Climate and Weather

1. Climate and Weather

2. Weather • Combination of temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and wind experienced on a day-to-day basis

3. Climate • The weather conditions of a place averaged over a long period of time

4. Why does Canada’s climate have so much variety?

5. Canada extends for a great distance from North to South • Different elevations produce different climate conditions • Coastal regions have different climates from inland regions • Wind and pressure systems move whether systems from one part of the country to another

6. 6 Factors that Affect Climate

7. Latitude • Distance from the equator is a key factor in whether a region is hot or cold • Places closer to the equator are hotter • As you move away from the equator, toward the poles, it gets colder

8. Latitude Energy from the sun that hits the earth at the equator covers a small area. The same amount of energy that hits the earth at a more northerly or southerly location is spread over a smaller area because of the curvature of the earth.

9. Ocean Currents • An ocean current is an underwater ‘river’ that circulates through the ocean. There are three main currents in the world. • Warm currents heat the air above the water and lead to warm, moist climate • Cold currents lead to cold, dry climate

10. Ocean Currents • Fun Fact-The meeting of warm currents and cool currents causes fog

12. Wind and Air Masses • Air masses (large bodies of air with similar characteristics (temperature and moisture)) that develop over an ocean contain moisture. As it moves over the land, it releases some form of precipitation • Air masses that develop over an inland area will be dry because they are far from a body of water • Wind carries with it weather conditions from the area it originates

13. Elevation • Elevation is the height above sea level • The higher the elevation, the colder the temperatures • Example- As you go up a mountain, the temperature drops. As you go back down, the temperature rises.

14. Elevation • As warm air rises, it expands because there is less air pressure. As it expands, it loses heat.

15. Relief • Relief refers to differences in elevation of the earth’s surface • Mountain ranges act as barriers to the movement of air masses

16. Example- Vancouver has warm, rainy weather in the winter while Calgary, on the other side of the mountain range, has cold, dry weather. • Mountains also cause precipitation called relief precipitation

17. Nearness to Water • Large bodies of water (oceans and bays) heat up and cool down more slowly than the surrounding land. • Winds blowing off the water onto the land keep it warmer/cooler than if there were no water at all • This moderates the temperatures of locations near large bodies of water • Example: Vancouver has a moderately warm, moist climate because of it’s nearness to the Pacific Ocean

18. Closeness to Large Bodies of Water

19. Types of Climate

20. Maritime Climate • Location is near water • Warm winters and cool summers • Lots of precipitation (rain and snow) • Examples: • Halifax, Nova Scotia • Vancouver, British Columbia

21. Continental Climate • Location is away from water • Hot summers, cold winters • Extreme temperatures • Little precipitation (rain or snow) • Examples • Interior Plains (Calgary, Regina etc)