Climate, California Standard 4.c., 6.a.,b.

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Climate, California Standard 4.c., 6.a.,b.
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Climate

• Climate is determined by taking the average
  weather conditions over 30 years.
• Weather conditions such as temperature, humidity,
  precipitation, wind, etc. are averaged and
  presented as the climate for that area.

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Factors that Affect Climate

• Latitude Polar zones, tropical zones, temperate
  zones.
• Topographic features mountains, large bodies of
  water, and cities.

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Latitude

• How far N or S of the equator determines how much
  solar radiation is received.
• The further away from the equator the less solar
  radiation and thus a cooler climate.
• The closer to the equator the more solar
  radiation and thus a warmer climate.

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Solar Radiation and Latitude
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Thus

• The lower the angle that the sun hits an object
  the less solar radiation and less energy to heat
  that object.
• The higher the angle or more direct that solar
  radiation hits and object the more energy to heat
  that object.

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Polar Zone, between 66 and 90 degrees N S
Temperate Zone between 33 and 66 degrees N S
Tropical Zone between 0 and 33 degree N S
Temperate Zone
Polar Zone
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Topographic Features

• Large bodies of water, such as the oceans or
  Great Lakes or
• Mountains such as the Sierra Nevada's or Rocky
  Mountains or
• Large cities such as L.A. or Beijing, China.

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Mountains or Orographic effect
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Rain Shadow Effect
Visalia
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Rain Shadow Effect

• Windward side of the mountain receives a lot of
  rain while
• the leeward side receives no rain or moisture and
  thus a desert is created.

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Rain Shadow Effect
Mojave Desert
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Climatic Changes

• Climatic changes can be of a short term nature
  due to El Nino
• or of long term nature due to catastrophic events
  or
• by the pollution of our atmosphere.

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El Nino Effect

• El Nino is a short term, climatic change which
  occurs in the Pacific Ocean every 3 to 7 years.
• The temperature of the ocean changes which
  changes the temperature of the land masses which
  surround the Pacific, such as the west coast of
  North America.

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Climatic Changes

• Fossil and geologic records indicate that Earth
  has undergone major changes in its climate.
• The Earth has undergone warming and cooling
  cycles over the past millions of years.

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Climatic Changes

• Some of the theories that could explain these
  catastrophic changes are meteorite impacts and
  volcanic eruptions which have changed the amount
  of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth.

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Climatic Changes

• Emitting gasses such as carbon dioxide into the
  atmosphere from cars and coal burning power
  plants also affect the amount of heat retained by
  the Earth.
• This effect is called the greenhouse effect.

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Climatic Changes

• This greenhouse effect is resulting in global
  warming of our planet.
• Global warming is causing the ice caps to melt,
  the change in the composition of our oceans,
  cropping patterns by farmers to change, etc.

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The End