Download WHAT CAUSES CLIMATE

WHAT CAUSES
CLIMATE
Weather refers to the condition of
the atmosphere at a particular time
and place.
 Climate refers to the average, year
to year conditions of temperature,
precipitation, winds and clouds in an
area.
 Two main factors of a climate are
temperature and precipitation.

FACTORS AFFECTING
TEMPERATURE
Latitude:
Based on latitude, Earth’s surface
can be divided into three
temperature zones; Tropical,
temperate, and polar.
 Tropical receives direct sunlight all
year round, making the climate
warm.

At the polar zones the sun’s rays hit
at a lower angle producing a cold
climate.
 In the summer, the sun’ rays hit the
temperate zone more directly
producing a warm climate. In the
winter, the sun’s rays strike at a
lower angle producing a cold climate.

Altitude:
Highland areas everywhere have
cool climates, no matter what their
latitude.
 Temperature decreases 6.5 Celsius
degrees for every 1 kilometers.

DISTANCE FROM LARGE
BODIES OF WATER
Water heats up and cools down more
slowly, therefore, winds from the
ocean keep coastal regions in
relatively mild climates called Marine
climates.
 The centers of continents have more
extreme temperatures. Cold in the
winter and hot in the summer. This is
called a Continental climate.

OCEAN CURRENTS
Warm currents bring warm water
toward the poles and cold currents
bring cold water to the equator.
 Warm currents bring warm air to the
land it touches and cold currents
bring cool air to the land it touches

FACTORS AFFECTING
PRECIPITATION
Main factors affecting precipitation
are the prevailing winds and the
presence of mountains.
 Prevailing winds are the directional
winds that usually blow in a region.
 A mountain range in the path of a
prevailing wind can influence where
precipitation falls

Windward is the side of the mountain
that faces the oncoming wind.
 Leeward is the downward side of the
mountain.
MICROCLIMATE:
 A small area with specific climate
conditions.

THE SEASONS
The seasons are caused by the tilt of
Earth’s axis as Earth travels around
the sun.
 How much Earth tilts and how direct
the sun’s rays are determines which
season a hemisphere is having.
