Environmental Science
Name: ______________________________
Atmosphere and Climate
Goal: The student will explain the difference between weather and climate and identify four factors that
determine climate.
Vocabulary:
1. Climate
2. Latitude
Notes: Chapter 7.2: Climate
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_______________________ is happening at a particular place at a particular moment; __________________ is
the average weather in an area over a ________________ period of time
Important aspects of ____________________ are: temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation (rain, snow, hail
and sleet)
Climate determines what type of _____________________________are able to live in a region
What Determines Climate?
• Climate is determined by a variety of factors, including ____________________, air circulation, ocean currents
and the local geography of the area, ___________________activity and volcanic activity
• The most important factor of climate is _____________________________ from the equator
Latitude
• _________________________ is the distance from the equator; measured in degrees north or south of the equator
• Equator is 0°; most northerly latitude is 90° north (___________________________); most southerly latitude is
90° south (________________________)
• Latitude influences ______________________: equator receives the most direct ____________________energy
because it is directly overhead and is more __________________________________on a smaller area; poles
receive ____________ energy because the sun is lower in the sky and the sunlight is spread out over a larger area
Low Latitudes
 Latitude strongly influences climate because ____________________________of solar energy an area on Earth
receives depends on its latitude
 More _________________energy falls on areas near the equator and is more concentrated on a small surface area
 Regions near the equator have about 12 hours _____________________ and 12 hours of night __________ round
 Temperatures are ______________________ year-round, with no summers or winters
High Latitudes
 Regions _____________________to the poles, the sun is lower in the sky; this causes a ____________________
in the amount of energy arriving on the surface of the Earth
 Northern and Southern latitudes, sunlight hits Earth at an ______________________ angle and spreads out over a
____________________________ surface area
 Yearly temperatures near the poles are much ______________ than they are at the equator; the range is very large
 Hours of sunlight _________________ depending on the season; summers (at 45 degrees N or S) can be as long
as 16 hours; _______________________ as little as 8 hours.
 Near the poles, the sun _______________ for only a few hours each day during summer and ______________
only for a few hours in winter
Atmospheric Circulation
• Three (3) important properties of ______________affect climate: cold air (denser) sinks and warms as it sinks,
warm air rises and cools as it rises, warm air holds more ______________________ vapor than cold air can; as it
cools it _______________________________ and forms a liquid (rain, snow or fog)
• Solar energy ___________________ the ground, which warms the air above it; warm air rises, cooler air moves
in to it = wind (the movement of air within the atmosphere)
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With _______________________________ latitudes getting different amounts of solar energy results in global
circulation which, in turn, determines the amount of ________________________________ at different latitudes
Equator (0°) gets __________________ rain (450 cm per year or 177 inches); at 30° north and south are generally
warm and ______________________ (most deserts found here); at 60° winds are beginning to rise again and
drop again around 90° causing very cold deserts
Global Circulation Patterns
 Cool air normally ________________________, but cool air over the equator cannot descend because hot air is
rising below the cool air
 Cool air is then forced _________________________ from the equator toward the poles
 At 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude, air accumulates in the __________________
atmosphere; some air __________________ back to Earth’s surface (gradually getting warmer) which moves
across the surface, causing water to evaporate from the land, creating ____________conditions
 Air ascending at 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south latitude move ____________________ the equator or
flow to the poles, air moving toward poles ___________________ while near the surface; at 60 degrees north and
south latitude, the air _______________________ with cold air traveling from the poles; the warm air
_____________, reaching the top of the troposphere, where a small part ______________________ back into the
circulation pattern between 60 degrees and 30 degrees north and south latitude. However, most of this uplifted
air is forced toward the ____________________.
Prevailing Winds
 Winds that blow predominantly in ______________direction throughout the year are called prevailing winds
 Because of rotation of the Earth, they do not blow directly north or south but to the _________________ in the
Northern Hemisphere and to the ______________________ in the Southern Hemisphere
 Primarily produced between 30 degrees north and south latitude and the equator; these belts of winds are called
_______________________ winds; blow from northeast in the Northern Hemisphere; blow from the southeast in
the Southern Hemisphere
 Prevailing winds known as ______________________________ are produced between 30 and 60 degrees north
and south latitude; in Northern Hemisphere these westerlies are southwest winds; in Southern Hemisphere they
are northwest winds
 _________________________ easterlies blow from the poles to 60 degrees north and south latitude
Lesson Reflection:
Use the diagram of the Earth to mark the direction of the winds based on the information given in your
notes. Be sure to label them.
Assessment:
1. Explain the difference between weather and climate.
2. Name four factors that determine climate.
3. Explain why different parts of the Earth have different climates.
Lesson Extension (Technology/Application/Connection to Real World):
Use Battleship game to reinforce latitude and longitude.