Transcript Lesson Overview

Lesson Overview
Climate
Lesson Overview
4.1 Climate
Lesson Overview
Climate
Weather and Climate
What is climate?
Lesson Overview
Climate
Weather and Climate
1. Weather is the day-to-day condition of Earth’s atmosphere.
2. Climate refers to average conditions of temperature and
precipitation.
Lesson Overview
Climate
Factors That Affect Climate
What factors determine global climate?
Lesson Overview
Climate
Solar Energy and the Greenhouse Effect
The 4. main force that shapes our climate is solar energy
that arrives as sunlight that strikes Earth’s surface.
things can happen to sunlight: it gets reflected by earth’s
surface, escapes into space as heat, trapped by
greenhouse gases, absorbed by earth’s surface
Lesson Overview
Climate
Solar Energy and the Greenhouse Effect
Some of the heat also radiates back into space, and some is
trapped in the biosphere.
6. The balance between heat that stays in the biosphere and
heat lost to space determines Earth’s average temperature.
Lesson Overview
Climate
Solar Energy and the Greenhouse Effect
7. Earth’s temperature is largely controlled by concentrations of
three atmospheric gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and water
vapor, greenhouse gases
These “greenhouse gases” function like glass in a greenhouse,
allowing visible light to enter but 8. trap heat through a
phenomenon called the greenhouse effect.
Lesson Overview
Climate
Solar Energy and the Greenhouse Effect
9. If greenhouse gas concentrations rise, they trap more heat,
so Earth warms. If concentrations falls, more heat escapes, and
Earth cools.
Without them, Earth would be about 30°C cooler than it is.
Lesson Overview
Climate
Latitude and Solar Energy
10. Near the equator, solar
energy is intense, as the sun is
almost directly overhead at noon all
year.
The 11. since the earth is curved
as u move toward the poles, the
same amount of sunlight is
spread over a larger area
Lesson Overview
Climate
Latitude and Solar Energy
Earth’s polar areas annually receive
less intense solar energy, and
therefore heat, from the sun.
12. The difference in heat
distribution creates three
different climate zones: tropical,
temperate, and polar.
Lesson Overview
Climate
Latitude and Solar Energy
The 13. tropical zone, which
includes the equator, is located
between 23.5° north and
23.5° south, always warm.
This zone receives nearly direct
sunlight all year.
On either side of the tropical zone
are the two 14. temperate
zones, between 23.5° and
66.5° north and south has
seasonal weather.
Beyond the temperate zones are
the 15. polar zones, between
66.5° and 90° north and
south, always cold,
Lesson Overview
Climate
Heat Transport in the Biosphere
16. The unequal distribution
of heat creates wind and
ocean currents,
Earth has winds because warm
air is less dense and rises, and
cool air is more dense and
sinks.
Lesson Overview
Climate
Heat Transport in the Biosphere
These upward and downward
movements of air create winds.
17. Winds transport heat from
warm regions to cold regions
18. Earth’s rotation causes winds
to blow generally from west to
east in temperate zones and
east to west in tropics and the
poles.
Lesson Overview
Climate
Heat Transport in the Biosphere
19. warm ocean currents make the nearby land warm
Surface water is pushed by winds.
20. cold ocean currents make the nearby land cold.