Download Climate, Soil, and Vegetation

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Using the picture on pages 28 & 29 of the
Geography Alive textbook, pick 7 different
landforms and explain how they were
created. Be sure to explain how one or more
elements of S.T.E.W. contributed to the
landform’s creation.
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Climate is defined as typical weather patterns
over a long period of time. For example, how
could you describe the climate of Texas?
The Earth’s Tilt, Rotation, and Revolution
6 Factors That Affect Climate …. Or LAPDOG
L = Latitude
A = Altitude (or elevation)
P = Prevailing Winds
D = Distance from the Sea (continentality)
O = Ocean Currents
G = Great Barriers (orographic precipitation)
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Latitude – divided into three zones –HOW
CLOSE ARE YOU TO THE EQUATOR AND THE
SUN????
1. Low or tropical – around the equator to the
Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn - hot, but
with dry and rainy seasons (RED)
2. Middle or temperate – between tropics and
polar variety of temperatures and rainfalls (This is US – GREEN)
3. High or polar – North and South
Poles. Cold, possibly desert.(BLUE)
4. ZonesofLatitude
Elevation – the distance above sea level. **As
you get higher in elevation, temperature
decreases – think about walking up a
mountain**
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Caused by differences in
temperature and
pressure.
Hot air rises and cold air
sinks. This starts rotation,
or winds.
At the same time, the
earth is moving through
space, dragging the
atmosphere along
The combination rotation
and “drag” create the
pattern to the right.
Global Wind Patterns
Wind over Land=Cooler and Dryer
Wind over Water= Warmer and
Wetter
The pattern of wind shifts is
close to the lines of the
tropics
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Continentality is simply a way of saying that
the farther you are from the oceans, the less
effect oceans have on climate.
An example: Florida v Nebraska
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Convection Currents
Water near the equator is hottest. Ocean Currents
move the heat of the sun around the planet by
circulating it. Hot water rises and cooler water
sinks, creating currents. What patterns can you
see?
Equator
Temperature
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Water stays hot or cold longer than air (think
about a swimming pool in the summer)
Cool air is dry and warm air is moist (think about
summer humidity)
The colder an ocean current, the less moisture
(and eventually rainfall) it carries.
SO – ocean currents can change TEMPERATURE
and RAINFALL patterns.
EXAMPLE – Florida v Southern California
Wind over Warm Ocean Current=Warmer and
Wetter
Wind over Colder Ocean Current=Cooler and
Dryer
What landforms are there and how do they
affect the weather? Think about precipitation
on an island?
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Warm, moist are rises and cools, generating rain.
As the clouds move higher up, they get cooler
and more rain falls, until they finally run out of
moisture
One side of the mountain gets rainfall, the other
is very dry.
Natural – El Nino and La Nina – changes in wind
pattern in the Pacific Ocean causing
temperature/rainfall changes.
Manmade – global warming (slow temperature
increases) and the green house effect (gasses
released by burning fossil fuels trap heat in
the atmosphere)
Geographers divide the earth into climate
regions based on weather patterns over many
years.
The most important factors in defining a climate
region are TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION.
We can map temperature and precipitation to
gather information about a region’s climate.
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Shows both
temperature and
precipitation across
a period of time.
How many inches of
precipitation in
August?
What is the
temperature in
August?
What can we infer
about the climate?
This is Florida……
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Fold your piece of paper to create 12 squares –
let’s do it together…..
Each square represents a climate region.
In the top 2/3 of the square, draw a picture (in
color) showing what the climate region looks like.
In the bottom 1/3 of the square, list the name of
the region, main characteristics, and a real world
example.
Use the Geography Alive textbook pages 30-33
Google “Climate Types for Kids”