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Climate
14.1 What is Climate?
Climate: The long term weather patterns of an area.
Normals: Standard values for a location (30 year average).
This is what gives us the average daily high and low temps.
Three main factors that cause climate:
1. latitude:
-The more distance from the
equator = colder average temperatures.
Tropics: Area of latitude between 23.5degrees north and
South latitude.
Temperate zone: between 23.5 and 66.5 North and South
Polar zone: Between 66.5 and 90 North and South Latitude.
2. Topographic Effects:
-Coastal areas are cooler in the summer and warmer in
the winter than inland regions (due to the high specific
heat of water).
-Climbing in altitude will decrease the temperature
Orographic lifting
-Windward side of mountain is wet (ex Seattle)
-Leeward side of mountain is dry (rain shadow)
3. Air Masses:
-The collision of air masses (fronts) provides a range of
weather from mild precipitation to storms
-The air masses themselves carry the two characteristics
of temperature and humidity.
14.2 Climate Classification
Koeppen Classification system: Classifying climates on
the basis of temperature, amount of precipitation and to a
lesser extent types of vegetation.
14.2 Climate Classification
The following is a list of the various climates:
-Tropical: Warm and often wet
-Mild: Found near water and are humid
-Dry: More evaporation then precipitation
-Continental: 3 sub types, warm summer, cool summer
and sub arctic
-Polar: Passed the Continental climates 66.5 degrees
North and south latitude.
-High elevation: A type of a micro climate (Local climate
different from main regional climate) where you climb in
elevation and it is colder
14.2 Climate Classification
MicroClimates: A localized climate that differs from the
main regional climate.
Heat Islands: The presence of many concrete buildings
and large expanses of asphalt can create an area of higher
temperatures. ex NYC is often 10 degrees warmer than it’s
surrounding suburbs.
14.3 Climate Changes
Ice Ages: Period of extensive Glacial coverage
The last one ended 10,000 years ago
*Created most of the lakes in NY
This represented an average global drop in temp of 5 degrees
Featured below is the rare bionic penguin which moves really,
really fast.
14.3 Climate Changes
Short term Climatic Changes
Seasons: Caused by variations in sunlight both in duration and
angle. This is caused by the tilt of the Earth as it revolves
around the Sun. ***Some scientists have speculated that the
enormous penguin population in the South Pole has caused this
tilt. JK people, JK.
14.3 Climate Changes
We apologize for the notes on the previous page, those
responsible have been sacked.
El Nino: Warm ocean current that occasionally develops off
the western coast of South America. This can alter the normal
storm track and bring storms to Southern North America.
***No, really, a penguin once bit my sister, it was awful!
14.3 Climate Changes
We apologize for the notes on the previous page, those responsible for
sacking those responsible, have been indeed been sacked.
Changes can be natural:
1. Solar activity can vary. A decrease in sunspot activity
has been linked to cooler temperatures,
Maunder Minimum: From 1645-1716, few sun spots were
detected, resulting in the “Little Ice Age”
2. Earth’s orbit can change. In a 100,000 year cycle Earth’s
orbit goes from elliptical to circular (warmer temps to cooler
temps).
3. Earth’s Tilt varies: between 22.1-24.5 over 41,000 years
4. Earth’s Wobble: Over a period of 26,000 years, the Earth
changes its tilt direction. In about 14,000 our “north star”
will be Vega, not Polaris.
Volcanic Activity: Dust from explosions can cool temperatures
14.4 The Human Factor
The Greenhouse Effect:
When radiation from the sun is trapped in Earth’s atmosphere
by “Greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide, water vapor,
methane, and nitrous oxide.
The Sunlight (short wave: more intense) is strong enough to go
through the atmosphere, but when reflected off of Earth’s
surface, turns into infra red (long wave: not intense) and can
not escape. This acts like a greenhouse in which the heat is
trapped inside. This activity can result in Global Warming. As
trees are cut down, this increase the amount of CO2 in the
atmosphere, and will speed up the process. The Ice caps could
melt, and flooding will occur. This would be very bad for
penguins.
1. Which is not a variable that greatly affects climate?
A. Distance from the Sun
B. Topography
C. Air masses
D. Latitude
2. Which is not a variable that greatly effects Long
term climate change?
A Solar activity can vary
B. Earth’s orbit can change
C. Earth’s Tilt varies
D. Solar and lunar eclipses.
3. Which is not part of the Koeppen Classification
system?
A. Temperature
B. vegetation.
C. Amount of precipitation
D. Air Currents
4. What happens to Sun light after it hits the Earth?
A. It turns into infrared radiation
B. It is all reflected by the clouds
C. It is all absorbed by water
D. The ozone layer blocks all incoming radiation
***Bonus
Draw a diagram showing the concept of global
warming. Be sure to show a difference in the wave
length of the in-coming solar radiation vs the out
going radiation.