Power Point : Creating Climate (14.1 & 14.2)

CLIMATE: The average weather pattern of one geographical location over the course of one year.

A Climatograph is a diagram that shows several climate characteristics at once. .

WHERE MIGHT THIS BE FROM WHERE MIGHT THIS BE FROM? ( Lots of rain all year, stays around 70-80 degrees all year. . . )

“Climate” describes the atmosphere where you live. It comes from . . (1) Latitude (the angle of sun’s rays) (2) Topography (elevation and texture) (3) Fluids (water vapor and breezes)

The earth is tilted 23.5 degrees on it’s axis. (1) LATITUDE We have already discussed how earth is heated along lines of latitude from the sun. . . The earth is a sphere, so the angle at which radiation hits the earth changes along it’s surface. This is called ANGLE OF INCIDENCE. The earth is tilted 23.5 degrees on it’s axis. If the sun is lower in the sky, the amount of radiation is spread over a larger surface area.

This is mostly why the equator is warm all the time, and the poles are cold all the time.

This differential heating creates 3 areas of climate called “zones” : There are “Polar” “Temperate” and “Tropical”. . . . WE LIVE IN THE FERREL CELL (TEMPERATE)

(2) TOPOGRAPHY The ground we live on has many hidden variables which contribute to climate . Topography ( Flat? Bumpy?) Elevation (higher is cooler) Color (Dark vs. light) Texture ( Shiny, dull, grassy, etc) Specific Heat of materials (Water, Silica, Iron, etc.)

These factors cause different areas of land to retain more heat than others. Dark colors absorb more radiation Textures absorb more radiation because they have more surface area. If it takes a substance a long time to heat up, it will also take a long time to cool.

Elevation affects climate . . . . Mountains can act as a fluid barrier (wind and water) Mountains are high enough in the troposphere to experience colder than normal temperatures. Mountains often have rock underneath, and have a variety of soil types.

Lastly, water and air affect climate. (3) FLUIDS Lastly, water and air affect climate. THE MORE WATER NEAR WHERE YOU LIVE more evaporation = more water vapor in air = more precipitation = milder temperatures = more vegetation = even more water vapor. . . .

Here are major ocean currents of the world. . . What do you notice the currents doing above and below the equator? Where would you expect warm climates? Cooler ones?

The Gulf Stream is a major ocean current that is warm, and allows areas of higher latitude to have more of a temperate climate than normal.

The “California Current” comes from Alaskan water, and makes the Pacific Coast very cold.

Big, global masses of air also sit above big bodies of water, and take on the same temperature. CA weather is affected By the “Maritime Polar” and “Maritime Tropical” air masses From the Pacific Ocean.