Transcript Climate - Ms. Donaldson`s Weebly

Climate
Climate
• Climate – the pattern of temperature and
precipitation typical of an area over a long period
of time.
– Temperature
– Precipitation
• There are five major factors that affect climate.
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Latitude the distance from the equator
Altitude how far you are from sea level
Topography (surface features like mountains)
Oceans and Large Lakes ( including currents)
Earth’s winds
North Pole, Alaska, USA
Latitude
• Temperatures at and around the equator
are fairly constant throughout the year.
– Constantly HOT!
• Moving north or south away from the
equator you begin to experience more
seasonal changes (winter, spring, summer,
fall)
• Along with this comes temperatures that
vary more.
Latitude
• One relationship between latitude and climate is:
– The further away from the equator you go (North or
South) the cooler the climate becomes
• Average Temperatures in North Pole, AK
– Summer – 60o F
– Winter – -7o F
• Areas furthest from the equator (around the
poles) also have fairly constant weather.
– Constantly COLD!
Reviewing Predictions
• Look back at your prediction.
• Write down if your prediction was
supported or not supported by our
discussion.
• Include also which factor affected the
climate here.
Denver, Colorado, USA
Altitude
• Temperature typically drops 3.5o F for each
1,000 feet higher in elevation.
• Altitude in Denver, CO – 5,280 ft above sea
level.
– Average summer temp – 73oF
– Average winter temp – 31oF
• Baltimore, MD has the same latitude as Denver,
but different altitude (446 ft above sea level)
– Average summer temp – 80oF
– Average winter temp – 38oF
Reviewing Predictions
• Look back at your prediction.
• Write down if your prediction was
supported or not supported by our
discussion.
• Include also which factor affected the
climate here.
Seattle, WA vs. Wenatchee WA
Cascade Mountains
Topography
• Topography – surface features including
mountain ranges, valleys, etc.
• Seattle vs Wenatchee
– Approximately the same latitude
– Approximately the same altitude
• Seattle: 3” rain/mo average, 40” rain/year
• Wenatchee: 0.75” rain/mo average, 9”
rain/year
Topography
• Why?
– Winds carry warm wet air from the Pacific
Ocean and Puget Sound into Seattle.
– As the warm wet air flows up the Cascade
Mountains it cools (remember that
temperature drops as altitude increases!)
– When the air cools, the water in the air
condenses to form clouds.
– When the clouds get to heavy, it rains in
Seattle.
Topography
– As the air currents continue to move east, the
rain continues to fall.
– Once past the Cascade Mountains, the air
comes back down and warms up.
– There is very little moisture left in the air by
the time the front reaches Wentachee, so
there is very little rain!
– This is called a “Rain Shadow”
Reviewing Predictions
• Look back at your prediction.
• Write down if your prediction was
supported or not supported by our
discussion.
• Include also which factor affected the
climate here.
Trondheim, Norway
Oceans and Large Lakes
• Surface currents are caused by winds, but
the currents affect the winds as well.
• Winds pick up moisture as they blow
across warm water currents, bringing
warm, moist air to coastal regions.
• Cool water currents cause the winds
blowing over them to cool, bring cool dry
air to coastal regions.
Oceans and Large Lakes
• The climate of the area is affected by whether
the winds cross warm or cool ocean currents.
• Trondheim, Norway
– Average Summer Temp – 56oF
– Average Winter Temp – 30oF
• Warm water of the Gulf Stream and North
Atlantic Drift Currents give Trondheim moderate
temperatures even though they are on the same
latitude as Greenland which is completely
covered in ice!
Reviewing Predictions
• Look back at your prediction.
• Write down if your prediction was
supported or not supported by our
discussion.
• Include also which factor affected the
climate here.
Buffalo, NY vs Albany, NY
Lake Erie
Oceans and Large Lakes
• After crossing the Great Lakes, weather fronts
pick up moisture from the water in the lakes.
• The additional moisture in the air brings
additional precipitation to areas that are located
along the lake.
• Average precipitation per month
– Buffalo – 3.7” per month
– Albany – 2.9” per month
• Between 12/24/06 and 12/29/06 Buffalo received
83” of snow!
Reviewing Predictions
• Look back at your prediction.
• Write down if your prediction was
supported or not supported by our
discussion.
• Include also which factor affected the
climate here.
Earth’s Winds
• Prevailing Winds
– Winds that blow more often from one direction
than the other.
• These winds carry the moisture of the
oceans and large lakes to the continents.
• In the United States, weather fronts
typically move from west to east because
of the wind.
Other Factors that May Affect
Climate
• Volcanic Eruptions
– Large amounts of volcanic ash released into
the air may affect the climate for a little while.
– The ash is moved across the globe by the
prevailing winds.
– Ash in the air may cause some sunlight to be
filtered out.
– As a result, the climate may become
temporarily cooler.
Other Factors the May Affect
Climate
• El Nino
– When waters in the Pacific become warmer than
normal, it is called El Nino.
– El Nino brings temporary climate change, bringing
drought and fire in the West Pacific, and floods to
Peru. (see video guide for more info)
• Greenhouse Gases
– Extra carbon dioxide in the air from cars, factories,
and other human activity traps some of Earth’s heat
in, causing climates to slowly warm up.
What are the Five Major Factors
that Affect Climate?
What are 3 additional factors that
may affect climate?