Climate and Climate and Climate ChangeClimate Change

What Causes Climate?What Causes Climate?

Climate – The average, year-after-year conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area.

Microclimate- climate of a small, specific place within a larger area

Microclimate Examples Shade under a tree A hole in a log where mushrooms grow

What Causes Climate? - What Causes Climate? - VocabularyVocabulary Tropical Zone – The area near the equator,between about 23.5° north latitude and 23.5° south latitude.

Polar Zone – The areas near both poles, from about 66.5° to 90° north and 66.5° to 90° south latitudes.

Temperate Zone – The area between the tropical and polar zones, from about 23.5° to 66.5° north and 23.5° to 66.5° south latitudes.

What Causes Climate? – What Causes Climate? – Main IdeasMain Ideas

The climate of a region is determined by its temperature and precipitation.

The main factors that influence temperature are Latitude Altitude distance from large bodies of water ocean currents.

Climate Regions – Main Climate Regions – Main IdeasIdeas

Climates are classified according to temperature and precipitation.

There are five main climate regions: tropical rainy dry temperate marine temperate continental polar

Long-Term Changes in Long-Term Changes in the Climatethe Climate

Ice Age Cold time periods in Earth’s history, during

which glaciers covered large parts of the surface.

Long-Term Changes in Long-Term Changes in the Climate – Main Ideasthe Climate – Main Ideas

During each ice age, huge sheets of ice covered much of Earth’s surface.

Possible explanations for major climate changes include: movement of continents Position of the Earth and Sun changes in the sun’s energy output.