Unit 1 Physical Geography: Climate & Weather Ch. 1, Pg /24/15

Physical Geography Processes that shape the earth’s landforms and its climates, and focuses on how human practices interact with physical patterns

Q: What is climate? A: Weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time. Depends on elevation, latitude, and relative location to other landforms and bodies of water.

Q: What is weather? A: Condition of the bottom layer of the earth’s atmosphere in one place over a short period of time. Depends on temperature, precipitation, and wind.

“Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.”

The source of the earth’s climates is the SUN.

Greenhouse Effect Earth’s atmosphere traps the sun’s warmth for growing plants. Without this effect…earth would be too cold for most living things! Not all places on the earth get the same amount of heat and light from the sun. Why?

Global Climate Change Planet Earth is continually undergoing climate change Present trend of “global warming” appears to be due to humans and may be happening faster than changes in the past Greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide and methane) are trapping heat in atmosphere Kyoto Protocol – an international agreement that sets targets for industrialized countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases

Day Night Seasonal Changes Differing Climates Different Types of Vegetation Caused by the Position of Earth to the Sun

Movement of the Earth… Rotation: Earth spinning on its axis (23 ½ tilt), one rotation = 24 hours. Facing the sun = day, facing away from sun = night. Revolution: As Earth spins on its axis it is also moving around the sun on it’s orbital path. One revolution = 365 ¼ days or 1 year.

The earth’s tilt also means that sunlight strikes different parts of earth more directly at certain times of the year. Earth’s axis always tilts toward the North Star. Solstice = June 22/Dec 22 when sun is directly overhead Tropic of Cancer/Tropic of Capricorn. Equinox = March 20/Sept 23 at noon on these days the sun appears directly over the equator.

So how does this affect temperature and climate? Warmer year round at the equator… gets cooler moving north or south. Three Climate Zones Tropics: 23½ North to 23½ South. Temperate: 23½ North to 66½ North, and 23½ South to 66½ South. Polar: 66½ North or South to the 90 pole.

Latitude/Climate Zones Polar Temperate Tropical

Why do seasonal changes occur? The earth’s position relative to the sun is not straight up and down. Remember what the tilt is? Because of the tilt, the Tropic of Cancer (23 ½ north) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23 ½ south) are the boundaries of the places on the earth that receive the most direct sunlight.

How does the sun’s heat affect vegetation? 1.Wind Patterns 2.Ocean Currents 3. Precipitation a.Nearby bodies of water b.Elevation c.Nearby landforms

Wind Patterns Redistributes sun’s heat over earth Coriolis Effect

If the earth was standing still, then the winds would blow in a straight line, but the earth is rotating, this movement deflects or bends the wind patterns, this is called the Coriolis EffectCoriolis Effect

Ocean Currents Redistributes the sun’s heat in oceans Warm water to poles; cold water to tropics

Precipitation All forms of water that fall from the atmosphere when water vapor cools

Convectional –hot humid air rises and cools, common near equator Frontal (Cyclonic) – 2 fronts or air masses meet, most common Orographic – warm moist air is forced upward when passing over high landforms

Hydrologic Cycle

Water Cycle Animation ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.watercycle/water- cycle-animation/ ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.watercycle/water- cycle-animation/