Local Temperature Variations
Its 23 in Kansas City. Its –11 in Upper Michigan, and its 73 in Florida
Why are there different temperatures in different places?
Differences in temperature occur because _______________ heats the
Earth and its atmosphere unequally
Insolation refers to ________________________________________________
Intensity of insolation depends on several factors:
• Time of day
• ____________________
• Time of year
• ____________________
Time of Day
Because the sun’s rays are close to vertical at noon, the intensity of insolation
_________________________________________________
Highest temperatures are __________________________. For several hours
after noon, the atmosphere receives more heat than it loses
Latitude
Because Earth is spherical, the Sun’s rays _____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
In high latitudes (near the equator), insolation is ___________________. At low
latitudes (near the poles), insolation is ___________________________
Time of Year
Locations in the middle latitudes (like us) get _________________ in summer,
so summers _______________________
In winter the rays are _______________________ so winters are ____________
Like the day’s highest temperature, the year’s highest temperature occurs
____________________________________________________________
The hottest month is usually July even though the first day of summer is around
_____________________
Cloud Cover
Because clouds reflect the Sun’s rays, more solar energy reaches the surface on
clear days
Cloudy nights are ___________________________ because clouds keep heat in
Heating of Water and Land
In summer, the beach is _____________________________ than the nearby
water, but it cools faster at night
Water warms much more slowly for many reasons:
• Heat energy spreads though a greater depth in water than on land
• ____________________________________________________________
• In water, some solar energy is used in the process of evaporation. Less heat
is available to heat the water
• _______________________________________________________________
Different land surfaces absorb heat differently
____________________ absorb heat faster than light one. Rough surfaces
absorb more heat than ________________________________
Meadows warm faster than forests
Pavement warms faster than the lawn and snow ______________________
Meteorologists make maps showing average temperature for areas
Lines that connect points of equal temperature are called _________________