Factors Affecting Climate

WHAT IS CLIMATE? Climate is the average year-by-year conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds of an entire area or region on Earth. Climate is different from weather. Weather is the atmospheric conditions of a location at that time.

Factors: Latitude Altitude Mountains Distance from the sea Ocean currents Direction of prevailing winds El Nino Human Influence

1. Latitude Temperature range increases with distance from the equator. Also, temperatures decrease as you move away from the equator. This is because the suns rays are dispersed over a larger area of land as you move away from the equator. This is due to the curved surface of the earth. In addition polar regions are colder because the suns rays have further to travel compared to place on the equator

2. Altitude Temperatures decrease with height. The air is less dense and cannot hold heat as easily. Additionally, higher altitudes are further away from heat radiating from the earth’s surface.

3. Mountain Ranges In the U.S. the west side of mountain ranges get rain. On the east side there are deserts.

This is called a “rain shadow.”

4. Distance From the Sea rangeLand heats and cools faster than the sea. Therefore coastal areas have a lower temperature range than those areas inland. On the coast, winters are mild and summers are cool. In inland areas temperatures are high in the summer and cold in the winter.

5. Ocean Currents Ocean currents have a moderating affect on climate. Ocean currents can increase or reduce temperatures. The diagram to the right shows the ocean currents of the world. The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current in the North Atlantic flowing from the Gulf of Mexico, northeast along the U.S coast, and from there to the British Isles. http

The Gulf Stream keeps the west coast of Europe free from ice in the winter and, in the summer warmer than other places of a similar latitude

6. Direction of Prevailing Winds In the U.S. the winds move from west to east This movement is important in determining patterns of precipitation.

7. El Nino El Nino, which affects wind and rainfall patterns, has been blamed for droughts and floods in countries around the Pacific Rim. El Nino refers to the irregular warming of surface water in the Pacific. The warmer water pumps energy and moisture into the atmosphere, altering global wind and rainfall patterns.

8.Human Influence The increased burning of fossil fuels have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The number of trees being cut down has also increased, meaning that the extra carbon dioxide produced cannot be changed into oxygen. Burning fossil fuels produces more CO 2, less trees cannot convert all of it. Too much CO 2 in the atmosphere traps heat radiation causing Global Warming

Global Warming