1. 1.2 Climate

2. Climate How does climate impact how we live?
How would you describe our climate in Lethbridge?
How do you compare that to the climate of the Northwest Territories?
What kinds of things do we do to survive in our climate?
How might that be different from a place like Saudi Arabia?

3. Climate
Look at these two pictures: What kind of climate do each live in? What have each done to survive in their particular climate?
Adaptation: any change to structure or function that make is more suited to its environment
What adaptations have these two organisms made?

4. Describing Climate
Temperature of a specific area is a critical element to an areas climate
Temperature: average kinetic energy of particles in the air
Altitude is another factor that greatly influences climate:
Altitude: The height in meters above sea level an object is.

5. Describing Climate Altitude greatly affects temperature.
As the solar radiation warms the ground and not the air the higher the elevation the less air there is.
Air pressure and Temperature are proportional.
Less air means lower pressure which means a lower temperature.

6. Describing Climate
The amount of water present in the atmosphere is also a factor in determining a climate
Humidity: the amount of water vapour in the air.
This is reported as a % based on the temperature.

7. Temperature and Precipitation Patterns
As air cools not all of the water will stay in the atmosphere.
This is because thermal energy is removed from the air.
The point when water condenses to form a liquid in the atmosphere is referred to as the dew point

8. Temperature and Precipitation Patterns
Differences in temperature have great effects on precipitation patterns.
As the solar energy heats the ground it causes more water to evapourate.
As the water evapourates and meets with the cooler air in the atmosphere it condenses to form precipitation.
Because of wind movements due to air flow and the coriolis effect the water that evapourates does not usually fall in the same area

9. Climatographs These are used to compare climates in different regions.
Climatographs is a graphical representation of data for a specific area and time period.
Climatographs usually compare temperature and mm of precipitation.

10. Climatographs On the x – axis is the area for each month
On one y – axis is the area for mm of precipitation (1 mm of rain = 10 mm of snow)
The other y – axis measures the average monthly temperature for the area in °C.

11. Climatographs
The precipitation is represented by a bar graph for each month
The average monthly temperature is represented by a line graph for each month.

12. Climate Change
Change that occurs in climate of a region over time (min. 30 years)
Compare average weather
Have seen climate change many times throughout Earth’s history (use ice core samples and fossils)
The average surface temperature of the Earth is currently increasing
Use anecdotal and scientific evidence

13. Vostok Ice Core Data

14. Anecdotal Evidence
Using reports from people about their observations and interpretations
What is a problem using this type of evidence?
Example:
Farmers in Alberta report growing season starting earlier
Aboriginal and Inuit elders have reported changes too (first frost date, start of animal migration, and thickness of ice)

15. Scientific Evidence
Collection of evidence that is unbiased and reflects general situations
Data collected by specialized instruments