Climate Connections

Welcome to a new baby Hutton!

1) List Ingredients of weather used to determine climate. Temperature Precipitation Atmospheric pressure Winds (cloud cover, humidity) Climate is long term weather patterns!

Climate vs Weather Weather= daily!

2) Climate vs Weather Climate= avg for a place over a long period of time.

3) 4 Reasons Canada’s Climate is Diverse: Canada is a very large country Different elevations produce different climate conditions Coastal regions have different climates from inland regions Wind and pressure systems move weather conditions from one part of the country to the other.

5) Latitude The energy from the sun that hits Earth at the equator covers a small area. The same amount of energy that hits Earth at a more northerly location is spread over a larger area because of Earth’s curvature.

6. Relief Refers to differences in elevation of the Earth’s surface. Relief affects movement of air masses because high elevation (mountains) act as barriers to the movement of air masses, which affects temperature and precipitation.

Vancouver has warm rainy weather in the winter (due to the closeness to the water and air masses) whereas Calgary which is on the other side of the Western Cordillera has cold, dry weather because the Western Cordillera blocks the air masses from reaching this area.

7. Elevation As elevation increases, temperature decreases. Reason: As air rises, it expands because there is less air pressure and therefore loses heat.

9. Continental vs Maritime Continental: Climate type that develops away from the influence of water. Annual temperature range tends to be large and precipitation low. Maritime: Climate type that is strongly influenced by the closeness of an ocean or other large body of water. Annual temperature range tends to be small and precipitation is high.

Modified Continental Areas near the great lakes Partial maritime influence (reduced temp. range and a source of moisture).

10. Bodies of water… Water bodies cool the land in the summer, and warm up the land in the winter

11. A) ocean currents- the temp. of an ocean current affects the temp. of the air that passes over it. B) The meeting of the cold Labrador current and the warm Gulf stream create special weather conditions- damp and foggy! Ships must take special precautions to avoid collisions.

12. Air masses An air mass is a large volume of air with the climate conditions of the area where it was formed. Moist- originates over an ocean Dry- originates over continent.

13. Low and High Pressure Low pressure: created by warmed air rising above the heated ground High pressure: created when rising air has cooled and falls toward the earth. Air moves from high to low pressure This moving air causes wind. B) In Canada, prevailing winds blow from west to east (westerlies).

C) cP air mass of Northern Canada moves southward, its cold, dry conditions are carried across Canada by the prevailing westerly winds. mT air mass from the Gulf of Mexico brings warm, moist conditions to eastern Canada.

14. Polar Front- boundary between the cold,dry polar air and warm, wet tropical air. Jet stream- west to east movement of air in the mid-latitude flowing at speeds of up to 400km/h at an altitude of between 8000 and 15000m

The jet stream changes speed and position with the seasons The jet stream changes speed and position with the seasons. In winter, it typically moves southward, allowing cold Arctic air masses to flow farther south into the United States. In summer, it moves Northward, allowing warm air masses from the Gulf of Mexico to flow farther north into Canada’s interior.