Download Role of Climate - Southgate Schools

Role of Climate
4-1
Local Conditions
• How would you describe your
climate, or the average year
after year conditions of
temperature and precipitation
where you live?
Does your area receive a great
deal of precipitation-rain or
snow-or is your area very dry?
Questions
• When does the area in which you live experience
the lowest temperatures?
• Does the temp get below freezing
• When does your area have the highest
temperatures?
• How often does it rain where you live?
• Is one season rainier than others
• Does it snow where you live?
• If so what is the heaviest snowfall you can
remember?
• What are two factors that affect climate?
What is Climate?
• Weather-day-to day
condition of the
Earth’s atmosphere at
a particular time and
place.
• May be clear or sunny
one day and cloudy
and cold the next
• Climate- refers to
average, year after
year conditions of
temperature and
precipitation in a
particular region
• Climate is caused by many factors
including:
– Trapping of heat by the atmosphere
– Latitude
– Transport of heat by winds and
ocean currents
– Amount of precipitation that results
– Shape and land elevation contribute
to global climate patterns
• Energy of incoming sunlight drives
Earth’s weather and helps determine
climate
• Presence of certain gases in the
atmosphere also has an effect on its
temperature.
The Greenhouse Effect
• Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and
a few other atmospheric gases trap heat
energy and maintain Earth’s temperature
range.
• Greenhouse effect-natural situation in which
heat is retained by a thin layer of
greenhouse gases.
The Effect of Latitude on
Climate
As a result of differences in
latitude and thus the angle of
heating, Earth has three main
climate zones:
– polar
– temperate
– tropical.
Polar Zones
• Cold areas where the sun's rays strike
Earth at a very low angle.
• These zones are located in the areas
around the North and South poles
– between 66.5° and 90° North and South
latitudes.
Temperate Zones
• Sit between the polar zones and the
tropics
• Temperate zones are more affected by
the changing angle of the sun over the
course of a year
• The climate in these zones ranges from
hot to cold, depending on the season.
Tropical Zone
• Or tropics, is near the equator
• Located between 23.5° North and 23.5°
South latitudes
• Receive direct or nearly direct sunlight
year-round, making the climate almost
always warm.
Heat Transport in the Biosphere
• The unequal heating of Earth's surface
drives winds and ocean currents
– transport heat throughout the biosphere
• Winds form because warm air tends to
rise and cool air tends to sink
– air that is heated near the equator rises