What factors contribute to a region’s climate?

• Weather: Atmospheric conditions
(temperature, rainfall, etc…) at a specific point in time
• Climate: Atmospheric conditions
(temperature, rainfall, etc…) of a region over a long period of time

• Weather
- Climate

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Factors that affect climate
Zones of
Latitude

A region’s latitude (distance from the equator) can impact its climate.
- Sketch the diagram below.
Polar
Tropical
Tem per ate
Tropical
Tem per ate
Polar

1. High Latitude = ______________ zone, _____ ° N _____ ° S, where is it?
2. Middle Latitude = _______________ zone, _____ ° N _____ ° S, where is it?
3. Low Latitude = _________________ zone, _____
° N _____ ° S, where is it?

Area between the Tropic of Cancer (23 ½ º N) and the
Tropic of Capricorn (23 ½ º S).
Areas between Tropic of Cancer (23 ½ º N) and Arctic Circle (66 ½ º N) and Tropic of Capricorn (23 ½ º S) and the Antarctic Circle (66 ½ º
S).
Areas north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle.

30 °N
60 °N
TROPICAL
30 °S
60 °S
TEMPERATE
POLAR
POLAR
60 °N
TEMPERATE
30 °N
60 °S
30 °S

1. Which cities will have a temperate climate?
2. Which cities are warm year-round? What is this zone of latitude called?
3. Which cities are in the polar zone?

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Rain
Shadows
Topograph y
Factors that affect climate
Zones of
Latitude

• Elevation is the height above sea level
• The higher the elevation of a region the cooler the temperature becomes.
Cooler
Temperatures
Warmer
Temperatures

• Mountains can create uneven rainfall.
• The windward side of the mountain is rainy while the leeward side is very dry.
• Rain Shadows are desert regions created on the leeward side of the mountain
Which side is the leeward side, the right or the left?
Windward
Which side is the windward side, the right or the left?

1. Which gets more more rain point A or point B.
2. What causes the difference in rainfall amounts between point A and point B?
Hint: Rain comes from here

1. Which gets more more rain point A or point B.
2. What causes the difference in rainfall amounts between point A and point B?
Hint: Rain comes from here

Desert – arid region with very little rainfall
Humid Subtropical – warm temperatures, lots of rainfall

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Rain
Shadows
Elevation
Topograph y
Factors that affect climate
Zones of
Latitude
Cities

• Buildings, parking lots, streets and other city structures made of metal or asphalt absorb a lot of heat.
• This heat is transferred to the air.
• Increased smog and air pollution further trap this heat – creating the: heat island effect.

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Rain
Shadows
Elevation
Topograph y
Factors that affect climate
Zones of
Latitude
Cities
Ocean
Current s
Cold
Currents
Warm
Currents

• Ocean current move in large circular systems
• Ocean currents affect temperature and precipitation of an area.
• Warm ocean currents make surrounding areas warmer and rainy.
• Cool ocean currents make surrounding areas cooler and drier
Warmer and Rainy
Warm Ocean
Current
Cool Ocean
Current
Cooler and
Drier

• Use the map on p. 153 of your textbook to answer the questions below.
1. What is the climate of Madagascar? What is the climate of Japan?
2. Which types of climate are present in the tropical zone of latitude?
• http://www.mcwdn.org/MAPS&GLOBES/C limate.html

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Elevation
El Niño
Rain
Shadows
Topograph y
Factors that affect climate
Zones of
Latitude
Climate
Changes
Ocean
Current s
Cities
Global
Warmin g
Cold
Currents
Warm
Currents

• Global Warming is the build up of carbon dioxide
(greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere trapping heat and causing increase temperature and shifting weather patterns.
• Global Warming is being caused by both the human release of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal) and a natural warming cycle the Earth is going through
• As the global temperature begins to rise many changes will occur to climates around the world
• Complete the global warming simulation on the class webpage.
– What are the effects of global warming?

• The natural warming of waters off the west coast of South America about every 2 – 7 years due to a reversal of wind direction.
• El Nino causes floods and mudslides in the Americas.
• El Nino causes droughts in Australia and
Asia.

• Climographs are a combination of a line graph, measuring average temperature, and a bar graph, measuring average rainfall, for each month.
Temperature
Rainfall

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Elevation
El Niño
Rain
Shadows
Topograph y
Factors that affect climate
Zones of
Latitude
Climate
Changes
Ocean
Current s
Wind
Currents
Warm
Currents
Global
Warmin g
Cold
Currents

• Tropical Wet: Always hot and rain falls almost daily (Amazon
Rainforest)
• Desert: Receives less than 10 inches of rain per year
(Phoenix, AZ)
•
Semiarid: Receives between 10 and 16 inches of rain per year (West Texas)
• Mediterranean: Dry and hot summers, cool and rainy winters
(Los Angeles, CA)
• Humid Subtropical: Hot and humid summers, mild to cool winters (Houston, Tx)
• Marine West Coast: Located close to warm ocean currents.
Moderate temperatures and constant rainfall (Seattle, WA).
• Humid Continental: Hot summers and Cold winters.
Located in the interior, far away from oceans. Have four distinct seasons (St. Louis, MO).
•
Tundra: Always cold. Flat, treeless lands around the Arctic
Ocean. Very little rain. Land has permafrost. (Greenland)