Global Climate

What is climate?

The average weather conditions at a place over a period of many years

WEATHER is the state of the atmosphere (hot, cold, rain, sun) at a specific time

What determines climate?

1. Lines of latitude & distance from the equator

2. Temperatures will be hot at the equator and change by traveling north or south

Climate Zones Lines of latitude create different global climate zones (think equator vs. arctic circles)

Factors impacting climate are called CLIMATE CONTROLS

Latitude is the main one

Ocean currents

Elevation

Distance from water

Global Warming

QUESTION: WHERE WOULD YOU RATHER SWIM ON 34 DEG. NORTH?

VENTURA, CA OR MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.?

WATER TEMPERATURES:

MYRYLE BEACH IN AUGUST: 84 DEG.

VENTURA BEACH IN AUGUST: 65 DEG.

Why the difference? OCEANCURRENTS!!!

HOW DO CURRENTS IMPACT CLIMATE?

ELEVATION

WHERE IS THIS?

HOW MIGHT

ELEVATION

IMPACT CLIMATE?

HIGHER=COOLER

DISTANCE TO WATER

HOW MIGHT WATER REGULATE CLIMATE?

REGULATES TEMPERATURE

GLOBAL WARMING

WHAT IS THE CAUSE?

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Tropical Tropical Rain Forest: Hot and rainy all

year (think rain forest in the Amazon)

Savanna: Hot all year with rainy and dry seasons (think Lion King)

Dry

Steppe: Semi-desert with occasional rain (Mongolia)

Desert: Extremely dry all year (think the Sahara)

Mild Mediterranean: Hot and dry summer

with a mild, rainy winter (think Italy)

Humid Subtropical: Hot & Wet summer with a mild, damp winter (Florida)

Marine: Warm summer, cool wet winter (London and Seattle)

Subarctic: Long, very cold winters with short cool to mild summers (Anchorage, Alaska)

Continental

Hot Summer: Hot, wet summer (sometimes) with a cold, snowy winter (Indianapolis!!!)

Cool Summer: Short, cool summer with a long cold snowy winter

Polar

Tundra: Very cold year round with extremely short, cool summers. Trees are lacking due to permafrost