Transcript Volcanoes and Igneous Activity Earth - Chapter 4

Chapter 25.2
“Climate Zones”
Modified from many sources & Prentice Hall & Holt CA Earth Science
by L. Smith
Remember:
CLIMATE = The AVERAGE weather
conditions over a LONG period of time
CLIMATE = WEATHER
Remember:
CLIMATE = most often described by:
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
and
ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
Latitude influences angle of sunlight and
therefore the temperature of an area.
This also influences the global wind
patterns and therefore precipitation.
Climate Zones
http://www.webquest.hawaii.edu/kahihi/sciencedictionary/images/degreemap.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~rhaberlin/images/emclim.gif
Tropical Zone
The tropical zone is
between 23.5o north
(the tropic of Cancer)
o
and 23.5 south (the
tropic of Capricorn) of
the equator.
The sun’s rays are
most intense and the
temperatures are
always warm.
http://www.touristmaker.com/images/tropical/wet-tropical-climate.jpg
http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/files/rai
nforest2.jpg
Temperate Zone
http://www.meteorologyclimate.com/temperate-ireland.jpg
http://www.touristmaker.com/images/temperate/autumn-temperate-climatezone-new-zealand.jpg
The temperate zones
o
are between 23.5 and
66.5o north and
between 23.5o and
66.5o south of the
equator.
The sun’s rays strike
Earth at a smaller
angle than near the
equator.
Polar Zone
Polar zones are
o
between 66.5 and
90o north and south
latitudes and the
poles.
The sun’s rays
strike Earth at a
very small angle in
the polar zones.
Köppen Climate Classification
System
The most widely used for classifying the world's
climates.
Köppen divided the Earth's surface into climatic
regions that generally coincided with world patterns
of vegetation and soils.
The Köppen system recognizes five major climate
types based on the annual and monthly averages of
temperature and precipitation. Each type is
designated by a capital letter.
Further subgroups are designated by a second, lower
case letter which distinguish specific seasonal
characteristics of temperature and precipitation.
To further denote variations in climate, a third letter
was added to the code
These letters usually correspond to information about
certain months or about max and min temperature or
rainfall.
Local Climates
The climate of a small area is called the
microclimate.
Density of vegetation, elevation and proximity
to large bodies of water greatly influence the
local microclimate.
Elevation
Higher elevations tend to have lower
temperatures.
\
Precipitation amounts are also influenced by
the rain shadow effect.
Large Bodies of Water
Water absorbs and release heat slower than
land does—moderating temperature variation.
Large bodies of water also typically lead to
increased precipitation for a region.