The 7 major factors that affect climate… LEMPOSA The 7 major factors that affect climate…

But first, 2 terms to understand… . ROTATION/Day: It takes the earth 24 hours (1 day) to make one complete rotation on it’s AXIS. REVOLUTION/Year: It takes the earth 365 ¼ days (1 year) to make one complete revolution around the SUN. .

7 major factors that affect climate… P O S A

LATITUDE High Latitudes: N.of the Arctic circle & also S. of the Antarctic circle They have ONE Season - Cold (ex: Antarctica)

LATITUDE Mid Latitudes: Between T. of Cancer & Arctic Circle Also between T. of Capricorn & Antarctic circle. 4 Seasons – Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall (ex:USA)

LATITUDE Low Latitudes: Between T. of Cancer & T. of Capricorn Tropical, near the equator. 2 seasons - Wet & Dry (ex: Mexico, much of Africa)

L – Latitude: Areas closer to the poles (arctic/antarctic) receive less direct sunlight than areas closer to the equator (Tropics)

ELEVATION The higher you go, the colder it gets. As you go up in elevation, the air gets thinner and does not trap heat. Are there glaciers on the equator?? In Africa??

E – Elevation Air become less dense at higher elevations and cannot retain as much heat or moisture. The temperature decreases 3.5 degrees for every 1000 ft. above sea level.

MOUNTAIN BARRIERS & the Orographic Effect As winds blow across the ocean, they push moisture inland. When the moisture cloud reaches the mountains it gets “popped” by the mountain top and rains on the coastal side (ex: California & the Sierra Nevada Mtns.) By the time this cloud reaches the other side of the mountains, the air is dry. Seattle Washington vs Spokane Washington

MOUNTAIN BARRIERS & the Orographic Effect

M –Mountain Barriers As air masses cross over mountain ranges they lose their water vapor through condensation. Rain Shadows form on the leeward side of mountain ranges.

PROXIMITY TO WATER Why is there so little difference between summer and winter along the coast of California? It takes the ocean a long time to heat & cool! Wind blowing off of the water moderates the coastal areas. What is the difference between summer & winter in Kansas? BIG difference in seasons in Kansas…why? Land heats & cools quickly!! So… The closer an area is to a large body of water, the smaller the difference in temperature, the farther away from water, the greater.

P – Proximity to Large Bodies of Water Large bodies of water are slower to heat and cool than the air on land and this lessens extremes of hot or cold temperature. Cool winds in summer, warm winds in winter.

OCEAN CURRENTS The UK & Europe are on the same line of latitude as Canada. Do they experience the same climate? A warm current called the North Atlantic Drift flows up from the equator and blows across the water and keeps Europe warmer than it should be at that latitude What about the Atacama Desert in Chile? Located on the coast, but one of the driest places on earth… La Nina & El Nino – brings flood to the US & effects hurricane season.

O – Ocean currents Warm currents circulate from the equator, cold currents from the poles.

Storms Do not necessarily affect climate, but they do occur regularly in certain parts of the world & are associated with certain climates.

S – Storms Temporary and severe changes in weather. Changes follow a typical pattern in a climate region.

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE When the weather person refers to a high pressure system, usually it means that the pressure is higher than the surrounding area, and it signifies a pattern of fair weather. A low pressure system means that the pressure is lower than the surrounding area, and it signifies a pattern of wet weather (rain, snow, fog).

A – Atmospheric Pressure High Pressure leads to fair weather Low Pressure leads to wet weather

That’s all YO!!!!!!