Warm up

Where would you like to live and why? Describe what type of landforms you would find around your house, and how they would affect your life? (weather, job, hobbies)

SE – Factors affecting Climate

• Explain how elevation, latitude, wind systems, ocean currents, position on a continent, and mountain barriers influence temperature, precipitation, and distribution of climate regions

Elevation

•Temperatures change with changes in elevation.•The temperature of the atmosphere drops three degrees Fahrenheit for every 1000 feet in elevation rise.

Snow Capped mountains near the equator. How is that possible?

Latitude•One of the primary factors affecting the unequal heating of the Earth’s atmosphere is latitude•Solar Rays are more concentrated on the equator

Wind Systems

•Monsoon winds are giant sea and land breezes produced by seasonal changes in the way the wind blows.•The summer monsoon wind blows ‘sea’ air inland. •In the winter monsoon, the wind reverses producing a ‘land’ breeze.•Sea and land breezes are caused by the difference in sea and land temperatures.

Winds cont.

Global winds-• trade winds• the prevailing westerlies • the polar easterlies

Local winds-• land breezes• ocean breezes

CONVECTION CURRENTS

Warm equator air rises and heads towards the poles. Cold air heads toward the equator. Otherwise the poles would ALWAYS get colder and the equator would CONSTANTLY get hotter!

Ocean Currents

•The oceans are in constant motion. These motions carry heat around the world in regular patterns. Ocean currents are a main factor effecting climate

•Warm air and water are transported up towards the poles, while cool air and water are transported down towards the equator.xi

•Water in the ocean holds a large amount of heat, the ocean has a major effect on climate

Ocean Current cont.The Gulf Stream starts in the Gulf of Mexico (VERY VERY

WARM…near the equator..) and travels to western Europe (NOT SO WARM) The warm water brings warm air with it.

The Gulf Stream brings that warm moist air to England, Spain, Portugal, and France so it….

RAINS A LOT DOESN’T GET TOO ICY IN WINTER SUMMERS NICE AND COOL

Western Europe has a temperate climate year round unlike Eastern Europe

Position on a Continent

Land experiences greater temperature swings than water. Land heats faster than water.

The result is extreme temperature ranges over land.

Mountain Barriers

The Windward is the side of a mountain that is facing into the direction that the wind is coming from.The Leeward side is the wind protected side of a mountain.

•Mountains can affect the climate of nearby lands

•mountains block rain, so that one side of a mountain range may be rainy and the other side may be a desert

•Cold air can’t hold moisture, ergo it drops the moisture it can’t hold.

So it rains more often where it is cold.

•Hot air absorbs moisture, ergo it can keep its moisture and not rain as often which creates humidity

Precipitation

Climograph

• Graphical representation of the average monthly precipitation and average monthly temperature

Climograph must haves:

•Months on the X-axis•Monthly average Precipitation Y-axis•Monthly average temperature opposite y-axis

Hint for the Y-axises- the range must be low enough and high enough to fit all the ranges in there.

Activity: Create a climograph1. Label the months on the x-axis2. The rain fall data will be your bar graph. Make sure that the smallest

amount of precipitation and the largest amount of precipitation can fit in there. Select a colored pencil and make your bar graph.

3. Once that is done select a different color pencil. Label the other x-axis with the temperature range. On each month put a dot on the average temperature. Connect the dots with a straight line to show the change between months.

Data for your 2 Climographs

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

mm 48.0 38.9 39.9 42.2 47.3 52.1 59.5 57.2 55.4 62.0 59.0 52.9

Temp °C 4.3 4.5 6.4 9.1 12.2 15.4 17.3 16.8 14.6 11.2 7.3 5.4

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

mm 73.0 93.2 113.0 102.5 89.6 69.0 96.4 109.5 93.2 86.3 105.8 100.1Temp °C -0.5 0.1 4.7 9.5 15.0 20.3 23.5 22.8 18.8 13.0 8.0 2.0

London

New York, NY

Step 1

• Draw the x and y axis

Step 2

• Label the months

Jan Feb Mar Apr

Step 3• Find the lowest amount of rain fall and the highest amount of

rainfall. Label the precipitation(rainfall) axis.

Jan Feb Mar Apr

60

50

40

30

PRECIPITATION

Step 4

Start at January and make your bar graph for the amount of precipitation

Jan Feb Mar Apr

60

50

40

30

PRECIPITATION

Step 5 • After the bar graph is created it is now time to create the

other y-axis for the temp. (Find the highest and lowest temp)

Jan Feb Mar Apr

60

50

40

30

PRECIPITATION

TEMP

20

15

10

5

0

Step 6• Plot(make a dot) for each temperature for the month. After all the

temperatures are plotted connect the dots with straight lines

Jan Feb Mar Apr

60

50

40

30

TEMP

20

15

10

5

0

PRECIPITATION