Climate Graphs

Climate graphs and their interpretation By the end of today’s lesson you will: know how to draw a climate graph; be able to read a climate table and graph

Learning about Climate Graphs Line graph for temperature You must be able to describe climate graphs. Precipitation What is the yearly total? Is it wet, dry or seasonal? When is the highest and the lowest precipitation? Temperature Is it generally hot, cold or mild? When is the lowest month and the highest? What is the range of temperature (difference between high and low)? Graph shows verhojansk russia, in Siberia. Why don’t we use rainfall? Because sometimes its not rain, its snow. Bars show rainfall precipitation

Interpreting Climate Graphs Where in the world is this? What clues are there to help us figure out where this is?

Interpreting Climate Graphs Where in the world is this? ,

Interpreting Climate Graphs Where in the world is this?

Interpreting Climate Graphs Where in the world is this? ,

The average temperature The table below shows the climate data for Leeds in UK. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average monthly Rainfall (mm) 56 41 46 48 53 51 66 Average monthly Temperature (°C) 3 6 7 11 14 16 13 10 4 The average temperature in March is 6°C The average rainfall in September is 51 mm How would you calculate the total annual rainfall? How would you calculate the average annual temperature? How would you calculate the temperature range?

But how do you represent the data above in the form of a graph? Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average monthly Rainfall (mm) 56 41 46 48 53 51 66 Average monthly Temperature (°C) 3 6 7 11 14 16 13 10 4 , UK The red line is the average temperature The blue bars show average rainfall

Once you have drawn a climate graph you need to be able to interpret (read) the graph. The temperature peaks in July and August with an average of 16°C. The wettest month is August when an average of 66 mm of rain falls , The maximum temperature is 16°C and the minimum is 3°C – a range of 13°C. The maximum rainfall is 66 mm and the minimum is 41 mm – a range of 25 mm. The coldest months are January and February with an average monthly temperature of 3°C. The driest month is February when an average of 41 mm of rain falls.

Adding the Growing Season Line The growing season lasts as long as the average temperature is above 6 Celsius Growing Season Line

9 Steps to a Perfect Climate Graph Mark the months on the X axis (bottom) Put a temperature scale on the left Put a precipitation scale on the right Label units of measure Add blue bars showing precipitation Connect temperatures with a red line Add a green line at 6°C Shade the Growing Season (above green, below the red line) Add a title

Graph and guess where this is!

The Answer is….

Halifax