Good websites to research answers for what affects climate:
http://www.polaris.iastate.edu/NorthStar/Unit5/activity5.htm - good for latitude, revolution, tilt and
bodies of water
http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Education/factors_affecting_climate.htm - good for ocean, winds
http://www.climateandweather.net/global_warming/influence_climate.htm - good for land masses
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/navigation/chapter21.cfm - choose what factors
control your local climate and how do ice cores of glaciers tell us ……
Does Latitude Affect Climate?
1.
Latitude does in fact exert a large amount of control over any given area's
climate. In fact, latitude is probably the single most important determining factor in
climate. While other variables such as weather patterns and elevation certainly do
have a large impact on any geographical area, nothing matters quite so much as
latitude. For proof of this one only needs to compare areas of extreme Northern or
Southern latitude (the North Pole or South Pole) with places that lie along the
equator (such as Colombia or Somalia).
How Does Latitude Affect Climate?
2.
The latitude of any given area affects that area's climate because it dictates the
intensity and duration of sun exposure. As the Earth orbits the Sun it also wobbles
slightly on its axis. At some times the Northern hemisphere is closer to the sun than
the Southern hemisphere and at some times it is further from it. When an area is
closer to the sun the days are longer and the sun's rays are stronger. This heats the
climate. This is the reason that places experience seasonal variation in temperature.
Those locations close to the equator, however, exist in a nearly constant state of
Summer because they always get relatively strong sunlight and have long days.
Why Doesn't Longitude Affect Climate the Same Way?
3.
Longitude doesn't affect an area's climate because the Earth only wobbles on its
axis in a vertical fashion. Besides that fact, the Earth is constantly spinning which
ensures that all longitudes of the Earth receives as much sunlight and strength of
sunlight as the other longitudes that lies at that latitude. While climates do vary from
one specific longitude to another this is because of other factors, such as weather
patterns, and not because of the longitude itself.
From e-how article by Geoffry Weed
Climate Patterns across the United States
Authors: Kirstin A. Bittel and Rachel Hughes
Editor: Stephanie Nardei
The climate of a particular place is affected by a number of factors. As addressed in earlier lessons, the
temperature differences between latitudes drive the general circulation of the atmosphere. However,
other factors impact climate including oceans, longitude, land mass distribution and mountain ranges.
Longitude is especially important to understanding climate in the mid-latitudes (upper 20’s to low 40’s) of
both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. At the west side of the great continents you typically get
very dry climates in the mid latitudes. For example, in the Southwestern states the climate is primarily dry,
while the same latitude in a southeastern state may be described as having a humid and hot climate.
Mountain ranges affect regional and local climates by both diverting prevailing winds and by forcing the
deposition of moisture as the air rises when it meets the mountains. Here in the United States the
Chinook winds leeward of the Rockies and Santa Ana winds in California impact regional and local
climate.
Ocean currents and surface water temperatures play a significant role in climate. The Gulf Stream is an
ocean current that has a significant effect on the weather of Northwest Europe. El Niño and La Niña are
the effects of irregular oscillations in ocean currents whose mechanisms have been uncovered only in the
past few decades. These oscillations have dramatic impacts on climatic patterns in North America and
South America as well as Australasia.
Locations that are at the same latitude, but that might be distinguished from one another as coastal or
continental interior, can differ significantly in climate. Generally, coastal locations (or those near large
bodies of water like the Great Lakes) experience milder and more humid climate all year as compared to
their non-coastal latitude equivalents. The interiors of large land masses experience a more dramatic
range of temperatures between summer and winter resulting in hot dry summers and cold winters.