Download Climate Notes - West Central Valley CSD

〉When fronts move through an
area, the result is usually
precipitation and a change in
wind direction and temperature.
• air mass: a large body of air
where temperature and
moisture content are similar
throughout
• front: the boundary between
air masses of different densities
and usually different
temperatures
• Clouds, rain, and sometimes snow can occur at fronts.
• Front types include
• warm fronts
• cold fronts
• stationary fronts
• Lightning is a discharge of
atmospheric electrical
energy.
• Water droplets and ice crystals
in thunderclouds build up
electrical charges.
• Lightning is a big spark that
jumps between clouds or
between clouds and Earth to
equalize the charge.
• Lightning heats the air so fast
that the air expands faster
than the speed of sound.
• The shockwave created is
thunder.
• Tornadoes are funnels of
high-speed wind.
• Tornado winds are the most
violent winds on Earth.
• Wind speeds may reach up to
500 km/h.
• Tornadoes typically form
along a front between cool,
dry air and warm, humid air.
• funnel cloud: a column of
water droplets
• Hurricanes are large,
rotating tropical storm
systems.
• These storms are called
• hurricanes in North America
and the Caribbean
• cyclones in the Indian Ocean
• typhoons in the western
Pacific
• tropical depressions: intense
low-pressure areas that
can become hurricanes
〉Weather changes from
day to day, but climate
does not change as
quickly.
• climate: the average
weather conditions in an
area over a long period of
time. Two main factors are
temperature and
precipitation.
• Temperatures tend to be
higher close to the
equator.
• Sunlight strikes the earth
more directly close to the
equator.
• The sun’s rays are less
concentrated at the poles,
and do not warm the
atmosphere as much.
• Earth’s tilt and rotation
account for our seasons.
• When the North Pole is tilted
toward the sun, the Northern
Hemisphere experiences summer.
• There is more daylight, and the
temperature increases.
• Earth is farthest from the sun on
July 4.
• When the South Pole is tilted
toward the sun, the Southern
Hemisphere experiences summer.
• Earth’s surface features affect
climate.
• topography: the size and shape
of the land surface features of
a region, including its relief
• Variations in topography affect
the climate of a region.
• Mountains can trap moisture on one
side.
• Deserts may form on the dry
side of a mountain.
• Broad flat surfaces allow winds to
merge on the plains.
• Thunderstorms and tornados
may form.
• Determine whether each of the following statements describes a
warm front or cold front.
•
•
•
•
Warm air mass moves above slow cold air mass
Thunderstorms and high winds characterize this type of front
Cold air moves quickly under slow air mass
Steady rain
• Grapes grow well in areas where climate is generally mild.
Would you recommend planting grapes in California or North
Dakota? Explain.
• Global climate changes over
long periods of time.
• Many factors produce changes
in Earth’s climate, such as:
• eruptions of volcanoes
• shift of the continents
• changes in Earth’s tilt
• Scientists think that increases
in human-made greenhouse
gases have caused the recent
increase in global average
temperature.