Transcript Latitude

Climate
• Climate is the average weather (patterns established
over decades) of a location
• Climate refers to
– Temperatures throughout the year
– Precipitation throughout the year
– Susceptibility to particular weather events such as:
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Monsoons
Tornadoes
Hurricanes/typhoons
Drought
6 factors determine climate
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1. Latitude
2. Altitude/Relief
3. Prevailing winds
4. Ocean Currents
5. Distance from the sea
6. El Nino effect
Latitude –
distance from the equator
•Measures north/south
•Tropics, polar circles
" Fundamentals of Mapping ." Intergovernmental Committee on Survey and Mapping. The Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping , n.d.
Web. 21 July 2010. <http://www.icsm.gov.au/mapping/coordinates.html>.
Altitude - relief
• Higher altitude/colder temperature
• Leeside of mountains is dryer
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Danoff-Burg, Dr. James A.. "SEE-U Biosphere 2: Module 09." Columbia University in the City of New York. Columbia University, n.d. Web. 21 July 2010.
<http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/seeu/bio2/restrict/modules/module09_content.html>.
Prevailing Winds
•From water= more humid
• Leeside of mountains = drier
•From tropics = warmer
•From polar regions = colder
•The prevaling winds for BC
are from the Pacific Ocean
bringing moist, warmer air.
The Okanagan is dry because
of the mountains.
Jackson, Doug. "Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Boeing Stratocruiser Flight
Times." Aerospaceweb.org | Reference for Aviation, Space, Design, and
Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2010.
<http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/dynamics/q0057.shtml>.
Ocean Currents
• Temperature of current can warm or cool the adjacent land
• Direction of wind adds to the effect (i.e. If the wind travels over the
ocean first )
• BC’s temperature is warmed somewhat by currents (see map)
Walter, Thomas B.. "ocean.currents." DoG, HC - CUNY. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2010. <http://www.geography.hunter.cuny.edu/~tbw/wc.notes/7.circ.atm/ocean_currents.htm>.
Distance from sea –
continentality
Water changes temperature MUCH more slowly
than land, so living close to a huge body of
water will “moderate” temperatures (warmer
in winter and cooler in summer)
Inland (continental) areas face more extreme
summers and winters (marine climate and
continental climate)
El Nino phenomenon
• El Nino refers to unusually warm surface water
in the Pacific Ocean. Every few years, on an
irregular basis, El Nino occurs. The warmer
water changes both rainfall and wind patterns.
The phenomenon has been blamed for
flooding, droughts, and even the lack of snow
for Vancouver’s winter Olympics.
Assignment
Based on the 5 factors, guesstimate the climate of the city you
are assigned:
Toronto, Halifax, Prince Rupert and Winnipeg.
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1. Find the city on a map
2. Check the latitude and compare to West Kelowna. Is it further north/south?
Will the city likely be warmer or colder?
3. Check the relief. How does the elevation compare to West Kelowna? Is it on
the leeside of mountains? How might the relief effect the climate?
4. Check the prevailing winds. Are they from the north or south? Do they travel
from water or land?
5. Check the ocean currents. Will they be warm or cool or too far away to have
much effect?
6. Check the distance from sea. Will the climate moderated by the ocean?
Compare answers with the class.
Climograph
• A climograph is a very specific type of graph which indicates a
location’s average monthly temperature with a line graph, and
average monthly precipitation with a superimposed bar
graph. See the example below:
"Annual Climatology:." Welcome to the National Drought Mitigation Center website!. National Drough Mitigation Center, n.d. Web. 12 Aug.
2010. <http://www.drought.unl.edu/whatis/iclimographs/VancouverMTMP.htm>.
Individual assignment
Casey, Joe. "Kelowna A., BC, Canada: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data." World Climate. N.p., n.d. Web. 25
Aug. 2010. <http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/c/CN71203011239700.php>.
Rainfall
• Precipitation occurs when humidity in the air
condenses
• What causes the humidity to condense?
• Cooling
• What causes cooling?
• Meeting a cooler air mass and rising in
altitude
3 scenarios
1. Frontal rainfall
Pidwirny, Michael. "7(r) Air Masses and Frontal Transitional Zones." Geography : Physical Geography. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug.
2010. <http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html>.
2. Orographic (or relief) rainfall
Rogers, J. David. "SAY, WHAT IS A 100-YEAR FLOOD." Missouri University of Science and Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug.
2010. <http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/umrcourses/ge301/what%20is%20a%20100%20year%20flood.htm>.
3. Convectional Rainfall
Assignment
• Determine the climate of your chosen place
• Create a climograph