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|Name: | |
|Date: | |
|Subject: | |
|Climate Factors |
Objectives
|Objective 1: ASWBAT describe how latitude affects climate. |
|Objective 2: ASWBAT describe why we have seasons. |
|Objective 3: ASWBAT describe how the distance from the ocean affects climate. |
|Objective 4: ASWBAT describe how elevation affects climate. |
|Objective 5: ASWBAT describe what a rain shadow is. |
On a scale of 1 – 3 how well you can do on this objective now.
(1 – Not at all 2 – I know it a little bit 3 – I know it very well)
|Objective: 1 |1 |2 |3 |
|Objective: 2 |1 |2 |3 |
|Objective: 3 |1 |2 |3 |
|Objective: 4 |1 |2 |3 |
|Objective: 5 |1 |2 |3 |
Key Vocabulary Words
On a scale of 1 – 3 how well you know the vocabulary words below.
(1 – Not at all 2 – I know it a little bit 3– I know it very well)
|Latitude |1 |2 |3 |
|Earth’s Axis |1 |2 |3 |
|Topography |1 |2 |3 |
|Elevation |1 |2 |3 |
|Rain Shadow |1 |2 |3 |
Pre-quiz
|Do your best to answer the following questions. |
| 1. What is climate? |
|Answer: |
|2. What two factors mostly define an areas climate? |
|Answer: |
Latitude
Latitude measures how far north or south you are from the equator. Latitude lines are parallel to the equator, so they are called parallels. Latitude is measured in degrees north and south of the equator. The equator itself is 0 degrees latitude. The North Pole is 90 degrees North and the South Pole is 90 degrees south.
1. What do we call the line that is 0 degrees latitude?
|Answer: |
2. What latitude is the North Pole?
|Answer: |
3. What latitude is the South Pole?
|Answer: |
Latitude and Climate
Have you ever wondered why it is so cold at the North and South Poles or why it is so warm in Hawaii no matter what time of year you go? Well, the answer is that the angle of the sun determines how concentrated the sun’s energy is. So near the equator the angle of the sun concentrates it’s rays in a smaller area. Near the poles the sun’s rays are spread out over a larger area. The more concentrated the sun is the more heat energy is absorbed by the surface and the air.
Summary
1. Closer to the equator = Warmer Climate
2. Farther from the equator = Colder Climate
1. What happens to climate as you get closer to the equator?
|Answer: |
2. What happens to climate as you get farther from the equator?
|Answer: |
Seasons
You ever wonder why it gets cold in the winter and warm in the summer? It all has to do with the tilt of the Earth’s axis. The axis is the line through the middle going from the North Pole to the South Pole that it spins on. This axis is tilted at a 23.5 degree angle. As the Earth orbits the sun this makes it so during half the year the sun is hitting the Northern hemisphere more directly and the other half of the year the southern hemisphere more directly.
Summary
We have seasons because the Earth’s Axis is tilted.
Brain Pop Video:
User: Springstone
Pass: greatwhite
Action! – Let’s take a spin around the sun!
1. What is the Earth’s Axis?
|Answer: |
2. Why do we have seasons?
|Answer: |
The Ocean’s Effect on Climate
Water and land absorb and release heat differently. This causes the climates near large bodies of water (ocean, seas, large lakes) to be very different than they are in the middle of large landmasses. Water acts as a big air conditioner that moderates temperature causing the temperature to be less extreme. The land absorbs and releases heat faster causing it to heat up more during the day and cool more at night.
Summary
Places near the ocean have more moderate climates.
Places far from the ocean have more extreme climates.
`
1. What is the climate like in places near the ocean?
|Answer: |
2. What is climate like in places far from the ocean?
|Answer: |
3. Why does Sacramento experience more extreme temperature changes than San Francisco?
|Answer: |
Topography
Topography is the features of a landscape. It can be either man-made or natural. Any type can have an effect on a climate, but two topographic features have a major effect, elevation and mountain ranges.
Elevation
Elevation is how far above sea level an area is. Elevation plays a major role in the average temperatures of an area. The average temperature of an area decreases as the elevation increases. Meaning the higher you go the colder it gets. The average temperature of a place decreases about 3 F° for every 1000 feet increase in elevation.
Summary
As you go up in elevation, average temperatures go down.
1. How does the average temperature change as you go up in elevation?
|Answer: |
Rain Shadows
Mountain ranges can have a large effect on weather patterns. They can block rain making some places very wet while making other places very dry. This effect is called a rain shadow. As the air rises up one side of the mountain the air cools and the moisture in the air is released. This causes the side of the mountain on which the wind comes to get more rain. The opposite happens as the air goes down the other side of the mountain. As the air sinks down it warms and dries the other side. This causes the other side to be very dry and even sometimes it creates a desert.
Summary
Rain Shadows are when mountains block rain creating a desert.
Action! – Let’s look at Google Earth to see the effect of topography on climate.
1. What is a rain shadow?
|Answer: |
2. Why does one side of a mountain get more rain then the other?
|Answer: |
Video Link: Climate Factors -
Quiz
Directions: Answer the following questions to see if you met the objectives.
1. What happens to climate as you get closer to the equator?
|Answer: |
2. What happens to climate as you get farther from the equator?
|Answer: |
3. What is the Earth’s Axis?
|Answer: |
4. Why do we have seasons?
|Answer: |
5. What is the climate like in places near the ocean?
|Answer: |
6. What is climate like in places far from the ocean?
|Answer: |
7. How does the average temperature change as you go up in elevation?
|Answer: |
8. What is a rain shadow?
|Answer: |
-----------------------
North Pole = 90° N Latitude
Equator = 0° Latitude
South Pole = 90° S Latitude
Action – Show me with your fingers, which way latitude lines go!
North Pole
Colder Climate
Equator
Warmer Climate
Sun’s Rays
Global Average Temperatures
Equator
Warmer
Colder
Closer to the Equator
Farther from the Equator
Reason for the Seasons
San Francisco
(On the coast)
Moderate Climate
Sacramento
(Away from Coast)
Extreme Climate
Snow
Hawaii – Rain Shadow
Rain Shadow
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