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8th Grade As you know, weather conditions may not last very long. However, the climate of your area changes over much longer periods of time. Climate is the characteristic weather conditions in a place over a long period. Four key geographical factors affect temperature and precipitation: 1. Latitude 2. Altitude 3. Distance from large bodies of water 4. Ocean currents Latitude is the distance in degrees north or south of the equator, which is 0 degrees. The earth is heated unevenly and the average temperatures generally decrease as you move away from the equator into higher latitudes. Altitude, the height above sea level, is another geographical factor that affects temperature. If you rode a cable car up a mountain, the temperature would decrease by about 11.7 degrees F for every kilometer you rose in altitude. Why? Altitude increases can overcome the effect of lower latitudes on temperature. The temperature at the peak of a tall mountain is low regardless of the mountain’s latitude. Example: Mount Stanley, in central Africa, has ice sheets and a permanent covering of snow. Land heats up and cools faster than water. Because oceans and large lakes slow down heating and cooling of the air, coastal regions tend to have milder temperatures than areas far inland. Climates influenced by these factors are called marine and continental climates. Marine climates occur near the ocean, usually along the west coast of continents. Temperatures do not drop very far at night. Summers and winters are mild. Many marine climates receive steady precipitation because winds blowing off the ocean bring moisture to the atmosphere. Continental climates occur in the interior of continents. Weather patterns vary in the different types of continental climates. However, most have large differences between daytime and night time temperatures because they lack the influence of nearby oceans. For the same reason, winter months are usually much colder than summer months. Ocean currents are streams of water that flow through oceans in regular patterns. They influence climates by transferring energy from one part of an ocean to another. In general, warm-water currents carry warmth from the tropics to higher latitudes, where they help keep coastal regions warm. What do you think cold-water currents do? Seasons are periods of the year associated with specific weather conditions, such as cold temperatures or frequent rain. These periods are part of the overall pattern that makes up a climate. Like temperature patterns, seasonal patterns of precipitation vary among different climates. Example: Connecticut and Montana Many tropical regions have wet and dry seasons. These regions stay warm all year long, but certain months are much rainier than other months.