1. Factors that Affect Climate

2. What is climate?
Climate is the average weather conditions over a long period of time
Includes average temperatures and precipitation, wind patterns, humidity, air pressure
Weather is what it is NOW, climate is what it SHOULD BE based on past history.

3. How is this different from “weather”?
Weather changes day to day.
Weather can fall inside normal ranges or outside of what is expected from the climate- “above or below average”
Climate is the benchmark; what we expect

4. NJ Averages Average April Precip: 4.60 in. 4/30/14 Precip: 3.24 in.
Average May High Temp: 71°F
Today’s high: 67°F

5. Climate Factors Temperature Factors (LADBWOC!) Latitude Altitude
Distance to a Body of Water
Ocean Currents
Precipitation Factors (TP)
Topography
Prevailing Winds

6. How does Latitude affect climate
How does Latitude affect climate? (the angular distance N or S of the equator)
Latitude is the most significant factor for determining climate
Warmer at the equator
Colder at the poles – in general
Seasons are REVERSED between N. and S. Hemisphere

7. Factors Affecting Climate
Latitude, Climate, and Elevation
Earth’s revolution and its tilted axis create predictable climate patterns that correspond with latitude zones.
The low latitudes include the area between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, including the Equator; all receive nearly direct sunlight and have warm to hot climates.
The high latitudes include the polar zones, which generally have very cold climates.
The mid-latitude zones between 30 and 60° experience variable weather with generally temperate climates.
Elevation influences climate at all latitudes.

9. How does Altitude affect climate?
As you go up in altitude, you go down in temperature and sometimes precipitation

10. How does the Distance from large bodies of water affect climate?
Large bodies of water regulate temperature due to water’s properties.
The ocean thermostat- keeps it warmer in winter and cooler in the summer
less fluctuation
Inland climate have more extreme temperature fluctuations throughout the year

11. How do nearby Ocean Currents affect the climate?
Warm and cold ocean currents bring warm moist air near to coastal areas.
Great Britain is an example – latitude position puts it in the cold and dry climate zone
However it is moist and warmer due to the Gulf Stream, a warm current.

12. How do the Prevailing winds affect climate
How do the Prevailing winds affect climate? Prevailing winds are winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction over a particular point on the Earth's surface.
Global winds are generated by the rotation of the earth and move air around the globe.
Prevailing winds (like the Trade Winds) regulate climate
Winds bring storms, air masses of different temps.

13. How does Topography affect the climate?
The lay of the ground plays an important role in regulating climate
Ex. The windward side of a coastal mountain range is wetter than the leeward side – rain shadow effect

15. Other Factors- Plate Tectonics
Tectonic plates have shifted across Earth’s surface for billions of years
Greenland and Antarctica used to be tropical
S. Africa had glaciers
NJ had volcanoes
Most of the Western U.S. was underwater

16. Other Factors- Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanoes can warm AND cool the planet
Volcanoes emit CO2 which is a greenhouse gas  global warming
But volcanoes also emit SO2 and aerosols (tiny solid particles) that REFLECT sunlight back into space
Less radiation reaches Earth  COOLING

17. % Change in Solar Radiation

18. Ice Ages
Earth naturally fluctuates between ice ages and interglacial periods
ICE AGE- an era of cooler than normal global temperatures
INTERGLACIAL PERIOD- era of warmer than normal temps.
Scientists claim the next ice age is 50,000 years away

19. Other Factors- Astronomy
Milankovitch Cycles: Flux in Earth’s orbit and Earth’s axis over long time periods

20. What We Know- Facts
Earth’s climate HAS changed many times over time naturally
Our climate IS changing right NOW, but it’s different than ever documented before
WHY????
Humans adding GHGs has warmed the planet in the past 200 yrs  This is FACT

21. Looking at Climatograms
Your group will get “pairs” of cities to compare climates
Write down a list of observations from each graph for each city: highest temp, highest precip., trends, patterns, etc.
Determine which climate factor is affecting the climates of these cities and provide at least 1 piece of factual evidence to support your claim.
You can use Google maps to help locate

22. Practice- NYC vs. Sydney

23. NYC Climate Facts Warmest months: June, July, August
Consistently around 100 mm precip/month
Coldest months: Dec, Jan, Feb.
Coastal City (Atlantic Ocean)
N. Hemisphere: 40.7° N
Elevation: sea level (0)

24. Practice- NYC vs. Sydney

25. Sydney Climate Facts: Warmest months: Dec., Jan, Feb
Coldest months: May, June, July, Aug
Precipitation averages to ~100 mm/month
Coastal city
Southern Hemisphere: 34° S
Elevation: sea level

26. Which factor? Latitude? Altitude? Distance to Body of Water?
Ocean Currents?
Topography?
Prevailing Winds?

27. City Pairs Chico, CA vs. Reno, NV Norfolk, VA vs. San Francisco, CA
Estes Park, CO vs. Lincoln, NE
Boston, MA vs. Minneapolis, MN