climate connections making connections chapter 12
TRANSCRIPT
CLIMATE CONNECTIONSMaking Connections
Chapter 12
Weather In Other Words
Combination of temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and
winds experienced daily
Climate Weather conditions of a place
averaged over a long period of time
CANADA & CLIMATEa] Canada extends for a great distance,
from the far north to the southern most parts. It covers many degrees of latitude.
CANADA & CLIMATE
b] Different elevations produce different climate conditions.
c] Coastal regions have different climates from inland regions.
d] Wind and pressure systems move weather from one part of North America to another.
THE FACTORS
AFFECTING CLIMATE
• Latitude • Ocean Currents• Relief & Elevation• Wind and Pressure Systems• Continental & Maritime Locations
#1 LATITUDE
• Latitude affects climate depending on how close you are to the Equator.
• The climate is hottest on the Equator.
• The farther from the Equator you travel (north or south) the colder it will be.
• The reason for this is that the closer you are to the Equator, the more directly the sun's rays go through the Earth's atmosphere.
The Sun’s rays shine on the Earth.
The Sun’s rays are more concentrated at the Equator.
In other words . . . • Since the Earth is curved, the Sun’s rays hitting our planet at a higher latitude are spread out over a greater area.
• Over the Equator the rays are concentrated in a smaller area.
Elementary School Review
The Sun’s rays are stronger depending
on its position in the solar system.
and that is how we get our seasons.
Pay close attention to the Sun’s rays
on the Northern Hemisphere in the summer and the winter.
WINTER
SUMMER
#2 OCEAN
CURRENTS
The temperature of an ocean
current affects the temperature of air that passes over it.
CANADA’S WEST COAST
The warm North Pacific Current heats the cool, moist air which passes
over it.
CANADA’S EAST COAST
The cold Labrador Current cools the air of coastal locations
in Labrador and northern
Newfoundland...
...while the Gulf Stream, warms the air of coastal areas in Nova Scotia and
southern Newfoundland.
When these two currents meet on the Grand Banks the weather is
often damp and foggy.
THEGLOBAL
OCEAN CURRENT CONVEYOR BELT
#3 WINDS - PRESSURE SYSTEMS
Don’t Forget . . .Air has weight.
The weight is called air pressure.
Differences in air pressure are created when the earth
is heated to different temperatures.
Warm air rising above
heated ground creates an area of low pressure.
When the rising air has cooled, it falls toward the earth and
creates an area of high
pressure.
Air moves along the surface of the earth from high-pressure areas toward low-pressure areas.
Around the earth, there are high
and low pressure belt patterns
called Prevailing Winds.
Over North America air masses move from
west to east.Air masses that form over the Arctic will be cold and
dry, while air masses coming from the Gulf of Mexico will be warm and
moist.
#1 The boundary between cold, dry polar air and warm, moist tropical air is called the
Polar Front.
#2 High in the atmosphere above the polar front is a
current of fast-moving air called the Polar Front Jet Stream.
In the winter, the JET STREAM moves
southward, allowing cold arctic air to flow in
to the USA.
In the summer, it moves northward,
allowing warm air from Mexico to flow into
Canada.
Important FactThe warm air masses
and the cold air masses that meet at the polar front will result in storms.
#4 RELIEF AND
ELEVATION
Relief refers to differences in
elevation of the earth’s surface.
a) Mountain ranges act as barriers to the movement of air
masses.
b) The higher the elevation the lower the temperature.
c) As air rises, it expands because there is less air
pressure.
d) As the air expands, it loses heat.
Fig. 12-4 on page 130 in the Making Connections
textbook will explain how to calculate changes in
temperature of a rising air mass.
#5 CONTINENTAL
& MARITIME ENVIRONMENTS
CONTINENTAL CLIMATES
Are areas far from oceans and large lakes.
The temperature range is great because there is no large water
body to moderate the hot temperatures of summer and the
cold temperatures of winter.
MARITIME CLIMATES
Coastal areas have a relatively small temperature range.
The level of precipitation is higher.
THE MODERATING EFFECT OF WATER
An explanation of why Maritime climates are moderate compared to
Continental climates.
DID YOU KNOW?
Oceans and larger lakes heat up and cool down more slowly than land
masses.
IN THE SUMMERA body of water
remains cooler than the land surrounding it.
IN FACT Winds blowing from over water keep the
surrounding countryside cooler than it would be if the water body was not present.
IN THE WINTERBodies of water retain
their heat and are warmer than the land.
IN FACT Winds blowing off the
water warm the surrounding countryside.
THAT IS WHY Maritime locations
have cooler summers and milder winters than continental locations far
from water bodies.