Climates

What is a climate? Climate is defined as an area's long-term weather patterns. To determine an area’s climate you need to look at average temperature and precipitation over time. Other useful elements for describing climate include the type and the timing of precipitation, amount of sunshine, average wind speeds and directions, number of days above freezing, weather extremes, and local geography.

Factors that control climate: How would you expect the climate of Panama City to be different from the climate of Toronto? Panama’s year round temperatures would remain pretty much the same whereas Toronto would have cold winters and warm summers. Latitude is the most important factor when it comes to climate. Places at higher latitudes have colder temperatures than those close to the equator.

Water or land? How would distance from a large body of water (ocean or large lake like the Great Lakes) affect climate? Areas close to the water have warmer winters and cooler summers (smaller seasonal range in temperatures). Areas that are inland have hotter summers and colder winters. Why? All due to the specific heat of land and water.

Altitude How does altitude affect the average temperatures of Denver and Evergreen according to the graph? Evergreen’s average temperatures are lower than Denver’s since it is at a higher altitude.

Orographic Effect Besides altitude, how else can mountains affect climate? Those on the windward side of the mountain will be cool and wet. On the leeward side of the mountain, hot and dry (arid)

Ocean Currents Why are the ocean currents curved? Water moves due to the movement of the air. The air currents are curved due to the Coriolis Effect so the ocean currents are curved also. How could a warm current change the climate? It would make the climate warmer.

California & Florida are about the same latitude but why is California cooler than Florida? (Hint: look at ESRT at the ocean current chart) California has a cool ocean current next to it so the temperatures are cooler. Florida has a warm current next to it so the temperatures are warmer.

Global Wind Belt Zones Observe the pattern of the winds on your ESRT. Whenever the winds converge (come together) it creates a zone that has higher humidity. WET Whenever the winds diverge (move away) it creates zones of lower humidity. DRY Zone of Divergence – Dry and High Pressure Zone of Convergence – Wet and Low Pressure Notice how the zones of wet and dry alternate which also means zones of high and low pressure alternate.

Turn your reference table so you are looking at the arrow on the outside of the earth. Whenever the arrows are pointing away from the surface (going up) this means the air is rising – it is always wet where the air rises. RECDC Whenever the arrows are pointing toward (going down) the surface the air is sinking – it is always dry where it sinks.

How can people affect climates?   Major contributors to possible climate change: coal, oil, and natural gas, when burned release carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas.                    Modest contributors to possible climate change: deforestation: when wood is burned, the carbon contained in the trees is released as carbon dioxide. When wood rots in swamps methane can be produced. Living trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. rice paddies, cattle, coal mines, gas pipelines, and landfills produce methane, another greenhouse gas, which today causes about 30% as much warming as carbon dioxide.

Our Future Climate?

December 2006 – 1st inhabited island disappears! Although debated, Lohachara in India is thought to be the 1st island to disappear due to the rising sea levels resulting from global warming. The island is no longer inhabited since the people who lived there noticed their island shrinking 20 years before. Who’s next: Much of Florida, including the Everglades with its endangered species and all of metro Miami. Nearly all of Louisiana, including the whole Cajun world. The White House, in Washington D.C. (though not until after Bush decamps). Manhattan.

Which location matches this graph? Location A – It is located by the equator so it has high temperatures and high precipitation.

Which type of climate would G have? G is located on a mountain top – it will have cooler temperatures.

How would the climate of H and C differ? H would be cooler and wet while C would be hot and dry. H is on the windward side of the mountain and C is on the leeward side of the mountain. Use the wind belts to determine which side of the mountain is on the windward or leeward side.

How would F & D’s climates differ? F is located on the coast so it would have a smaller range in temperatures (cooler summers and warmer winters) D is located inland so it will have a larger range in temperatures (hotter summers and colder winters)

What location is this graph representing? B – This location has seasons similar to ours.