Download Climate

Climate
Activity
• On your “Do Now”
sheet:
–Explain the difference
between climate and
weather.
What is climate?
• Climate is the pattern
of weather that occurs
in an area over many
years.
• Climate determines
the types of plants or
animals that can
survive, and it
influences how
people live.
Climate
• Climate is
determined by
averaging the
weather of a
region over a
long period of
time, such as 30
years.
Climate
•What do you think
are some factors
that might determine
an area’s climate?
Climate
1. Temperature
2. Air pressure
3. Humidity
4. Number of days of sunshine
• Scientists average these factors
to determine an area’s climate
Activity
• On your “Do Now” paper:
1. List the temperature and precipitation
characteristics where we live.
2. List the temperature and precipitation
characteristics in Kenya.
3. List the temperature and precipitation
characteristics in northern Norway.
4. List the temperature and precipitation
characteristics in southern Chile.
Other factors that determine
climate
• Latitude
• Landforms
• Location of lakes and
oceans
• Ocean currents
Activity
• On your “Do Now”
sheet:
–Explain how latitude
affects climate in a
minimum of two
paragraphs.
Latitude and Climate
• Which area
of the Earth
receives the
most solar
radiation?
Latitude and Climate
• Regions close to the
equator receive the
most solar radiation.
• Note the angle of
solar radiation as the
latitude increases.
• The same amount of
sunlight is spread
over a greater area
the farther from the
equator.
Latitude
• The equatorial
regions receive
the most solar
radiation.
Latitude
• Latitude is the
measurement
of distance
north or south
of the
equator.
Latitude
• The tropics: the region between
latitudes 23.5N and 23.5S.
Latitude and Climate
• The tropics
have
temperatures
that are
always hot,
except at high
elevations.
Tropics
• Receives the most solar radiation
because the sun shines almost
directly upon.
Polar Zones
• Polar zones extend from 66.5N and
66.5S latitude to the poles.
Polar Zones
• Solar radiation hits
these areas at a
low angle,
spreading energy
over a large area.
• During winter these
areas receive little
to no solar
radiation.
Polar Zones
•Polar
regions
are never
warm.
Temperate Zones
• Between the tropics and the
polar regions are the
temperate zones.
• Temperatures are moderate.
• Most of the United States is in
a temperate zone.
Temperate Zone
Temperate Zone
Activity
•
On your “Do Now” paper:
1. Write the zone which would have the most
diverse number of animals species.
2. Write the zone which would have the most
productive agriculture.
3. Write the zone which would have the least
productive agriculture.
4. Write the zone which would have the least
number of animals species.
Factors Influencing Climate
• Large bodies of water.
• Ocean currents
• Mountains
• Large cities
Large Bodies of Water
• Water heats up
and cools down
more slowly than
land does.
– It takes more heat
to increase water
temperature than it
does to increase
land temperature.
Large Bodies of Water
• Large bodies of water can affect the
climate of coastal areas by absorbing or
giving off heat.
Large Bodies of Water
• These can cause
coastal regions
to be warmer in
the winter and
cooler in the
summer than
inland areas at
similar latitudes.
Large Bodies of Water
Lake Effect on Snow
Lake Effect Snow
• Large bodies of
water not only
have an effect
upon
temperature but
also upon rain
and snowfall.
Ocean Currents
• Ocean currents affect coastal
climates. Warm currents begin near
the equator and flow toward higher
latitudes, warming the land regions
they pass.
• When the currents cool off and flow
back toward the equator, they cool
the air and climate of nearby land.
Ocean Currents
Ocean Currents
• Question: Based upon
the previous slide; where
you rather swim?
–California or North Carolina
Coastal Effects
• Winds blowing
from the sea often
are moister than
blowing from land.
• Some coastal
areas have wetter
climates than
inland areas.
Coastal Effects
• Question: Why
is the amount of
precipitation high
on the coast,
then drops inland
and then rise
again as shown
on this map?
Amount of Sunshine
• Question: If you
enjoy sunshine,
where would you
rather live?
– The city on the
top or Seattle,
Washington.
The Amount of Sunshine
1. Seattle, Washington
– 58days
2. Jacksonville, North Carolina
• 126 days
Mountains
• At the same
latitude, the
climate is colder
in the mountains
than at sea level.
• Question: Who can
tell me the reason for
this difference in
temperature?
Mountains
• When radiation from the sun is
absorbed by the Earth’s surface, its
heats the land.
• Heat from the Earth then warms the
atmosphere.
• Earth’s atmosphere gets thinner at
higher altitudes.
• The air in the mountains has fewer
molecules to absorb heat.
Rain Shadows
• On the windward side
of a mountain range,
air rises, cools, and
drops its moisture.
• On the leeward side
of a mountain range
air descends, heats
up, and dries the
land.
Rain Shadows
Cities
• Question:
How can
cities affect
local
climate?
Cities
• Streets, parking
lots, and buildings
heat up, in turn
heating the air. Air
pollution traps this
heat, creating what
is known as the
heat-island effect.