condense (becomes liquid) as it rises up
the mountainside.
 This causes relief precipitation
 The leeward side (the side away from the wind
receives little rain
 The windward side (facing wind) receives a lot of
rain.
7.
 Near Water
 Bodies of water are a source of moisture
 Winds carry the moisture over land. This
makes the climate their moister.
 The colder deep water and warmer surface
water mix to make the land climate cooler in
the summer and warmer in the winter.
 This means that large lakes or oceans make
the land more moderate.
Climate Change: Human Impacts
 Humans can influence climate change
because our cars and factories emit gases.
 They get trapped in the atmosphere and
warm the planet.
 A warmer globe can lead to an increase in
severe weather like… hurricanes,
tornadoes, flooding and droughts.