Climate Zone Assignment
CGC1P
Part 1: Complete the map of Canada’s Climate Zones provided to you. For each
climate zone identified, graph the climate information (precipitation and temperature)
of one city that is located in each zone.
Part 2: Using the table below to display your information, calculate climate statistics
of average annual temperature, annual temperature range, total annual precipitation,
and annual precipitation distribution.
Climate Zone
and city name
Avg. annual
precipitation
Temperature Total annual
range
precipitation
Precipitation
distribution
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Part 3: On a separate piece of paper write a paragraph on where in Canada you
would like to live, based on Climate and what climate factors would influence
your decision to move there.
Geography, Gr. 9
Natural Systems – Climate
Canadian Climate Region Assignment
Climate varies greatly across Canada and it is sometimes difficult to
compare the similarities in temperature and precipitation across the
country. One method of displaying climate data in a way that allows
for easy comparison is called a Climatograph. A Climatograph is a special type of graph that
displays the average annual distribution of temperature and precipitation in any location.
In a Climate graph the temperature data is always represented by a line and precipitation data is
always represented by a set of bars. An example is shown below:
Note: all precipitation data is
recorded in millimeters (mm) and
all temperature data is recorded
in degrees Celsius (C)
Many statistics can be used to evaluate the climate of an area. The following descriptors are the
most commonly used by climatologists to classify climates:
Highest Monthly Temperature (HMT) – refers to the highest average monthly temperature for a
year
Lowest Monthly Temperature (LMT) – refers to the lowest average monthly temperature for a
year
Temperature Range – the number of degrees difference between the HMT and LMT
Average Annual Temperature – the total average temperature for the year (add all monthly
averages together and divide by 12)
Snow Fall Equivalent – total snowfall for a year can be estimated by taking each month with an
average temperature below 0C and multiplying the monthly precipitation to get the snowfall
equivalent (ie. 10mm precipitation = 100mm snow fall)
Length of Growing Season – can be estimated by taking each moth with an average temp. of 6C
or more and tallying the days this would represent, depending on the number of days in each
month.
Temperature and moisture classification – See Fig 12-19 on page 141 in your textbook to
determine if a location is considered Maritime or Continental based on it’s climate data.
Seasonal distribution of precipitation – what part of the year receives the most precipitation (See
Fig 12-19).
Assignment: Using the climate data provided, complete the Canadian Climate Information
Organizer and neatly complete the climatographs for the cities indicated on the Climate Regions of
Canada map.