Transcript Canada - MDC Faculty Home Pages

Oh…
Canada
Olga de la Cruz & Hugo Villabona
Coordinates
Capital: Ottawa
45°24′N 75°40′W
 *Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60°W and 141°W
longitude, but this claim is not universally recognized
Days & Nights

The longest day in Canada is June 21st because Canada is located in the Northern Hemisphere. This is
known as the Summer Solstice. Thusly, this is the shortest night in Canada.

The shortest day in Canada usually falls on December 21st in the Northern Hemisphere because of the
Winter Solstice. Hence being the longest night in the country.

All of Canada lies in the Northern Hemisphere causing the days and nights to be similar throughout.
June
Solstice
December
Solstice
Year
Day
Time
DAY
Time
2008
20
23:59
21
12:04
2009
21
05:45
21
17:47
2010
21
11:28
21
23:38
2011
21
17:16
22
05:30
2012
20
23:09
21
11:11
2013
21
05:04
21
17:11
2014
21
10:51
21
23:03
Time Zones
 Canada uses six primary time zones. From east to west they are Newfoundland Time Zone,
Atlantic Time Zone, Eastern Time, Central Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone, and the Pacific
Time Zone.

In Newfoundland the time zone is 3 hours + 30 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The other time zones are in even-hours behind GMT, from East to West. The Pacific region is 8
hours behind GMT. (The GMT is also referred to as the time of the Prime Meridian)
 Note: In Canada, Time Zones and Daylight Saving Time are usually regulated by provincial and
territorial governments.
 In reference to the International Date Line, the Newfoundland Time Zone is roughly 17 hours
behind.
Canada
Tropic of Cancer
Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
South Pole
North Pole
Minerals & Rocks
Aluminum, Chrysotile, Coal, Copper, Gold, Lead, Nickel, Zinc, Silver, Potash, Diamonds,
Molybdenum, Iron Ore, Limestone, Igneous Rocks, and Ice are all found in Canada
Plate tectonics and boundaries
Canada lies within the North American Plate.

Because of the movements between the North American Plate, Juan de Fuca Plate, Eurasian Plate, and the
Pacific Plate Canada experiences earthquakes.
Large red triangles show volcanoes with known or inferred
Holocene eruptions.
Yellow triangles distinguish volcanoes of other regions.
small red triangles mark volcanoes with possible, but uncertain
Holocene eruptions or Pleistocene volcanoes with major thermal
activity.
Volcanoes
Canada has examples of almost every type of volcano. Although none are
erupting now, at least 3 did in the last few hundred years and numerous
others have the potential to erupt in the near future.
•Other countries' volcanoes also can affect Canadians: eruptions in Alaska
or along the west coast of the U.S.A. can impact agriculture and air travel
across western Canada.
Mountain Ranges & Glaciers
The vast majority of mountains in Canada lie in the western
provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon territory.
Mountains can be found all over British Columbia while those in
Alberta are mainly concentrated on the eastern side of the
Canadian Rockies.
The Saint Elias Mountains in the Yukon hold some of country's
highest mountains, including the highest, Mount Logan at
5,959m.
In Canada, an estimated area of 200 000 square kilometers, or
about 2% of the country’s area is covered by glaciers.
A huge quantity of freshwater is frozen in the polar ice caps
and in high mountain glaciers.
At present there are no reliable figures on the total number of
glaciers in Canada.
Canada’s rivers are so vast that they are divided
up into seven sub-groups that reference them
with their drainage system.
These drainage groups include:
Pacific Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Hudson Bay
Atlantic Ocean
Gulf of Mexico
Lakes & Rivers
Canada has an extremely large number of lakes. The number of lakes larger than three square
kilometers is estimated at close to 31,191 by the Atlas of Canada. There is no official estimate of
the number of smaller lakes.
Atmospheric Pressure
 The highest atmospheric pressure in Canada is found at the Atlantic Ocean 0m which reads
29.92 on the barometer
 The lowest atmospheric pressure in Canada is found at Mount Logan 5,959m which reads
23.98 on the barometer
The atmospheric
pressure sure is low up
here
* Million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide Emissions (CO2)
Since the year 1997 to the present Canada’s emissions of carbon dioxide have
steadily increased.
If the levels continue to rise, polar bears will not be able to sleep easily.
The levels are not evenly distributed between the country and the cities; most
of the emissions come from the cities.
Wind Patterns
Between thirty and sixty degrees latitude, the winds that move toward the poles appear to curve to the
east in the Northern Hemisphere.
Because winds are named from the direction in which they originate, these winds are called prevailing
westerlies. Prevailing westerlies in the Northern Hemisphere are responsible for many of the weather
movements across Canada.
Although Canada is also known to be affected by the polar easterlies winds.
The Climate Zones:
Temperate & Polar



Areas with a Polar Climate are distinguished by a
deficiency of warm summers.
Temperate areas have a generally mild change
between summer and winter, with not extreme hot or
cold.
Large areas in northern Canada and northern Alaska
have Ice Cap or Polar climate, even though the
majority of Canada is in a Cold-Temperate Climate
Zone.
 A major effect mountains have is to lift air as the currents skim
along the ground. As the air lifts, it cools. As it cools, moisture
condenses out to form clouds. As the clouds gather, they are no
longer able to hold the moisture and it rains or snows.
Altitude affects Canada in a similar way. The higher you are the
thinner and less denser the air becomes. So as you continue to
ascend the temperature will continue to drop eventually reaching
unlivable conditions.
Warm moist air from large bodies of water cause condensation
when it hits land and as that condensation increases precipitation
occurs.
During the summer large bodies of water tend to have a cooling
affect with an onshore flow.
In the winter they generally have a warming affect although in
some latitudes they lead to greater precipitation.
The Alaska Current cools the climate of British Columbia and
Southern Alaska.
Marine or Continental Climate?




Marine Climate is the climate generally located along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's
continents. Marine climates are differentiated by a slender, smaller range of temperatures and do not have the
exceedingly dry summers of Mediterranean climates.
With a few exceptions, only the Westernmost part of Canada is affected by Marine Climate (North Pacific Ocean).
Continental Climate is climate that is set apart by winter temperatures that can support long periods of snow for more
than 5 months, and moderate rain during most of the summer.
The Southern part Canada is affected by Continental Climate.
Marine Climate
Continental Climate
Arid is defined as a geographic area lacking sufficient water or
rainfall; "an arid climate,” “a waterless well.”
Because of the massive amounts of mountains, lakes and rivers in
its surroundings, Canada is known as a humid region.
As a result of Canada’s humid region, it experiences a handful of
precipitation in snow and rain.
A significant climatic alteration is noticed from the south and the
arctic regions of Canada.
During the warmer part of the year the majority of the snow occurs
above the “60.29N” latitude and 116.18W” longitude. Whereas most
of the precipitation in the form of rain occurs below the “60.29N”
latitude and 116.18W” longitude.
Microclimates
A Microclimate is a atmospheric section that varies in
temperature and climate from nearby atmospheric
section .
Microclimates are affected by water, cities, and other
factors.
 Most of Canada’s cities remain cool because they do
not have many warming factors like other cities do.
Thusly, the climate in Canada varies slightly based on the
proximity to the water.
The Oceans, the Seas and the Bay
In the proximity of Canada you have:
The Northern Atlantic
•The Salinity:
The Northern Pacific
• The Northern Atlantic: open ocean ranges
The Beaufort Sea
from 33 to 37 parts per thousand (3.3 - 3.7%)
The Labrador Sea &
and 39 to 42 parts per thousand by the Eastern The Hudson Bay
part of Canada.
•The Northern Pacific: Because it is cooler
water the salinity is lower; around Canada it is
usually around 35 to 38 parts per thousand.
•The Beaufort Sea: 31.5%
•The Labrador Sea:34.8%
•The Hudson Bay: At around 30.1% Hudson Bay
has a salinity that is lower than the world
ocean on average. This is caused mainly by the
low rate of evaporation
Canada undergoes a handful of weather
disturbances.
Evidence to support volcanic activity in the future.
Three earthquakes in the past 100 years.
Seven floods since 1856
Ten hurricanes pre 1900 and over thirty since, with
the most destructive being hurricane Juan; a category
4 storm.
Severe Snow Storms
Four deadly landslides since 1903 (the frank slide)
Ten recorded tornadoes since 1946.
Countless wildfires
There are 5 different biomes in Canada. They are the
Tundra, the Boreal Forest, the Temperate Deciduous
Forest, the Temperate Rain Forest, and the Grasslands.
The Biomes
The population in Canada is at a
reproductive stage and has been for the past 100
years.
It is steadily increasing by 1 million citizens every
three to four years.
Population=33,212,696
Median Age
total: 40.1 years
male: 39 years
female: 41.2 years
Birth Rate
10.29 births/1,000 population
Death Rate
7.61 deaths/1,000 population
Life Expectancy
total population: 81.16 years
male: 78.65 years
female: 83.81 years
Distribution of Population
Resources
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada
 http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/ca.htm
 http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html
 http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/index.html
 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html