Climate Factors

Open Ended

How are climate and weather different?

​WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

WEATHER VS CLIMATE

​THE LONG TERM PATTERN OF WEATHER OVER AT LEAST 30 YEARS

CLIMATE

THE SHORT TERM CONDITIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERE

​WEATHER

Proximity to Water

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CLIMATE

Factors That Influence Climate

Elevation

Latitude

Ocean Currents

Rain Shadow Effect

Greenhouse Effect

• Land masses near large bodies of water change slower and with less fluctuation and therefore have milder climates

  • Mild winters, cool summeres​

​

Water changes temperature slower than land masses.

​PROXIMITY TO WATER

• Cities higher up in elevation are cooler than cities lower in elevation

  • Flagstaff vs Phoenix​

​

Temperature decreases with elevation.

ELEVATION

​Phoenix

​Flagstaff

​Blue = Precipitation (Rain, Snow)

​Red = Temperature

Multiple Choice

How much did it rain in Phoenix during the month of July (month 7)?

• 21 mm or 0.9 in

• 95 F or 35 C

• 35 mm or 1.4 in

• 7 mm or 0.3 in

Multiple Choice

What was the temperature in Flagstaff in November (month 11)?

• 20 mm or 0.8 in

• 41 F or 5 C

• 68 F or 20 C

• 33 F or 2 C

This is due to a decrease in "concentrated" solar radiation toward the poles

​

As latitude increases the temperature decreases

LATITUDE

This creates climate zones: tropic, temperate, and polar

• ​Tropical regions receive more precipitation due to increased evaporation

​Air is heated more at the equator where the sun's ray strike directly,

than at the poles where sunlight strikes at a lower angle and spreads out over a much greater area.

• This regulates weather patterns across the Earth

  • Corolis Effect

  • Hadley Cells​

​

Ocean currents store and distribute heat from one area to another

OCEAN CURRENTS

• This plays a role in average temperature and, therefore, Earth's Climate

​

Energy from the sun reflects off Earth's surface and is trapped in the

atmosphere by greenhouse gases

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

ANIMATION: GREENHOUSE EFFECT

• Movement of plates causes volcanoes to form.

• During eruptions, volcanoes release gases into the atmosphere.

• The effect of volcanic gases and dust may warm or cool the Earth's surface (depending on how sunlight interacts with volcanic material)

• Today, volcanoes contribute only 1% of the carbon dioxide humans release into the atmosphere​

​

Plate Tectonics and Volcanic Eruptions

​

• The windward side of the mountains is cool and wet. Leeward side is dry and warm.

​

When warm, moist air heads toward a set of mountains and gets forced upwards.

​RAINSHADOW EFFECT

Which Side of the Mountain Gets More Rain?

​

​55 miles away from each other

Multiple Choice

What is the wettest month in Packwood?

• February

• May

• August

• November

​When wind blows over water, the air picks up water vapor as it evaporates from the surface of the water.

​

In this way, the wind carries off moisture as it moves away from the body of water.​

​

​VIDEO: What happens when water evaporates - observed by satellites

It Starts with Evaporation and Moisture in the Air

​

​Where does the moisture in the atmosphere come from?

Prevailing winds carry water vapor from the ocean toward the left side of the mountains.

​

The left side of the mountain is labeled windward and the right side is labeled leeward.​

RAINSHADOW EFFECT

The Role of Wind

​As air travels toward the mountain, the slope of the mountain forces the air upward.

​The higher up in altitude, the less air pressure there is

• fewer molecules pushing down from above.

​

Temperature typically decreases about 5.5°F for every 1,000 feet of altitude gained.

The Air Rises and Cools

​

​As the air rises, it the water molecules expand as the air pressure decreases. ​​​

• As the molecules in the air move apart, they lose energy and slow down, which lowers the temperature.

• Eventually, droplets becomelarge enough that gravity causes them to fall to Earth as rain, sleet, or snow.

​

The air continues to cool as it rises. As the air cools, the water molecules start to condense and form tiny droplets. These droplets are visible as clouds. ​

​CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION

​VIDEO: HOW CLOUDS FORM

• As the air descends, the molecules that make up air are forced closer together - increasing in temperature.

• The dry air becomes warm as it moves down the mountain​

With most of its moisture removed due to precipitation, the air now passes over the summit of the mountain range and begins to descend on the other side.​

​SUMMIT AND DESCENT

Multiple Choice

True or False: When air encounters a mountain and rises up its slopes, the temperature decreases.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False: When air encounters a mountain and rises up its slopes, the precipitation decreases.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The air moving up and over the mountain results in

• Dry, desert conditions on the windward side of the mountain

• Dry, desert conditions on both sides of the mountain.

• More precipitation on the windward side of the mountain than the leeward side

• High amounts of precipitiation on both sides of the mountain

​Bolvia

​Andes Mountains, Bolivia, near Coroico

​Andes Mountains, Bolivia, near La Paz

Multiple Choice

Which direction are the prevailing winds coming from? Choose the image with the arrow that shows the direction of the prevailing wind.

• 4

• 3

• 2

• 1

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the strongest evidence to support your answer? 

• prevailing wind comes from water

• prevailing wind goes along the mountain range

• moist slopes with lots of vegetation face the prevailing wind

• dry slopes with little vegetation face the prevailing wind

• ​Cut out the diagram of the mountain

• Cut out each of the symbols and arrows

• Color the arrows

  • 2 red

  • 1 blue

  • 1 that changes from red to blue

  • 1 that changes from blue to red​

• Tape the symbols and arrows correctly on the diagram​