Climate
CGC1D
Wed. Feb. 26, 2014
What is Weather?
 Defined as:
 The day-to-day characteristics such as temperature,
precipitation, humidity, wind speed/direction, cloud
cover and air pressure
example: WEATHER – Sioux Lookout, Ontario
Current Weather Updated: Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 14:00
Temperature: -22ºC
Wind: W 22km/h
Wind gusts: 35km/h
Sunrise: 7:00
Sunset: 17:42
Relative Humiditiy: 56%
Pressure: 102.3 kPa
Visibility: 19.0 km
What is Climate?
• Defined as:
The weather conditions of a place averaged over a long
period of time
example:
CLIMATE - Sioux Lookout, Ontario
– Sioux Lookout has a continental climate, with a
warm summer and a cold winter
– Winters in Sioux Lookout are severe
– Sioux Lookout, like other cities in Ontario, enjoys a
sunny climate
Climate
Factors that affect climate- Remember the phrase
“LOWER Near water”:
Latitude
Ocean currents
Winds and air masses
Elevation
Relief
Near Water
Factors that Affect Climate:
Latitude- degrees N or
S of equator
Average
annual
temperatures
Factors that Affect Climate:
Ocean currents- currents have an effect on nearby
land masses. (Either cooling or warming it)
• North Pacific current heats
air above it, warming coastal
British Columbia
• cold Labrador current meets
warm Gulf Stream moving
north off coast of Newfoundland,
creating foggy conditions
(100 foggy days per year)
Factors that Affect Climate:
Winds and air massesjet stream and prevailing
winds- most weather
systems move West to
East across Canada
Factors that Affect Climate:
Elevation- air cools as it rises.
Factors that Affect Climate:
Relief- windward side of mountain experiences more
precipitation than leeward side. (see Fig. 13-7 in text
on page 151)
Near Water- water has a
moderating effect on the climate.
Continental Climate
- Located in the interior of a
large land mass
- Large range of
temperatures (greater
than 25C)
- Less rain (less than 1000
mm)
- Receives most
precipitation in summer
- Warm-hot summers, cold
winters
- e.g., Sioux Lookout
Maritime Climate
- Located near a large
body of water
- Small range of
temperatures (less than
25C)
- More rain (greater than
1000 mm)
- Receives most
precipitation in winter
- Cool-warm summers, cool
winters
- e.g., Halifax, NS
Climate
• We can illustrate climate and compare climates
from different locations easily using a climograph
43.4N, 79.4 W
Elevation 173m
TORONTO
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Temp (oC)
-5
-4
0
4
10
16
19
17
14
9
2
-1
Precip(mm)
56
53
53
56
56
61
76
56
58
56
58
56
Ann
695
mm
Climate – A Climograph of Toronto
Red dots=
temperature
30
140
25
130
20
120
15
110
10
100
Temp.
5
90
0
80 Precip
(mm)
70
(oC) -5
Blue bars=
precipitation
-10
60
-15
50
-20
40
-25
30
-30
20
-35
10
-40
0
J
F
M A
M
J
J A
Months
S
O N
D
Canada
N
Climate Regions
Nunavut
British
Columbia
Quebec
Manitoba
Alberta
Ontario
Arctic
Boreal
West Coast
Prairie
Mountain
Southeastern
World Climates
Check out THIS website to compare climographs
around the world.
Soil and
Vegetation
CGC1D
Soil and Vegetation
• Soil is a naturally occurring, unconsolidated or
loose material on the surface of the earth,
capable of supporting life
• Soil is made up of four components (MOMA):
–
–
–
–
Minerals
Organic Material
Moisture
Air
• More about qualities of soil (and their
disappearance!) will be discussed in Unit 3
Soil and Vegetation
• Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a
region (which very much depends on soil quality)
• In Canada, we have everything from desert
cactus to massive rainforest trees, and everything
in between
–
–
–
–
–
Mosses
Plants
Shrubs
Coniferous trees
Deciduous trees
Canada
N
Vegetation Regions
Yukon
Territory
Northwest
Territories
Tundra
West Coast Forest
Boreal Forest
Broad-leaved Forest
Grassland
Mixed Forest
Parkland
Cordilleran Vegetation
Nunavut
Quebec
Manitoba
Alberta
Ontario
Ecozones
• An ecozone is an area of the earth’s surface that
has a unique combination of plants, wildlife,
climate, landforms, and human activities.
• If you were to overlay or combine the climate,
landforms, soil (and vegetation) maps of Canada
shown in this slideshow, you would see patterns
emerge resulting in Canada’s 15 terrestrial (land)
ecozones
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