Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI)

1. Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI) Climate San Jose State University, January 24, 2004 http://www.met.sjsu.edu/baesi/ Weather and Climate

2. What is climate? • Climate is: • Climate is • Examples of weather vs climate: the average of day to day weather over a long duration • Today the temperature is 68F (weather). • Los Angeles has warm summers (climate). Weather and Climate

3. Annual Surface Temperature

4. January Average sea-level Pressure and surface wind pattern Weather and Climate

5. July Average sea-level Pressure and surface wind pattern Weather and Climate

6. Controls on Climate • Seasonal temperature and precipitation patters are generally attributable to: • Latitude • Mountains and highlands • Pressure and wind systems • Land and water location • Ocean currents • Prevailing wind direction Weather and Climate

7. Climate controls: Latitude/Mountains • Latitude • Mountains • Higher latitude climates are generally colder • Lower latitudes warmer and more moist • Higher altitudes: cooler temperatures • Windward side of mountains, cooler and wetter than leeward side Weather and Climate

8. Weather and Climate

9. Controls on Climate: Oceans • Ocean Temperatures • Coasts of continents are affected by ocean temperatures: Generally less temperature extremes compared to interior of continents • Cold oceans: • Warm oceans: • generally produce cooler/drier conditions • generally produce more warm/humid conditions Weather and Climate

10. Controls on Climate: Pressure systems • Rising and sinking motion associated with low and high pressure affects climate • Areas where pressure seasonally low, (rising motion) • Areas where pressure seasonally high, (sinking motion) • Deep Tropics: rainy • Subtropical high: warm and dry Weather and Climate

11. Weather and Climate