Climate and Climate Change

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Climate and Climate Change
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Lesson 1

• Factors Affecting Climate

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Climate

• Weather Condition of the atmosphere at a
  particular place and time
• Climate average, year after year events
  Conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds
  and clouds in an area
• Factors Affecting Climate
• Precipitation
• Temperature

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Factors Affecting Precipitation

• 1. Prevailing Winds moves air masses
• Amount of water vapor in an air mass determines
  how much precipitation will fall
• Warm air can carry MORE water vapor than cold air
• Amount of water vapor depends on where winds
  originate from (ocean or land)
• Sinking cold air warms as it nears the earths
  surface and absorbs water vapor which creates
  very dry air or desert

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Factors affecting Precipitation

• 2. Mountain Ranges
• Forces air to rise and cool
• Water vapor condenses and forms clouds
• Rain/snow falls on the windward side
• Cool/dry air on the leeward side
• Known as a rain shadow

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Factors Affecting Temperature

• Latitude
• Areas at the equator receive the suns direct
  rays
• At areas near the poles the suns rays are spread
  out over a larger area
• Three Zones
• Tropical 0-23.5 (latitude) direct sun rays
  year round
• Temperate 23.5-66.5(latitude)direct rays in
  the summer
• Polar 66.5-90 (latitude) sun rays strike at a
  low angle

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Factors Affecting Temperature

• Altitude
• Altitude can create a different climate due to
  the distance above sea level
• Temperature decreases at 6.5C for every
  kilometer above sea level
• Example Mount Kilimanjaro is located at 3 S
  latitude yet its peaks are covered in snow

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Factors Affecting Temperature

• Distance from Large Bodies of Water
• Marine Climates
• Mild winters and cool summers
• Continental Climates
• Extreme fluxes in temperature

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Lesson 2

• Ocean Currents

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Ocean Currents

• Ocean Currents- streams of water within the
  oceans that move in regular patterns
• Warm currents carry warm water from the tropics
  to the poles
• Cold currents bring cold water from the poles
  toward the equator
• Currents affect the land because the surface of
  the water warms or cools the air above it then
  the air moves to nearby land

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Lesson 3

• Climate Regions

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Types of Climate Regions

• Six main types of climate regions
• Tropical
• Arid (Dry)
• Temperate marine (Mediterranean)
• Temperate Continental
• Polar
• Mountain

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Tropical

• Characterized by
• Precipitationlarge amounts
• Temperaturewarm all year

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Arid

• Characterized by
• Precipitationvery little
• Usually due to a prevailing wind that carries
  little moisture.

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Temperate Marine

• Characterized by
• Temperaturemild in summer and winter
• Due to proximity of a large body of water.

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Temperate Continental

• Characterized by
• Temperaturecold winters, hot summers

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Polar

• Characterized by
• Temperaturevery cold winters, cool summers
• Due to latitude

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Lesson 4

• Solar Energy

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Solar Energy

• The Sun emits energy in the form of
  electromagnetic waves, including light and heat.
• The heat from the Sun
• Determines climate
• Creates weather patterns
• Is transferred in 3 ways by conduction,
  convection, and radiation.

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Conduction

• The transfer of energy from one particle to
  another through collisions of atoms. Touch

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Convection

• Heat is transferred by the movement of currents
  in a fluid, like water or air. Convection
  currents in liquids and gases only.

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Radiation

• Heat is transferred by electromagnetic waves.

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Solar Energy and the Atmosphere

• The heat from the sun heats the Earths surface
  unevenly.
• The heat from the sun heats the particles in the
  atmosphere through radiation.
• The particles pass energy through conduction.
• Warm air rises and cool air sinks. This causes
  convection currents.
• The movement of air creates weather.

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Lesson 5

• Specific Heat

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Specific Heat

• Specific heat tells how much energy is needed to
  raise a substances temperature one degree
  kelvin.
• The amount of energy needed to change the
  temperature depends on the substance.
• Water requires more energy to raise its
  temperature than sand does.

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Specific Heat and Climate

• An areas climate can be determined by specific
  heat.
• An area near water will not have drastic
  temperature changes.
• An area that is only land will have drastic
  temperature changes.

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Sea Breeze

• A sea breeze develops during the day.
• The sand has a lower specific heat so the air
  over the sand heats up quickly.
• Water has a high specific heat so the air stays
  cooler.
• Since hot air rises, cool air comes from over the
  water and blows onto land.

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Land Breeze

• A land breeze occurs at night.
• Sand has a lower specific heat so the air over it
  cools quickly.
• Water has a high specific heat so the air over it
  stays warmer.
• A convection current occurs. The warm air over
  the water rises and the cool air from the land
  takes its place.