Warm Up1. How does temperature affect density?
2. What are ocean currents?
3. Are temperature variations greater over
land or water?
4. What causes ocean currents to occur?
5. What is the Coriolis Effect?
Warm Up1. How does temperature affect
density?
Higher temp (warm) = low density
Lower temp (cold) = high density
What is are ocean currents?
 An Ocean Current is a directed,
continuous movement of ocean water
generated by various forces.
 Currents are caused by various factors:
 Temperature
 Different salinity levels
 Winds
Warm Up3. Are temperature variations greater
over land or water?
WATER – has more variation
It doesn’t take land very long to heat up or
get cold
Differentiation heating, this idea is back!
Warm Up4. What causes ocean currents to
occur?
Differences in heat & salinity- warm follows the
cold water from equator to the poles
Great Ocean Conveyer Belt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3niR_-Kv4SM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdgUyLTUYkg
Warm Up5. What is the Coriolis
Effect?
The Coriolis effect (the
apparent shift in fluids or
objects due to the rotation
of the Earth) explains ocean
current patterns curving in
each hemisphere.
CLIMATE ≠ WEATHER
 WEATHER = what’s going on outside RIGHT NOW
 CLIMATE = the weather over millions and millions
of years.
Factors that affect Climate
 Latitude
 Elevation
 As latitude increases,  The higher the elevation
the intensity of solar
energy decreases
is, the colder the climate
Factors that affect Climate
 Topography
 Topographic features
such as mountains
play an important role in
the amount of
precipitation that falls
over an area.
 Water Bodies
 Large bodies of water
such as lakes and oceans
have an important effect
on the temperature
because the temperature
of the water influences the
temperature of the air
above it.
Earth’s Major Climate Zone
Categories
Climate Classification
Usefulness
 Examine the expected weather patterns for
climate based forecasting
 What’s the upcoming winter going to be
like? Lots of rain or lots of snow?
 Long-term shifts in climate boundaries
 Can we expect the “humid South” to shift
north, changing Indiana’s climate over the
next century?
Köppen climate
classification system
 The Köppen climate classification
system uses mean monthly and annual
values of temperature and precipitation to
classify climates.
Koppen Climate Zones
Koppen Climate Zones
 GROUP A- Tropical Climates
 Tropical climates are
without winters.
Every month in such a
climate has a mean
temperature above
18oC. The amount of
precipitation can
exceed 200 cm per
year.
 Locations: Tanzania,
Indonesia, Brazil
Koppen Climate Zones
 GROUP B- Dry Climates
 A dry climate is one in
which the yearly
precipitation is not as
great as the potential
loss of water by
evaporation.
 Locations: Australia,
Egypt, Saudi Arabia
Koppen Climate Zones
 GROUP C- Mild Temperate
Climates
 Temperate climates are
those without extremes
of temperature and
precipitation (rain and
snow).
 Locations:
southeastern US,
France, South Africa
Koppen Climate Zones
 GROUP DContinental/Cold Climates
 Winters are severe
with snowstorms,
strong winds, and
bitter cold from
Continental Polar or
Arctic air masses
 Locations: Russia,
Alaska, Canada
Koppen Climate Zones
 GROUP E- Polar Climates
 Polar climates are
those in which the
mean temperature of
the warmest month is
below 10oC.
 Locations:
Antarctica, Greenland
Today’s Assignment
 You will be creating two (2) Climographs
 Climoraphs combine temperature and precipitation
data in one place.
 Each climate graph is made up of two major parts:
 a line graph displaying average monthly temperatures in
degrees Celsius
 a bar graph displaying monthly accumulations of
precipitation in millimeters.
 The horizontal axis shows the time period in months.
Madras, India
Today’s Assignment
 You will be creating two (2) climographs using
Fahrenheit (°F) for temperature & inches for
precipitation: one for Charlotte NC and the second will
be a mystery location.
Climograph Independent Lab
Expectations
 Working towards completing your own
graphs & lab
 Talking quietly in your seat
 Raise Hand for questions & permission to
get up
 This is due by end of class for lab grade
Warm Up
1. What is the difference between weather &
climate?
2. What type of climate do you live in?
3. Why do we classify places by climate?
4. RELOOP: What are ocean currents & how
do they move?