1 / 12

Climate

Climate. Why do some areas on Earth have glaciers? Why are some areas hot or cold? Why are some areas dry or wet? What is climate? Climate is the pattern of weather that occurs in a particular area over many years. (30+ years) explain – desert/rain. Climate.

edan-fuller
Download Presentation

Climate

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Climate Why do some areas on Earth have glaciers? Why are some areas hot or cold? Why are some areas dry or wet? What is climate? Climate is the pattern of weather that occurs in a particular area over many years. (30+ years) explain – desert/rain

  2. Climate • Weather conditions that make-up a climate: • Temperature • Precipitation • Air Pressure • Humidity • Days of Sunshine

  3. Climate • Factors that affect the climate: • Latitude • Topography • Lakes and Oceans • Moisture • Wind Patterns • Ocean Currents • Locations of Air Masses

  4. Climate • How does latitude affect climate? • The tilt of the Earth influences the angle the Sun’s direct rays hit the Earth. • Latitudes close to equator, receives more energy from the Sun. (more energy = more light and heat)

  5. Climate • There are 3 major climate zones: • Tropics • Temperate Zone • Polar Zone

  6. Climate Zones • Tropics: The region between latitudes 23.5o north and 23.5o south • This region receives the most solar energy. (light and heat) • Sun’s rays are directly overhead. • Temperatures in the tropics are always hot!

  7. Climate Zones • Polar Zone: • The region between the poles to 66.5o north and south latitude • Solar energy hits the polar zone at a low angle. Spreading the same amount of energy over a larger area. • Polar ice reflects solar energy.

  8. Climate Zones • Temperate Zone: • The area between the tropics and the polar zone. • Temperatures in this zone are moderate • The United States is in the temperate zone.

  9. Climate • * Within each zone, topographic features affect climate. (what is a topographic feature?) • Mountains, Large bodies of water • Water heats up and cools down more slowly than land. • Coastal regions are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer • Ocean currents affect coastal climate. Warm currents flow toward the north, warming the regions they pass. (cold currents)

  10. Climate • Mountains – The side of the mountain facing the wind is called the windward side. • Air rises, cools, and drops its moisture as precipitation on the windward side. • Leeward side – The air descends, heats up, and dries out the land, often forming deserts. (explain) • There is a man-made feature that affects climate. • Large cities – solar energy is absorbed by streets, parking lots, and buildings. Radiates heat into the atmosphere.

  11. Climate • Climate can be divided into six major groups: • Tropical • Mild (near oceans) • Dry • Continental • Polar • High elevation (mountains)

  12. Climate • In the temperate zone, weather generally changes with the seasons. • Seasons are short-term periods of climate change. • Seasons change as the amount of solar energy an area receives changes.

More Related