The Factors the Affect Climate: L.A.C.E.M.O.P.S. Acronym There are a great deal of discussion slides. Can take up to 2 days and do the discussions or go quickly w/o discussions and complete in 1 day.

L = Latitude Distance from the equator is one of the most important factors in determining climate. Closer you are to the equator, the warmer it gets. This is due to the way in which the suns rays hits the surface of the earth

Zones of Latitude High: Polar climates. One Season: COLD Middle: Temperate Climates 4 Seasons: Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall Low: Tropical Climates 2 Seasons: Rainy, Dry HIGH MIDDLE Students should write the seasons for each of the 3 climate zones in the “latitude” square LOW MIDDLE HIGH

Study the two climographs below. Can you pick out the one that depicts a tropical climate? How do you know? Bonus Question: Is it a tropical wet or a tropical wet and dry climate? How do you know? Discussion Climate B is wet/dry because of the variation in precipitation. This location experiences the monsoon seasons. Climate A Climate B

A is for Air Masses

Air Masses Northern hemisphere = cold air from the polar regions comes from the north hot air from the tropics comes from the south. Southern hemisphere = cold air from the polar region comes from the south hot air from the tropics comes from the north. Basically regarding the direction of air masses and where they are coming from An air mass is a large (usually thousands of miles across) volume of air where the temperature is the same across horizontal bands. To a lesser extent the amount of humidity is similar across these bands too.

Why is the direction that cold air comes from flip flopped in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres? Discussion: Refer back to the info in slide 11 regarding the direction of air masses.

C is for Continentality

Continentality The effect of a location on a continent Why is there so little difference between summer and winter along the coast of California? It takes the ocean a long time to heat & cool! Wind blowing off of water moderates coastal areas. What is the difference between summer & winter in Kansas? BIG difference in seasons in Kansas…why? Land heats & cools quickly!! Close to large body of water = smaller difference in temperature Farther away from water = greater difference in temperature. Water moderates climate. To moderate means to make milder: not as hot or cold. Water takes longer to heat and cool than land. So locations near water don’t heat up or cool down quickly. Consequently, the temperature doesn’t vary as much during the year. No hot, hot summers or cold, cold winters. Since land DOES heat up and cool quickly, areas inland from the coast will be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter than areas with the same latitude on the coast.

Continentality: How Does It Affect Climate? Remember: continentality is the effect of location on a continent on the climate of a place. Inland locations typically have larger temperature ranges and (possibly) drier conditions than maritime locations. Nebraska is farther inland because there is a larger variation on the climate. Compare these two locations. Which one has a more varied climate? How can you tell?

E is for Elevation

ELEVATION The higher you go, the colder it gets. As you go up in elevation, the air gets thinner and does not trap heat. YES! There is a giant glacier on the equator in Africa. Equator is warm, but due to high elevation it is cold enough for a glacier (though it is melting rapidly) This cooling effect of elevation stems from low atmospheric pressure -- with less air to push down on the mountains, the air molecules spread out and lose energy. The formula for vertical climate: the temperature decreases 3.5°F for every 1,000 ft of elevation.

Elevation Remember: elevation affects climate and climate affects the type of vegetation.

M is for Mountain Barriers

MOUNTAIN BARRIERS Winds blow across the ocean & push moisture inland. Moisture cloud reaches the mountains, gets “popped” by the mountain top & rains on the coastal side By the time this cloud reaches the other side of the mountains, the air is dry. What very dry state do you find East of the Sierra Nevada Mts?? A: Nevada!!! Because Calif gets the rain, the Sierra Nevadas block the rainfall Wind directions are opposite in South America as winds come from across the Atlantic, thus the Amazon, but West of the Andes, you have the Atacama desert on the Pacific Ocean.

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK2q8mTszr4

Mountain Barriers: Rain Shadow

O is for Ocean Currents

Ocean Currents Cold currents create dry conditions on the coast. Warm currents create wet conditions on the coast.

P is for Pressure and Prevailing Winds

Pressure High Pressure =H Heavy, cool air, brings clear skies and no rain. Low Pressure =L Light, warm air, usually brings precipitation Pressure systems blow from areas of high pressure to low pressure centers. At the Equator and at both lines of 60 latitude, the air is rising. Where air rises, you get rain, so those areas tend to be humid.

Wind and the Coriolis Effect Earth’s winds would blow in straight lines, but since the earth rotates they are turned at an angle. In the northern hemisphere, they turn to the right. In the southern hemisphere they turn to the left. This bending of the wind is called the Coriolis Effect. Wind and the Coriolis Effect PreAP Time permitting

S is for Storms

Storms Storms occur where …. polar winds meet westerlies when hot & cold air masses collide

Storm Tracks Cat. 5 Hurricane Tropical Storm Tornado Cyclone

P ressure & Prevailing Winds S torms L atitude A ir Masses C ontinentality E levation M ountain Barriers O cean Currents P ressure & Prevailing Winds S torms This acronym was .introduced by: Dr. James Petersen – Texas State University – San Marcos, TX, 1990.