Chapter 1 - Lesson 3 The Effect of Latitude Chapter 1 Earth’s Climates and Vegetation

The Earth’s atmosphere holds the air necessary for life The atmosphere is also important because it is the source or weather and climate patterns Weather is the state of the atmosphere at any given moment Climate is important to plant animal and human health Different plants and animals can only live in certain climates The Effect of Latitude pg 34 Climate – is the different kinds of weather at a particular place over a long period of time

The climate of any given place is caused by a number of factors related to location Factors: The place’s latitude, its nearness to large land areas or water, and its altitude above sea level The Effect of Latitude pg 34

Latitude - How far north and south of the equator a place is located Because the surface of the planet is curved, the sun’s rays hit Earth at different angles. Near the equator the sun’s rays hit Earth’s surface more directly Climates near the equator are hot Areas near the poles never receive direct sun rays causing the poles to be extremely cold The Effect of Latitude pg 34

Areas in the middle latitudes receive direct sun rays only part of the year, which create the seasons The Effect of Latitude pg 34 Temperate – a climate that is not very hot and not very cold overall

Seasons occur because Earth is tilted on its axis This tilt exposes the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to the direct sun rays at different times of the year When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, it is summer there At the same time it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere Tropic of Cancer – 23.5 degrees North Latitude Tropic of Capricorn – 23.5 degrees South Latitude The Effect of Latitude pg 35 Tropic – an area on the Earth that is at or near the Equator

The Effect of Latitude pg 35

How does latitude affect climate on Earth? (pg.35)