unit 3 lesson 6 what factors affect climate? copyright © houghton mifflin harcourt publishing...

Unit 3 Lesson 6 What Factors Affect Climate?

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


Florida Benchmarks


• SC.5.E.7.5 Recognize that some of the weather-related differences, such as temperature and humidity, are found among different environments…

• SC.5.E.7.6 Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.


Climate vs. Weather


• Climate is the long-term weather patterns of a place.

• Weather describes what the atmosphere is like at a given time and place.

• Scientists find the climate of an area by averaging weather conditions over 30 years or more.


Hot, Cold, and Medium


• A climate zone is an area that has similar average temperatures and precipitation throughout.

• Three of Earth’s climate zones are tropical, temperate, and polar.




• The tropical, temperate, and polar climate zones are based on distance from the equator.

• The equator is the imaginary line that divides Earth into its northern and southern hemispheres, or halves.

• An area’s latitude, or distance from the equator, determines what climate zone it is in.




• Tropical climates are found near the equator.

• The sun is directly overhead nearly all year. As a result, the area gets a lot of direct heat.

• Temperatures in tropical climates are typically greater than 18 °C.

• Tropical climates get different amounts of precipitation.




• Temperate climates are found in the middle latitudes.

• For most of the year, a temperate climate has temperatures between 10 °C and 18 °C.

• Most temperate climates have four seasons.

• Temperate climates get different amounts of precipitation.




• Polar climates are farthest from the equator. They are found near Earth’s poles.

• Polar climates get little precipitation. They are covered in snow and ice year-round.

• Temperatures in polar climates are typically less than 10 °C.




• Identify the tropical, temperature, and polar climate zones on the map below.


Why Climates Differ


• Distance from the equator, elevation, closeness to bodies of water, and landforms affect climate.

• Locations near the equator are warm, but high elevations can make the climate cooler.

• Snowy mountaintops can be found in tropical places because of elevation.


Why Climates Differ


• Water heats up and cools down more slowly than land does.

• Places near the coast are often cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places far away from the ocean.

• The Gulf Stream is a current of warm ocean water that affects the climate in North America and Europe.


Why Climates Differ


• A rain-shadow effect can happen when wet air rises and falls on the ocean side of a mountain, creating a wet climate.

• As the air moves down the other side of the mountain, it is dry. This creates a dry climate, or rain shadow.


Why Climates Differ


• Describe the type of climate that occurs on each side of the mountain in the diagram below.


Climate and the Environment


• Climate affects where organisms can live.

• Climate affects the nonliving parts of the environment.

• Rain, wind, temperature, and other factors can affect the land surfaces and the types of organisms that can live in the area.

Desert

• A desert is a dry environment with temperatures that vary greatly.

• Living things in deserts need to be able to survive with little water.



Swamps

• Swamps can be fresh water, salt water, or both.

• Swamps occur in places where the ground cannot soak in all the water that reaches the area.

• Temperatures can be very high in swamps for part of the year.



Tropical Rain Forests

• Tropical rain forests are found in warm, wet climates.

• The amount of sunlight in tropical rain forests is nearly the same year-round.

• Vegetation covers most of the land in tropical rain forests.



unit 3 lesson 6 what factors affect climate? copyright © houghton mifflin harcourt publishing...

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