CHAPTER 4 CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4.1 CLIMATE IS A LONG TERM WEATHER PATTERN CLIMATE IS THE CHARACTERISTIC WEATHER CONDITIONS IN A PLACE OVER A LONG PERIOD ALL PARTS OF WEATHER MAKE UP CLIMATE – WIND, HUMIDITY, AND SUNSHINE FOUR KEY GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS EFFECT TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION: LATITUDE, ALTITUDE, DISTANCE FROM LARGE BODIES OF WATER, AND OCEAN CURRENTS

LATITUDE THE DISTANCE IN DEGREES NORTH OR SOUTH OF THE EQUATOR LATITUDE HAS THE SAME EFFECT ON TEMP IN BOTH HEMISPHERE

ALTITUDE THE HEIGHT ABOVE SEA LEVEL INCREASES CAN OVERCOME THE EFFECT OF LOWER LATITUDES ON TEMPERATURE MOUNT STANLEY IN AFRICA HAS PERMENANT ICE SHEETS ON TOP AND COOLER AIR WHILE AIR AT THE BOTTOM IS WARMER

LARGE BODIES OF WATER LAND HEATS UP AND COOLS OFF FASTER THAN WATER SINCE OCEANS ARE SLOWER AT COOLING AND HEATING UP, COASTAL REGIONS HAVE MILD TEMPS EFFECT PRECIPITATION MARINE AND CONTINENTAL CLIMATES

OCEAN CURRENTS STREAMS OF WATER THAT FLOW THROUGH OCEANS IN REGULAR PATTERNS INFLUENCE CLIMATES BY TRANSFERRING ENERGY FROM ONE PART OF THE OCEAN TO ANOTHER EX: GULF STREAM IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC

SEASON CHANGES ARE A PART OF CLIMATE: TEMPERATURE PATTERNS SEASON – ARE PERIODS OF THE YEAR ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC WEATHER CONDITIONS, SUCH AS COLD TEMPS OR FREQUENT RAIN OVERALL PATTERN THAT MAKES UP CLIMATE

PRECIPITATION PATTERNS SEASONAL PATTERNS OF PRECIPITATION VARY AMONG DIFFERENT CLIMATES SEASONAL PRECIPITATION CAN DETERMINE THE TYPES OF PLANTS THAT GROW IN A REGION AND THE LENGTH OF THE GROWING SEASON

4.2 EARTH HAS A VARIETY OF CLIMATES CLIMATE ZONE- ONE OF THE MAJOR DIVISIONS IN A SYSTEM FOR CLASSIFYING THE CLIMATES OF DIFFERENT REGIONS BASED ON CHARACTERISTICS THEY HAVE IN COMMON THE SIX MAJOR CLIMATE ZONES OF CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM: (1) HUMID TROPICAL (2) DRY (3) MOIST MID LATITUDE WITH MILD WINTERS (4) MOIST MID LATITUDE WITH SEVERE WINTERS (5) POLAR (6) HIGHLAND DIVIDED INTO SUB CLIMATES

NATURAL FEATURES AND HUMAN ACTIVITY CAN AFFECT LOCAL CLIMATES MICROCLIMATES- CLIMATES OF SMALLER AREAS WITHIN A SUBCLIMATE EX: SEA BREEZES OFTEN MAKE BEACHES COOLER THAN NEARBY INLAND AREAS ON WARM AFTERNOONS

URBAN HEAT ISLANDS THE WARMER BODY OF AIR OVER A CITY FACTORS THAT PLAY A PART IN URBAN HEAR ISLANDS : BUILDING AND STREETS ABSORBING HEAT, EVAPORATION OF MOISTURE ( ARTIFICIAL SURFACES ABSORB LESS WATER THAN NATURAL), ENERGY FOR COOLING AND TRANSPORTATION

RAIN SHADOW AIR IS FORCED TO RISE AS IT RISES, IT COOLS AND CONDENSES INTO CLOUDS AFTER PASSING OVER THE MOUNTAIN, AIR IS MUCH DRIER BECAUSE OF LOSS OF MOISTURE THROUGH CONDENSATION AND PRECIPITATION THE DRY AREA ON THE DOWNWIND SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN WHERE THIS PROCESS OCCURS IS THE RAIN SHADOW

4.3 CLIMATES CAN CHANGE SUDDENLY OR SLOWLY CLIMATES COOL WHEN PARTICLES BLOCK SUNLIGHT EX: VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS SEND HUGE CLOUDS OF GAS AND DUST INTO THE STRATOSPHERE. DUST SPREADS OUT AND DRIFTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS DUST AND GAS BLOCK SUNLIGHT CAUSING A DECREASE IN TEMPS

CLIMATES CHANGE AS CONTINENTS MOVE THE MOVEMENT OF CONTINENTS CAUSES STEADY CLIMATE CHANGES OVER MANY MILLIONS OF YEARS. CONTINENTS WERE ONCE JOINED TOGETHER IN A GIGANTIC LANDMASS CALLED PANGAEA. BEGAN TO BREAK UP ABOUT 200 MILLION YEARS AGO 65 MILLION YEARS AGO, THE CONTINENTS MOVED INTO THEIR CURRENT POSITIONS MOVEMENTS EFFECT CLIMATE WHEN CONTINENTS COLLIDE, MOUNTAIN RANGES OCCUR

SOME CLIMATE CHANGES REPEAT OVER TIME: ICE AGES ICE AGES- PERIODS IN WHICH HUGE SHEETS OF ICE SPREAD OUT BEYOND THE POLAR REGIONS USUALLY LAST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS SEPARATED BY WARMER PERIODS WHICH ISOLATE ICE TO POLES LINKED TO CHANGES IN HOW EARTH MOVES AROUND THE SUN

EL NINO IS A DISTURBANCE OF WIND PATTERNS AND OCEAN CURRENTS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN CAUSES TEMPORARY CLIMATE CHANGES IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD NORMAL YEAR: CONSIST OF STRONG TRADE WINDS PUSHING WARM WATER TOWARD WESTERN PACIFIC, WHERE AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS. RISING WARM AIR CONDENSES INTO CLOUDS THAT RELEASE HEAVY RAIN. COOLER WATER FLOWS NEAR THE WEST COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA EL NINO YEAR: WEAK TRADE WINDS ALLOW WARM WATER TO FLOW BACK TOWARD CENTRAL AND EASTERN PACIFIC. THE CLOUDS AND HEAVY RAIN ALSO SHIFT EASTWARD, TOWARD SOUTH AMERICA. THE EFFECTS OF EL NINO VARY DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH WARMING OCCURS IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC

HUMAN ACTIVITIES ARE CHANGING CLIMATE HUMAN ACTIVITIES RELEASE GREENHOUSE GASES HIGHER LEVELS OF GREENHOUSE GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING THE SMALLEST TEMP INCREASE COULD HAVE A GREAT IMPACT ON CLIMATE

IMPACT OF GLOBAL WARMING SEA LEVELS – OCEANS WILL EXPAND ARE RISE WILDLIFE – MANY WILL BECOME ENDANGERED AGRICULTURE – WILL BE HARMED BY CHANGING TEMPS OR WILL BE HELPED BY GROWING SEASON LENGTHENED HUMAN HEALTH - INCREASE HEATH RELATED DEATHS, AND SOME DISEASES SUCH AS MALARIA AT THE EQUATOR. COLD RELATED DEATHS WILL DECREASE