Transcript Climate and Weather

Bellringer

What do you know about climate? Explain
(Do not say “nothing or I don’t know”, I
am sure we all have prior knowledge
about climate)

What type of information can climate tell
us about a specific region?

Have HW ready!
Ch. 2 Sect 2
Part 1
Climate and Weather
Climate

Climate is the condition of the atmosphere
over a long period of time.
Think!
What is the difference between a desert and a
tropical rainforest?
 What is the difference between Antarctica and a
desert?

If you said temperature and rainfall (precipitation)
you are right!
Precipitation: When cloud particles become too heavy
to remain suspended in the air, they fall to the earth
as precipitation
Climate

Three characteristics of climate are:
A.
Temperature
Precipitation
Seasons
B.
C.
Think!
Why do some places get more or less
rain?
 Why are some places hot and some places
cold?
 Why do some places have seasons that
are equal in length and some places
don’t?

Climate

A.
B.
C.
D.
Four factors or elements that affect
climate are:
Latitude
Wind Currents
Proximity to Water
Elevation
Wind Currents

Wind and ocean currents distribute the
sun’s heat through convection, the
transfer of heat in the atmosphere
through upward motion of the air.
Proximity to Water
Areas near the ocean have a milder winter
and a cooler summer.
 Ocean currents are like rivers in the
ocean. Warm water flows away from the
equator and cold water flows toward the
equator.

Elevation

Elevation influences temperature. As you
go up in elevation the temperature
becomes colder because the atmosphere
is thinner.
Climate Zones

Climate zones are classified by
temperature and precipitation.
Climate Zones
Low Latitudes - Tropical Wet and Tropical
Dry.
 Middle Latitudes - Mediterranean, Humid
Subtropical, Humid Continental, Marine
West Coast.
 High Latitudes - Subarctic, Tundra, Icecap

Stop Here…Next Class
Desert
 Tropical Grassland
 Temperate Grassland
 Forest
 Tundra

9/24: Assignment

With a partner (meaning 1 other person) you will be creating
a Physical Geography Poster (Ongoing in class project due Fri.
28)

Today you will begin drafting your poster and information that
will be going on this poster

Begin focusing on the following:
– Images
– Title
– Labels
– Creativity (Theme, Color, Neat)
– Information (what is it, where is it located, etc)
– Content: Geo Term 9/21 PPT, Climate & Weather PPT
9/23-9/24

You may illustrate by drawing or bringing in pictures from
home to enhance your poster.
Bellringer

Take out your notebook we are starting
right away
Deserts

Deserts are based on precipitation. There
are hot and cold deserts. Some hot
deserts are: The Sahara, The Gobi.
Tropical Grasslands: are warm year
round, but usually have a dry and a
rainy season.
Savanna - Africa
 Llanos - Colombia and Venezuela
 Cerrados – Brazil

Temperate Grasslands: average
between 10 and 30 inches of rain
per year, have shorter grasses.
These areas have two seasons: a
growing season and a dormant
season. During the dormant
season, no grass can grow because
it is too cold.
Temperate Grassland
Prairie - The United States and Canada
 Pampas - Argentina
 Steppe - Central Asia

Yurts, portable houses, on the Mongolian steppe.
Cold Grasslands

Tundra - The Tundra is a flat treeless plain
located in the far north on the coast of
Alaska, Canada, and Russia. The Tundra
has short grasses, a few shrubs, mosses,
and some flowers. Underneath the tundra
there is permafrost, permanently frozen
subsoil.
Forests
Forests near the equator have more
broadleaf trees and the leaves are larger
because the area receives more sunlight.
 Forests in the high latitudes have more
coniferous trees because they grow better
with less sunlight.

Rainforests

Rainforests are found in tropical wet climate
zones in the low latitudes. What countries do
you think have rainforests?
A. Brazil - Amazon Rainforest
B. Congo
C. Indonesia
D. Most of Central America
Taiga

The Taiga is a large coniferous forest that
covers most of Siberia.
Middle Latitude Forests

Middle latitude forests have a mix of
coniferous trees and deciduous trees.
Deciduous trees are broadleaf trees that
lose their leaves in the winter time.