The 7 major factors that affect climate…

LEMPOSA

7 major factors that affect climate…

LEMPOSA

LATITUDE(You can refer back to map on p. 52 when studying!)

High Latitudes: N.of the Arctic circle & also S. of the Antarctic circle They have ONE Season - Cold

(ex:Antarctica)

LATITUDE

Mid Latitudes: Between T. of Cancer & Arctic CircleAlso between T. of Capricorn & Antarctic

circle. 4 Seasons – Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

(ex:USA)

LATITUDE

Low Latitudes: •Between T. of Cancer & T. of Capricorn•Tropical, near the equator. •2 seasons - Wet & Dry (ex: Mexico, much of Africa) – in most places

ELEVATIONThe higher you go, the colder it gets. As you go up in elevation, the air gets thinner and

does not trap heat. Are there glaciers on the equator??

MOUNTAIN BARRIERS & the Orographic Effect

As winds blow across the ocean, they push moisture inland.

When the moisture cloud reaches the mountains it gets “popped” by the mountain top and rains on the coastal side (ex: California & the Sierra Nevada Mtns.)

By the time this cloud reaches the other side of the mountains, the air is dry.

What very dry state do you find East of the Sierra Nevada Mts.??

MOUNTAIN BARRIERS & the Orographic Effect

PROXIMITY TO WATER

Why is there so little difference between summer and winter along the coast of California? It takes the ocean a long time to heat & cool!

Wind blowing off of the water moderates

the coastal areas.

What is the difference between summer & winter in Kansas? BIG difference in seasons…why?

Land heats & cools quickly!! So… The closer an area is to a large body of water, the smaller the

difference in temperature, the farther away from water, the greater.

OCEAN CURRENTS The UK & Europe are on the same line of latitude as Canada. Do they experience the same climate? A warm current called the North Atlantic Drift flows up from the

equator and blows across the water and keeps Europe warmer than it should be at that latitude

What about the Atacama Desert in Chile? Located on the coast, but one of the driest places on earth…

Storms

Do not necessarily affect climate, but they do occur regularly in certain parts of the world & are associated

with certain climates.

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

When the weather person refers to a high pressure system, usually it means that moisture is high in the atmosphere and it signifies a pattern of fair weather.

A low pressure system usually brings rain.

L – Latitude: Areas closer to the poles (arctic) receive less direct sunlight than areas

closer to the equator (Tropics) E – Elevation

Air become less dense at higher elevations and cannot retain as much heat or moisture.

The temperature decreases 3.5 degrees for every 1000 ft. above sea level.

M –Mountain Barriers As airmasses cross over mtn. ranges, they lose their water vapor

through condensation. Rain Shadows form on the leeward side of mtn. ranges.

P – Proximity to Large Bodies of Water Large bodies of water are slower to heat and cool than the air on land

and this lessens extremes of hot or cold temperature. Cool winds in summer, warm winds in winter.

O – Ocean currents Warm currents circulate from the equator, cold currents from the

poles. Cold currents cool nearby coasts, and warm currents…examples: S.

California, Western Europe. S – Storms

Temporary and severe changes in weather. Changes follow a typical pattern in a climate region. Same types of storms get different regional name.

A – Atmospheric Pressure Effect of lingering HIGH and LOW pressure systems creates certain

types of weather patterns