Download Climate Notes - Liberty Union High School District

Climate Notes
What is Climate?
 Climate: Average weather conditions for
an area over a long period of time.
 Described by average temperatures and
average precipitation
 Uses monthly and yearly averages
Be Careful!
 You can’t use only average temp or
average rainfall to predict climate.
 Ex: Both San Francisco and St. Louis
have the same average yearly temp. but
they have very different climates. St.
Louis has cold winters and hot summers
while SF has mild climate all year long.
SF vs. St. Louis
Factors that Effect
Climate
 Latitude:
 One of the most important factors that
influence climate
 Areas near the equator receive solar
radiation at a 90° angle so it is warmer there.
 Areas at the poles are colder because?
 Tilt of the Earth’s axis also effects seasons.
Heat Absorption- Land vs Water
 Land heats faster than water because it isn’t
moving and thus can reach higher
temperatures in the same amount of time.
 Waves, currents, and other movements
continuously replace warm surface water with
cooler water from the ocean depths.
 In turn, the temperature of the land or ocean
influences the amount of heat that the air
above the land or ocean absorbs or releases
which then effects the climate.
Land vs Water
 Where is it cooler during the day, San
Francisco or Brentwood?
 Where is the air coming from?
 Where is it warmer at night, San
Francisco or Brentwood?
 How is this possible?
Global Wind Patterns- Air Masses
 Because Earth receives different amounts of
solar energy at different latitudes, belts of cool,
dense air form at latitudes near the poles while
belts of warm, less dense air form near the
equator.
 Winds affect many weather conditions, such as
precipitation, temperature, and cloud cover.
 Thus, regions that have different global wind
belts often have different climates.
West Coast vs East Coast
 Where does
California receive
most of its air
from? Describe
the air.
 During the winter
where does the air
come from in the
North East coast
of the U.S.?
Describe the
winters in this
area.
Bodies of Water- Ocean
Currents
 The temperature of ocean currents that come
in contact with the air influences the amount of
heat absorbed or released by the air.
 If winds consistently blow toward shore, ocean
currents have a strong effect on air masses
over land this effects climate.
 Ex: warm Atlantic current mixed with
westerlie winds gives NW Europe a high
average temperature for it’s latitude.
Why does land heat up
faster than water?
The temperature of land increases faster
than that of water does because the
specific heat of land is lower than that of
water, and thus the land requires less
energy to heat up than the water does.
Topography and Elevation
 The surface features of the land, or
topography, also influences climate.
 The elevation, or height of landforms above
sea level, produces distinct temperature
changes.
 Temperature generally decreases as elevation
increases.
Causes for Climate
Change
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Plate Tectonics:
movement of the continents effects climate
Changes wind flow and ocean currents.
Continents have different climates than they
did millions of years ago.
Causes for Climate
Change
 Human Activity:
 Industry
 Pollution
 Increase in greenhouse gases
 Volcanoes:
 Sulfur and Ash from eruptions can decrease
temperatures which can effect climate.
Climate Zone
 Earth has three major types of climate zones:
tropical, middle-latitude, and polar.
 Each zone has distinct temperature
characteristics, including a specific range of
temperatures.
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Each of these zones has several types of
climates because the amount of precipitation
within each zone varies.
What are the six climate
Regions?
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Polar
Continental
Highland
Dry
Tropical
Temperate - California