DO FIRST  PEN / PENCIL ONLY ON DESK  EVERYTHING IN BACKPACK, OFF DESK.  SIT IN GROUPS – TURN SO ALL DESKS FACE THE DOOR AND SPREAD OUT A BIT  SILENT & READY WHEN THE BELL RINGS

Task and Objective  Stations  8 Minutes 10 Stations  80 Minutes Total  Quick Transitions  No Conversations  SWBAT Explain how elevation, mountain barriers, ocean currents, position on a continent, and latitude affect an areas temperature, precipitation and climate by completing station reviews and analyzing climographs

L

 Latitude  Definition: distance from the equator, lines are horizontal  Explanation: It affects temperature by: closer to the equator, the hotter the temperature  Prompt: Sketch

A

Air Masses  In the Northern hemisphere, cold air from the polar regions comes from the north. Hot air from the tropics comes from the south (this is opposite in the southern hemisphere).

Explanation: The closer to a large body of water, the more humid the climate and the greater amount of precipitation. Prompt: Sketch an imaginary continent and label areas as humid, semiarid, and arid to show the effect of proximity to water: shade to reflect humidity, darker gray representing more humidity

M

Mountain Barriers: Definition: a landform, such as a mountain, that hinders or stops precipitation Explanation: High elevations such as mountains act as a physical barrier, preventing moisture from reaching the other side, creating deserts! Prompt: Sketch an imaginary mountain next to an ocean. Include all the descriptions and steps included in the Orographic Effect.

E

 Elevation Definition: height above sea level Explanation: The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature. High mountains are among the coldest areas of the world. Prompt: Sketch an imaginary mountain and label the temperature from the base to the top. Include at least four temperatures.

c

 Continentality  Definition: Large bodies of water are slower to heat and cool, so they help keep temperatures around them moderate  Explanation: The farther away from a large body of water (think oceans), the greater the difference in temperature  Prompt : sketch climograph with two temperature lines; one inland and one coastal.

o

 Ocean Currents  Definition: Ocean currents are like rivers flowing in the ocean Explanation: Ocean currents from tropical latitudes have a warming effect on lands from the warm water, ocean currents from high or arctic latitudes have a cooling effect because of the cold water  Prompt : Sketch the map of ocean currents. Make sure red is for warm and blue is for cold. Include Labels for North Atlantic Drift and Labrador Currents

North Atlantic Drift Warm weather extension of the Gulf Stream gives W. Euro. Relatively mild climate despite higher/upper latitudes

W

 Wind Systems  Definition: The sun heats the Earth unevenly; wind movement distributes the sun’s energy around the planet from high to low pressure areas  Explanation: Because of the tilt of the earth, wind currents help create the different seasons, and brings moisture (rain).Therefore inside of continents are drier than the outside of continents.

 Prompt: Sketch a Map with major lines of latitude: Include the name, temperature, and direction of the wind patters below.

S

Storms  Where polar winds meet westerlies there are commonly storms. When hot air masses and cold air masses collide – there are storms! Tornadoes in the Midwest are great examples!

Prompt How is Houston’s climate affected by storms? Did you know that hurricanes are not called hurricanes in other parts of the world????

LACEMOP PRACTICE

Processing Directions  Pick a climograph for a city.  On the chart provided on the back of your notes page, use LACEMOPS to describe how the city’s climate is affected by it’s location on the earth.  Below is an example for Katy. L atitude Katy is in the temperate zone so it will not have extreme temperatures. A ir mass Air masses can affect us since we are not blocked by mountains. We would get cold air from the north and warm air from the tropics since we are in the northern hemisphere. C ontinentalit y It is close to the Gulf of Mexico so it has some influence that makes it more moderate than Dallas for example. However, it has more of an effect on Galveston.

Climograph Practice

Why Climographs? Climographs were developed to make it easier to characterize the climate of specific places. A climograph graphically depicts two different sets of information: average temperature and average precipitation data for a location. Directions for Reading Climograph on your sheets.

A Few Tricks of the Climograph Line Graph Points Up=N. Hemisphere Location Points Down=S. Hemisphere Location Line Dip-Continentality Normally the Larger the Dip of the line the further inland a location is. Flat Lines at High Temps are close to the equator

Practice #1  Hemisphere  Inland/Coastal  Nearness to Equator  Wet or Dry Climate Elev: 7340 ft Actual Location-Mexico City, Mexico Climate Zone: Tropical Wet and Dry

Practice #2  Hemisphere  Inland/Coastal  Nearness to Equator  Wet or Dry Climate Elev: 42 ft Actual Location-Belem Brazil Climate Zone: Tropical Wet

Practice #3  Hemisphere  Inland/Coastal  Nearness to Equator  Wet or Dry Climate Elev: 1100 ft Actual Phoenix, Arizona Climate Zone: Semiarid Steppe