The Factors the
Affect Climate:
L.A.C.E. M.O.P.S.
Much of the information
in this Power Point came
from Linda Hammon.
Terms to Know
Fold your paper in half 3 times to create 8 boxes necessary
to record the information in this lesson.
Use one side record each of these vocab terms & definitions.
• Rotation/1 day takes the earth 24 hours (1
day) to make one complete rotation on it’s
AXIS.
• Revolution/1 year Takes the earth 365 ¼
days (1 year) to make one complete revolution
around the SUN
• Weather – The DAILY condition of the
atmosphere.
• Climate – Weather conditions over TIME.
• Precipitation – Moisture that falls from the
sky: rain, snow, sleet, & hail.
How to Read a Climograph
Look at the title to see what location’s climate is
being described by the graph.
Line Graph =
avg
temperature
for each
month.
Average
precipitation
by month.
Months of the year.
Forces that create the climate of a certain location:
LACEMOPS.
Place one of each of these letters in your boxes
created by folding the manilla paper.
L
A
C
E
M
O
P
S
L = Latitude
Distance from the equator is one of the most
important factors in determining climate.
Zones of Latitude
HIGH
MIDDLE
LOW
MIDDLE
HIGH
High: Polar
climates.
One Season:
COLD
Middle:
Temperate
Climates
4 Seasons:
Winter,
Summer,
Spring, Fall
Low:
Tropical
Climates
2 Seasons:
Rainy, Dry
Take a moment to compare the temperatures of
Mangalore & Memphis.
Which one do you think is closer to the equator? Why?
Tropical Wet & Dry
Location
Humid Subtropical
Location
Study the two climographs below.
•Can you pick out the one that depicts a tropical climate?
How do you know?
•Bonus Question: Is it a tropical wet or a tropical wet
and dry climate? How do you know?
Climate A
Climate B
A is for Air Masses
Air Masses
• Northern hemisphere =
• cold air from the polar regions
comes from the north
• hot air from the tropics comes
from the south.
• Southern hemisphere =
• cold air from the polar region
comes from the south
• hot air from the tropics comes
from the north.
Why is the direction that cold air comes
from flip flopped in the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres?
C is for Continentality
Continentality
The effect of a location on a continent
• 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 water moderates coastal areas.
• What is the difference between summer
& winter in Kansas?
BIG difference in seasons in Kansas…why?
Land heats & cools quickly!!
• Close to large body of water = smaller difference in temperature
• Farther away from water = greater difference in temperature.
Continentality: How Does It Affect
Climate?
Remember: continentality is the effect of location on a
continent on the climate of a place. Inland locations typically
have larger temperature ranges and (possibly) drier conditions
than maritime locations.
Compare these two locations. Which one is
further inland? How can you tell?
E is for Elevation
ELEVATION
• The 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??
Elevation
Remember: elevation affects climate and climate
affects the type of vegetation.
Elevation affects the type of natural
vegetation & crops that grow in a region.
In this photo, you can see the tree line-the
highest point on a mountain that trees can
survive.
M is for Mountain Barriers
MOUNTAIN BARRIERS
(aka the Orographic Effect or the Rain Shadow Effect)
• Winds blow across the ocean & push moisture inland.
• Moisture cloud reaches the mountains, gets “popped” by the
mountain top & rains on the coastal side
• 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: Rain Shadow
O is for Ocean Currents
OCEAN CURRENTS
• The UK & Europe are on the same line of latitude as Canada.
• Do they experience the same climate?
• North Atlantic Drift = warm current that flows up from the equator &
and keeps Europe warmer than it should be at that latitude
Ocean Currents
• Cold currents create dry conditions on the coast.
• Warm currents create wet conditions on the coast.
Ocean Currents
Physical Map of Africa
Using both maps above, how do you explain
the existence of the desert region of
southwestern Africa?
P is for Pressure and
Prevailing Winds
Pressure
High Pressure =H
Heavy, cool air,
brings clear skies
and no rain.
Low Pressure =L
Light, warm air,
usually brings
precipitation
Wind and the
Coriolis Effect
Earth’s winds would
blow in straight lines,
but since the earth
rotates they are turned
at an angle. In the
northern hemisphere,
they turn to the right.
In the southern
hemisphere they turn
to the left. This
bending of the wind is
called the Coriolis
Effect.
Cyclonic storms (hurricanes & typhoons)
Northern Hemisphere spin counter-clockwise.
Southern Hemisphere cyclones spin clockwise.
Northern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
What relationship can you detect between the
diagram and the map of the world’s major
deserts? HINT: Think high pressure vs. low
pressure.
S is for Storms
Storms
• Storms occur where ….
• polar winds meet westerlies
• when hot & cold air masses collide
Storm Tracks
Cat. 5 Hurricane
Tropical Storm
Tornado
Cyclone
• L atitude
• A ir Masses
• C ontinentality
• E levation
• M ountain Barriers
• O cean Currents
• P ressure & Prevailing Winds
• S torms
This acronym was
.introduced by:
Dr. James Petersen
– Texas State
University – San
Marcos, TX, 1990.