Climate Verses Weather Is there a difference?

Activator Videos Weather and Climate Intro Cocorahs Cartoon Clip

What’s the difference between weather and climate? Long-term weather patterns of an area Weather Current state of the troposphere (lowest level of the atmosphere) Short term variations

Climatology Drilling and studying ice cores The study of Earth’s climate and the factors that affect past, present, and future climatic changes Drilling and studying ice cores

Normals Average values over a long period of time for a location Harrisburg, PA Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Average high in °F: 38 41 51 63 73 81 Average low in °F: 23 25 33 42 61 Average precipitation in inch: 3.19 2.87 3.58 3.31 4.61 3.98

What Causes Different Climates? Latitude (equator/poles) Elevation (Altitude) Geography (near mountains, water, etc.) Topography (mountains, plains)

LATITUDE Arctic Circle Tropic of Cancer Equator Tropic of Capricorn Antarctic Circle 66.5° N 23.5° N 23.5° S 66.5° S 0°

CLIMATE TYPE Polar Temperate Tropics Tropics Temperate Polar

Climate Regions:World Biomes - Intro to climate Tropics - Most solar radiation, generally warm Between Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer Temperate Between 23.5 and 66.5 North and South Mild temperatures Polar 66.5 North and South to the Poles Cold Temperatures

Koeppen Classification System Classified based on temperature and amount of precipitation Tropical Wet or wet/dry Dry Temperate Marine Temperate Continental Highlands Polar

Tropics Tropical Wet Tropical Wet and Dry Less rainfall and distinct dry and rainy seasons Tropical grasslands called savannas are found here Year round heat and heavy rainfall Dense forests called rainforests

Dry Climates - amount of precipitation is less than the amount of water that could evaporate. Usually far from oceans or in the rain shadow of mountains Arid Semi-arid Also known as deserts Less than 25 cms of rain/yr Extreme temperatures – hot during day and cold during night Also called steppes Usually located on the edges of deserts Gets enough rainfall for short grasses and low bushes to grow

Temperate Marine Climate Marine West Coast Mediterranean Climates are drier and warmer. In winter, ocean air masses bring cool, rainy weather. Coolest temperate climate Humid ocean air brings cool rainy summers, and mild rainy winters Example: Seattle, WA Humid Subtropical Wet and warm, but not as constantly hot as the tropics

Temperate Continental Climate- only found on continents in the Northern Hemisphere Humid Continental Subarctic Continental Constantly changing weather In winter, weather is bitterly cold with some rain and snow Summers are hot with high humidity and moderate rainfall Lie north of the humid continental Summers are short and cool. Winters are long and bitterly cold

Polar Climate- coldest climate region Ice Caps Tundra Found only near the Poles Covered with ice and snow Temperatures are always at or below freezing temperatures Found only near the Poles Stretches across northern Alaska, Canada, and Russia Short, cool summers followed by bitterly cold winters Some layers of soil called permafrost are always frozen

Climate Change

Short-Term Climatic Change Caused by regular variations in daylight, temp, and weather patterns Examples: Seasons El Nino (Warm ocean current)

Long-Term Climatic Change The History or Earth's climates Climates change over extremely long periods of time Ice Ages – Periods of extensive glacial coverage Most recent ended 10,000 years ago Temps dropped 5°C

Climate Change…Real? SciShow's Climate Change https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffjIyms1BX4 Climate Science: What You Need To Know

Extreme Ideas to solve Climate Change