1. Climate
Chapter 21

2. Climate vs. Weather
Weather- state of the atmosphere at a place and time with regards to temperature, clouds, humidity, sun, precipitation, wind, etc.
Climate-weather conditions prevailing in an area over a long period of time
Two most important elements of climate: temp. & precip.

3. Factors that affect climate
Latitude
Elevation
Topography
Water Bodies
Atmospheric Circulation
Vegetation

4. Thinking Map
Create a thinking map of all of the different factors that affect climate:
Latitude
Elevation
Topography
Water Bodies
Atmospheric Circulation
Vegetation
Thinking map must include:
Title
Name of each factor
Description of how each of the factors affects climate (include details!)
Picture of how each factor affects climate
Color

5. Latitude
As latitude increases, the intensity of solar energy decreases.
Tropics- Region from the equator to 23.5° north (Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5° south (Tropic of Capricorn) of the equator. Temperatures are usually warm year-round.
Temperate zone- Region from 23.5° to 66.5° north and south of the equator; solar energy spread out over a large area due to sun striking Earth at a smaller angle. Hot summers and cold winters.
Polar zone- Region from 66.5° to 90° north and south. Sun strikes at even smaller angle causing light and heat to spread out over an even larger area. Polar regions experience very cold temperatures, even in the summer.

6. Latitude

7. Elevation The higher the elevation is, the colder the climate
Air temperature decreases with elevation by an average of about 6.5° C every 1000 meters
Elevation of an area also determines the amount of precipitation it receives

8. Topography
Topographic features such as mountains play an important role in the amount of precipitation that falls over an area
Dry area on leeward side of mountain is known as a rain shadow
Rain shadows can extend for hundreds of kilometers downwind of a mountain range

9. Water
Large water bodies of water such as lakes and oceans have an important effect on the temperature of an area because the temperature of the water body influences the temperature of the air above it
Places downwind of a large body of water generally have cooler summers and milder winters than places at the same latitude that are farther inland

10. Atmospheric Circulation
Global winds are another factor that influences climate because they distribute heat and moisture around the earth.
Winds move warm air towards poles and cool air towards equator
Low pressure zones at the equator and in the subpolar regions lead to the formation of clouds that drop precipitation as rain or snow

11. Vegetation
Vegetation can affect both temperature and the precipitation patterns in an area
Influences how much of the sun’s energy is absorbed and how quickly energy is released
Transpiration- when plants release water vapor into air  influences precipitation
Some vegetation releases particles that act as cloud seeds; formation of clouds influences regional precipitation patterns

12. World Climates Incredible variety of climates throughout the world!
Climates classified according to average temperature and amount of precipitation
Different climate classification systems are used

13. Classification systems
Best-known and most commonly used system is the Köppen climate classification system
Uses mean monthly and annual values of temperature and precipitation to classify climates
Classifies world into climatic regions in a realistic way
The Köppen system has five principal groups:
Humid tropical climates
Dry climates
Humid mid-latitude climates
Polar climates
Highland climates

14. Global Climates
Handout- Wait for further instructions!

15. Köppen system
Read through pages On your own, create a table that explains (in detail) each of the climate types used in Köppen’s classification system.
Afterwards, by yourself or with a partner, create a poster explaining and describing one of the climate types. Poster must include:
Title, name(s), date, block
Subtitles (if applicable)
Descriptions and all important information
Pictures and creativity
** Electronic devices may be used for additional information!