Chapter 26.1 and 2
Climate →
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Factors that influence
temperature →
Factors that affect climate
Climate is defined by two main factors- temperature and precipitation
o Temperature is indicated by the temperature range- the difference
between the highest temperature and the lowest temperature
o Precipitation may be snow, rain, hail, sleet
A microclimate is a small area within a town or city that has a different
climate than the surrounding area (like a park within a developed city)
Four main factors that influence temperature:
1) Latitude- distance from the equator
o Areas closer to the equator receive more direct rays of sunlight so
they are warmer (i.e. rain forest)
o Areas further from the equator receive less direct rays of sunlight
so they are cooler (i.e. polar regions)
2) Altitude- distance above sea level
o Temperature decreases 6.5˚C with every increase of 1000m
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3) Continentality- distance from a large body of water (ocean or lake)
o Water heats up slowly and cools slowly. Marine climates absorb heat
in the summer and release heat in the winter, so the temperature
range is not very great
o Land heats up quickly and cools quickly. Continental climates have
more extreme seasons; the temperature range is great
4) Ocean current temperatureo Marine climates near warm water currents are warmer than marine
climates near cool water currents
Factors that influence
precipitation →
Two main factors that influence precipitation:
1) Prevailing winds- direction the wind is coming from
o Winds that are formed over the ocean have more moisture, when
the winds blow over land it brings lots of precipitation
o Winds that are formed over the land have little moisture, bringing
little moisture to the land it blows over
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2) Topography- shape of the land
o Humid winds are forced to rise when blowing towards mountains
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Climate zones →
and produce rain. When the wind reaches the other side of the
mountain there is little moisture left, creating a desert climate
Earth has three main climate zones based on temperature (due to
latitude): tropical, middle-latitude, and polar
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Tropical climates are warm year-round, and occur between 0 and 23.5˚
latitude
Middle-latitude climates vary in temp. during the summer and winter
(temp. range is great). They occur between 23.5˚ and 66.5˚ latitude
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Polar climates are cold year-round, and occur between 66.5˚ and 90˚
Within each of these climate zones the precipitation varies, and can be
further divided into even smaller climate zones
For example, there are three types of tropical climate; tropical rain
forest, tropical desert, and tropical savanna
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