2. Temperature and Precipitation
• Climates describe by average
temperature and precipitation
• Yearly average temperature range
• Precipitation - months with greatest
amount focused on
3. Global Wind Patterns
• Solar energy (or lack of) cause pooling of
either warm, less dense air (equator) or cold
dense air w/ high pressure (poles)
• These differences in air pressure create
winds
• Air close to the equator (the doldrums) air
rises and cools and water vapor condenses
causing greater amounts of precipitation
• The amount fof precipitation decreases then,
as you increase in latitude
4. Climates and Latitude
• 20 - 30 degrees - subtropical highs (air
sinks, warms and dries) with little
precip.
• 45-60 degrees - mid latitudes - polar air
and warm tropical air meet, causing
greater precip.
• Above 60 degrees - cold and dry
5. Heat Absorption
• Land heats faster than water (which is moving
and mixing constantly, changing the
temperature)
• Specific Heat is higher for water - meaning
that it takes greater energy to raise 1 g of
water 1 degree - meaning too, that the water
will hold onto heat a longer time.
• This difference in land and water
heating/cooling rates also contributes to
precip. And winds
6. El Nino Oscillation (ENSO)
• Cycle of changing wind and water-current
patterns in the Pacific
• El Nino the warm water phase of the cycle
causes temperatures along the west coast of
South America to rise, causing the interaction
of the ocean and atmosphere to change
• Typhoons, cyclones, and floods are common
during the El Nino cycle
• Cool water phase is called El Nina
7. Special Circumstances
• Rain Shadows
– Air that moves up a mountain slope
condenses as it cools, causing
precipitation
– As that same air moves over the mountain
range and moves down along its slope the
air compresses and warms, causing dry
hot conditions
– Deserts
8. Climate Zones
Tropical
Climates
High Temp,
high rainfall
Equator
Rainforest,
desert,
Savanna
Middle
Latitude
Moderate
0-60 degrees
Temp. range, north
varying precip. 0-60 degrees
south
Polar Climates Can have
60-80 degrees
9. Climate CHange
• Page 641, table 1
• Understanding Isotopes
– Atoms of the same elements that have the
same number of protons, but a different
number of neutrons
– Indicate change - temp increases, O 18
decreases, temp. decreases, O16
increases
10. Just the Facts
Climate Change
Plate Tectonics
Volcanic Activity
Orbital Changes
Tilt of the Earth
Human Activity
Increased Emissions
11. Latitude
• The higher the latitude the smaller the angle
of the sun’s rays hitting the Earth
• The smaller the angle the less solar energy
received and the lower the temperature
• Less range of temperatures influences the
amount of varying heat on the Earth, thus
changing the winds/precipition
• The longer the daylight the greater the
amount of solar energy and higher
temperatures - the equator has constant
warm temperatures due to direct sun rays
