CLIMATES OF THE EARTH CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 3

CLIMATES OF THE EARTH CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3, SECTION 1: EARTH-SUN RELATIONSHIPS • CLIMATE AND WEATHER • EARTH’S TILT AND ROTATION • EARTH’S REVOLUTION • THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

CLIMATE AND WEATHER • WEATHER = THE CONDITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE IN ONE PLACE DURING A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME • CLIMATE = THE TERM FOR THE WEATHER PATTERNS THAT AN AREA TYPICALLY OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME • SEATTLE HAS A RAINY, WET CLIMATE. THE WEATHER IN SEATTLE IS DAY-BYDAY. TODAY THERE IS A 70% CHANCE OF RAIN WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 72 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

EARTH’S TILT AND ROTATION • EARTH’S AXIS = AN IMAGINARY LINE RUNNING FROM THE NORTH POLE TO THE SOUTH POLE THROUGH THE PLANET’S CENTER. • EARTH’S AXIS IS CURRENTLY TILTED AT AN ANGLE OF ABOUT 23. 5 DEGREES THIS AFFECTS TEMPERATURE, THE MEASURE OF HOW HOT OR COLD A PLACE IS.

TROPICS OF CANCER AND CAPRICORN

EARTH’S ROTATION SPACESHIP EARTH • EARTH’S TILT ALWAYS STAYS THE SAME. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE SEASONS (SUMMER AND WINTER) • SEASONS ARE MOST DRAMATIC AT THE POLES • REVOLUTION: ONE TRIP AROUND THE SUN (365 DAYS) • EQUINOX = WHEN THE SUN’S RAYS FALL DIRECTLY ON THE EQUATOR • ~MARCH 20 • ~SEPTEMBER 22 • SOLSTICE = WHEN THE SUN’S RAYS FALL ON EITHER THE TROPIC OF CANCER OF THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN • ~DECEMBER 21

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

CHAPTER 3, SECTION 2: FACTORS AFFECTING CLIMATE • LOW/MID/HIGH LATITUDES • ELEVATION • WINDS AND OCEAN CURRENTS • WIND PATTERNS • OCEAN LATITUDES • OCEAN CURRENTS • EL NIÑO • LANDFORMS AND CLIMATE

LOW/MID/HIGH LATITUDES High Latitude Mid Latitude Low Latitude Mid Latitude High Latitude

ELEVATION • ELEVATION = THE HEIGHT ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SEA • THE HIGHER THE ELEVATION, THE THINNER THE AIR (MORE OXYGEN IS PRESENT AT SEA LEVEL). • THINNER AIR RETAINS LESS HEAT. THAT IS WHY AIRPLANE WINDOWS ARE COLD DURING FLIGHT.

WIND PATTERNS • GLOBAL WINDS BLOW IN FAIRLY CONSTANT PATTERNS CALLED PREVAILING WINDS • DOLDRUMS ARE THE GENERALLY WINDLESS BANDS, ALSO CALLED HORSE LATITUDES Doldrums

OCEAN CURRENTS • JUST AS WINDS MOVE IN PATTERNS, SO DO COLD AND WARM STREAMS OF WATER. THESE ARE CALLED CURRENTS • JUST LIKE THE WINDS, CURRENTS ARE CAUSED BY EARTH’S ROTATION, AIR PRESSURE, AND WATER TEMPERATURE • EAST AUSTRALIAN CURRENT

EL NIÑO • EL NIÑO = THE PERIODIC CHANGE IN THE PATTERN OF OCEAN CURRENTS, WATER TEMPERATURES, AND WEATHER IN THE MID-PACIFIC REGION • IT DOESN’T HAPPEN EVERY YEAR, BUT HAS BEEN HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY SINCE THE 70’S • WARM WATER FROM AUSTRALIA TO NORTH/SOUTH AMERICA • MORE RAIN THROUGH NORTH/SOUTH AMERICA • SCIENTISTS ARE NOT SURE WHY THIS HAPPENS, OR WHY IT IS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY

LANDFORMS AND CLIMATE: THE RAIN SHADOW EFFECT Windward side = side of the mountain facing the wind Leeward side = warmer, drier side of the mountain

CHAPTER 3, SECTION 3: WORLD CLIMATE PATTERS • CLIMATE REGIONS • TROPICAL CLIMATES • DRY CLIMATES • MIDLATITUDE CLIMATES • HIGH-LATITUDE CLIMATES • HIGHLAND CLIMATES • CLIMATE CHANGES

TROPICAL CLIMATES • FOUND IN OR NEAR THE TROPICS (LOW LATITUDES) • HOW AND WET THROUGHOUT THE YEAR (VERY HUMID) • TROPICAL RAINFORESTS

DRY CLIMATES • DRY AREAS WITH SPARSE PLANT LIFE • SCRUBS AND CACTUS • HOT BY DAY, COLD BY NIGHT • DESSERTS

MIDLATITUDE CLIMATES • EXPERIENCE VARIABLE WEATHER PATTERNS AND SEASONAL CHANGES • USUALLY AN ABUNDANCE OF RAINFALL WITH A VARIETY OF NATURAL VEGETATION • THINK OF THE DIFFERENT CLIMATES FOUND ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

HIGH-LATITUDE CLIMATES • FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR • IN THE WINTERS, SUN LIGHT IS MINIMAL TO NON-EXISTENT • PERMAFROST = PERMANENTLY FROZEN SUBSOIL

HIGHLAND CLIMATES • HIGH MOUNTAIN AREAS, EVEN ALONG THE EQUATOR • COOLER TEMPERATURES, THINNER AIR • THE HIGHER THE ELEVATION, THE LESS VEGETATION

CLIMATE CHANGES • CLIMATES GRADUALLY CHANGE OVER TIME, THOUGH THE CAUSES ARE UNCLEAR • DURING THE LAST 1 TO 2 MILLION YEARS, EARTH HAS EXPERIENCED 4 ICE AGES • HUMAN INTERACTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT ALSO AFFECTS CLIMATE • BURNING FOSSIL FUELS AND POLLUTION HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE PLANET