Climate and Weather
SOL WG.2a
Climate
 Climate is the condition of the
atmosphere over a long period of
time.
Think!
 What is the difference between a desert
and a tropical rainforest?
 What is the difference between
Antarctica and a desert?
If you said temperature and rainfall (precipitation)
you are right!
Climate
 Three characteristics of climate
are:
A. Temperature
B. Precipitation
C. Seasons
Think!
 Why do some places get more or
less rain?
 Why are some places hot and some
places cold?
 Why do some places have seasons
that are equal in length and some
places don’t?
Climate
 Four factors or elements that affect
A.
B.
C.
D.
climate are:
Latitude
Wind Currents
Proximity to Water
Elevation
Latitude
 Temperature is hotter or colder at
different latitudes because the earth is
tilted on its axis at 23.5% in relation to the
sun and it revolves around the sun.
 The tilt of the earth causes different
amounts of sunlight to hit the earth at
different times so we have seasons.
Latitude
 The Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn
mark the farthest points north and
south that receive the direct rays of
the sun. This is why the area near
the equator is very warm all year.
Latitude
 When the direct rays of the sun hit
the Tropic of Cancer or Capricorn it
is called a solstice.
 When the direct rays of the sun hit
the equator it is called an equinox.
Wind Currents
 Wind and ocean currents distribute
the sun’s heat through convection,
the transfer of heat in the
atmosphere through upward motion
of the air.
Proximity to Water
 Areas near the ocean tend to have
a milder winter and a cooler
summer.
 Ocean currents are like rivers in the
ocean. Warm water flows away
from the equator and cold water
flows toward the equator.
Proximity to Water
 Some important ocean currents
are:
A. The North Atlantic Drift - This ocean
current warms Western Europe.
B. The East Australian Current
C. The Gulf Stream
Elevation
 Elevation influences temperature.
As you go up in elevation the
temperature becomes colder
because the atmosphere is thinner.
Areas with very high elevations can
have vegetation similar to the
arctic.
Elevation
 Some areas with high elevations
are:
A. The Plateau of Tibet in Asia
B. Countries in the Andes Mountains
such as Bolivia, Chile, and Peru
C. Switzerland in the Alps
Climate Zones
 Climate zones are classified by
temperature and precipitation.
 Biome refers to the climate of an
area and the types of animals and
vegetation that are found in that
area.
Climate Zones
 Low Latitudes - Tropical Wet and
Tropical Wet and Dry.
 Middle Latitudes - Mediterranean,
Humid Subtropical, Humid
Continental, Marine West Coast.
 High Latitudes - Subarctic, Tundra,
Icecap
 Varies - Semiarid, Arid, Highland
Vegetation Regions
 The types of plants that grow in an
area are dependent on three things:
temperature, precipitation, and
amount of sunlight.
Deserts
 Deserts are based on precipitation.
There are hot and cold deserts.
Some hot deserts are: The Sahara,
The Namib, The Atacama, and The
Gobi. Antarctica is actually a desert
because it gets very little rainfall.
Grasslands
 Grasslands are classified by
temperature and precipitation.
Grasslands don’t receive enough
rain for trees to grow but they can
vary in temperature.
Tropical Grasslands
 Savanna - Africa
 Llanos - Colombia and Venezuela
 Cerrados - Brazil
Savanna in Africa
Temperate Grasslands
 Prairie - The United States and
Canada
 Pampas - Argentina
 Steppe - Central Asia
Yurts, portable houses, on the Mongolian steppe.
Cold Grasslands
 Tundra - The Tundra is a flat treeless
plain located in the far north on the
coast of Alaska, Canada, and
Russia. The Tundra has short grasses,
a few shrubs, mosses, and some
flowers. Underneath the tundra
there is permafrost, permanently
frozen subsoil.
Forests
 Forests near the equator have more
broadleaf trees and the leaves are
larger because the area receives
more sunlight.
 Forests in the high latitudes have
more coniferous trees because they
grow better with less sunlight.
Rainforests
 Rainforests are found in tropical wet
climate zones in the low latitudes. What
countries do you think have rainforests?
A. Brazil - Amazon Rainforest
B. Congo
C. Indonesia
D. Most of Central America
Taiga
 The Taiga is a large coniferous forest
that covers most of Siberia. In
Canada and Alaska coniferous
forests are called boreal forests. The
Taiga is characterized by cold
winters and short summers.
Middle Latitude Forests
 Middle latitude forests have a mix of
coniferous trees and deciduous
trees. Deciduous trees are
broadleaf trees that lose their leaves
in the winter time.
Climographs
 A climograph is a graphical
representation of temperature and
precipitation for a location. By
comparing climographs we can
understand differences in climate
from one location to another.