Climate

Weather

• Weather is the unpredictable change in air that takes place over a short period of time.

Climate• Is the usual, predictable pattern of

weather in an area over a long period of time.

What affects climate?

• Latitude

• Wind and water

• Landforms

• People

Latitude

• Tropics receive more direct sunlight than at higher latitudes

• Tropics are areas between the equator and:

* Tropic of Cancer (23 1/2 °N)

or

* Tropic of Capricorn (23 1/2 °S)

The Tropics

Mid-Latitudes• Extend from the tropics to 60°N and S

• How does the earth’s tilt affect the mid-latitudes?

Wind

• Prevailing winds follow a pattern

Warm air from the equator rises towards the poles

Cool air from the poles sinks towards the equator

Wind Patterns

Wind - Monsoon

• Seasonal winds that blow for months and bring seasonal rains

Monsoon rain clouds near Nagercoil, India, August 2006

Wind - Storms

• Thunderstorms develop when warm, moist air meets cold, dry air

*Tornadoes - winds can reach 250mph!

*Hurricanes / Typhoons - winds can

reach 150 mph!

Wind - El Niño

• El Niño forms when cold winds from the east are weak, so the Pacific grows warmer than usual.

• More water evaporates from the ocean

• More clouds form

• Some areas receive heavier rain, while some areas have less than normal

El Niño

El Niño