Transcript Document
Role of Climate 4-1 Local Conditions • How would you describe your climate, or the average year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation where you live? Does your area receive a great deal of precipitation-rain or snow-or is your area very dry? Questions • When does the area in which you live experience the lowest temperatures? • Does the temp get below freezing • When does your area have the highest temperatures? • How often does it rain where you live? • Is one season rainier than others • Does it snow where you live? • If so what is the heaviest snowfall you can remember? • What are two factors that affect climate? What is Climate? • Weather-day-to day condition of the Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place. • May be clear or sunny one day and cloudy and cold the next • Climate- refers to average, year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region • Climate is caused by many factors including: – Trapping of heat by the atmosphere – Latitude – Transport of heat by winds and ocean currents – Amount of precipitation that results – Shape and land elevation contribute to global climate patterns • Energy of incoming sunlight drives Earth’s weather and helps determine climate • Presence of certain gases in the atmosphere also has an effect on its temperature. The Greenhouse Effect • Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy and maintain Earth’s temperature range. • Greenhouse effect-natural situation in which heat is retained by a thin layer of greenhouse gases. The Effect of Latitude on Climate As a result of differences in latitude and thus the angle of heating, Earth has three main climate zones: – polar – temperate – tropical. Polar Zones • Cold areas where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle. • These zones are located in the areas around the North and South poles – between 66.5° and 90° North and South latitudes. Temperate Zones • Sit between the polar zones and the tropics • Temperate zones are more affected by the changing angle of the sun over the course of a year • The climate in these zones ranges from hot to cold, depending on the season. Tropical Zone • Or tropics, is near the equator • Located between 23.5° North and 23.5° South latitudes • Receive direct or nearly direct sunlight year-round, making the climate almost always warm. Heat Transport in the Biosphere • The unequal heating of Earth's surface drives winds and ocean currents – transport heat throughout the biosphere • Winds form because warm air tends to rise and cool air tends to sink – air that is heated near the equator rises