THE WEATHER AND CLIMATE

BY PAULA

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

WEATHER

Refers to atmospheric conditions at a specific moment.

CLIMATE

Refers to the typical atmospheric conditions in an area.

ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONSTemperature is the amount of heat

in the atmosphere. Thermometer.Precipitation is water that falls

from the sky. Pluviometer.Wind is the movement of air in the

atmosphere. The wheater vane and anemometer.

Atmospheric pressure is caused by the weight of the air in the atmosphere. Barometer.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CLIMATE

• LATITUDE: Climate zones that are near the Equator are usually warm.

• DISTANCE FROM BODIES OF WATER: Temperatures are less extreme near seas or oceans. In coastal areas, summers are cooler and winters are milder.

• ALTITUDE: Place at higher altitudes are colder than places at lower altitudes. The climate is often wetter.

THE EARTH´S CLIMATE ZONES

The Earth has got many climate zones, but we can classify them into three general categories:

1. Hot (or torrid) climate.2. Temperate climate.3. Cold (or frigid) climate.

HOT CLIMATES

• Equatorial climates have high temperatures and lots of precipitation.

• Tropical climates have high temperatures. They receive lots of precipitation in summer, but the weather is dry in winter.

• Desert climates receive very little precipitations. They can also have very extreme temperature.

TEMPERATE CLIMATES Oceanic climates have mild

temperatures. They receive a lot of precipitation, especially in winter. (Galicia)

Mediterranean climates have mild winters and hot summers. It rains in the spring and autumn, but summers are dry. (Murcia)

Continental climates have cold winters and hot summers. They don’t receive very much precipitation. (Madrid)

COLD CLIMATES

• Mountains climates are cold. There is more precipitation at high altitudes.

• Polar climates have a very low temperature.

CLIMATE ZONES IN SPAIN

• Latitudes. Spain is in the North Temperate Zone, but the Canary Island are closed to the Tropics

• Spain has got coastal regions where temperature are more extreme.

• Spain has got high, mountainous regions where temperature are lower.

Spain has got a variety of climate zones.

CLIMATE ZONE IN SPAIN

1. Oceanic2. Subtropical 3. Mountain 4. Continental Mediterranean5. Mediterranean.

Climate change The main cause of this change is an increase in waste gases, like carbon dioxide, in the Earth´s atmosphere.

Most of the waste gases come from petroleum products that are used in factories, cars and people´s homes. These gases accumulate in the atmosphere and stop heat from escaping into space. This increases the Earth´s temperature. It is called the greenhouse effect and it causes global warming

It is caused by an increase in the Earth´s temperature.

The main consequences of climate change

• HIGHER SEA LEVELS: The ice in polar zones is melting. This is going to caused floods in coastal regions.

• MORE SEVERE WEATHER: Higher temperature are going to cause more violent storms.

• DROUGHT: Some regions are going to receive less precipitation, so they won´t have enough water.

• EXTINCTION: If the temperatures keep increasing, many plant and animal species are going to disappear.

CLIMATE AND NATURALS DISASTERS

• Strong winds can cause serious damage to building and trees.

• Torrential rains can cause dangerous floods.

• Droughts are long periods of time with little or no rain.

• High temperature can cause forest fires.

STRONG WINDS

HURRICANE• It is a large tropical storm.

It can produce winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour.

TORNADO• It is a column of air that

comes from a storm cloud and rotates violenty. They can be very destructive.

THE END