Weather and Climate

Solar System Consists of the sun and the objects that move around it Consists of the sun and the objects that move around it

Earth and the Sun Earth is tilted at 23.5 Degrees from the sun Earth is tilted at 23.5 Degrees from the sun This determines the amount of sunlight an area receives and the seasons This determines the amount of sunlight an area receives and the seasons

Seasons

Seasons Seasons in the Northern and Southern hemispheres are opposite Seasons in the Northern and Southern hemispheres are opposite When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa Areas near the equator receive the most direct sunlight and have the most constant year round temperatures Areas near the equator receive the most direct sunlight and have the most constant year round temperatures

Weather The condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place, with regard to the temperature The condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place, with regard to the temperature Weather changes Weather changes or is temporary or is temporary

Climate The weather in some location averaged over some long period of time usually thirty or more years The weather in some location averaged over some long period of time usually thirty or more years Stays fairly constant unlike weather Stays fairly constant unlike weather

Climate Zones Climatologist Climatologist determine climate regions by: 1. Vegetation 2. Temperature 3. Rainfall

Climate Zones - Polar: Ice Caps - Polar: Tundra - Subtropical: Dry Summer - Subtropical: Dry Winter - Subtropical: Humid - Subtropical: Marine West Coast - Subtropical: Mediterranean - Subtropical: Wet - Tropical: Monsoon - Tropical: Savannah/Grasslands - Tropical: Wet - Polar: Ice Caps - Polar: Tundra - Subtropical: Dry Summer - Subtropical: Dry Winter - Subtropical: Humid - Subtropical: Marine West Coast - Subtropical: Mediterranean - Subtropical: Wet - Tropical: Monsoon - Tropical: Savannah/Grasslands - Tropical: Wet

Plate Tectonics The theory that the Earth’s surface is divided into several major, slow moving plates The theory that the Earth’s surface is divided into several major, slow moving plates

Plate Tectonics Divergent boundariesDivergent boundaries occur where two plates slide apart from each other Divergent boundaries Convergent boundariesConvergent boundaries occur where two plates slide towards each other forming a subduction zone (if one plate moves underneath the other) Convergent boundaries

Plate Tectonics

Precipitation Terms Fog: forms close to the ground when cold air settles Fog: forms close to the ground when cold air settles Stratus Clouds: gray sheets that indicate slow steady rain Stratus Clouds: gray sheets that indicate slow steady rain Cumulus Clouds: fair weather clouds Cumulus Clouds: fair weather clouds Cumulonimbus: Indicate thunderstorms and strong winds Cumulonimbus: Indicate thunderstorms and strong winds Cirrus Clouds: made of ice crystals Cirrus Clouds: made of ice crystals

Types of Wind Trade Winds: Cold wind moving from poles to equator Trade Winds: Cold wind moving from poles to equator Doldrums: Windless band between 10N and 10S Doldrums: Windless band between 10N and 10S Front: When warm and cold air meet causing a storm Front: When warm and cold air meet causing a storm Westerlies: Wind of the middle latitudes Westerlies: Wind of the middle latitudes Prevailing Winds: Constant global winds Prevailing Winds: Constant global winds

Water Cycle

Condensation: changing liquid water into gas vapor Condensation: changing liquid water into gas vapor Transpiration: when plants breathe water vapor back into air Transpiration: when plants breathe water vapor back into air Groundwater: Precipitation that sinks into the ground Groundwater: Precipitation that sinks into the ground Surface Runoff: collects in streams and lakes then into the Ocean Surface Runoff: collects in streams and lakes then into the Ocean Water Table: area between zone of aeration and saturation Water Table: area between zone of aeration and saturation