What Creates our Climate What is Climate Climate

What Creates our Climate?

What is “Climate”? Climate is the daily weather conditions of a place, over a long period of time When we talk about climate, we are talking about patterns and trends For example, Toronto typically has warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters

What is “Weather”? Weather is the day to day conditions of the atmosphere in a place The conditions we look at include: Temperature (hot or cold? ) o Precipitation (rain, snow… what is falling from the sky? ) o

“Climate” vs. “Weather”? • Today, it is 4 C and snowing lightly in New York, USA

“Climate” vs. “Weather”? • Next Thursday it will be 15 C and raining in Paris, France

“Climate” vs. “Weather”? • Summers in Lagos, Nigeria, are usually hot with some rainfall

“Climate” vs. “Weather”? • Dubai, UAE, will be hot and sunny next week

Why Care about Climate? *

Why is there a big difference in climate across Canada?

6 Factors That Affect Climate: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Latitude Ocean Currents Wind & Air Masses Elevation Relief Nearness to Water

6 Factors That Affect Climate: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Latitude Ocean Currents Wind & Air Masses Elevation Relief Nearness to Water

1. Latitude is how far you are from the equator The farther you are located from the equator the less energy you receive Less sunlight= lower temperature

1. Latitude How does Canada’s latitude contribute to our climate? (ex. Montreal vs. Toronto; Iqaluit vs. Regina)

2. Ocean Currents Water temperature can change the temperature of the air around it Water closer to the equator is warmer http: //www. galapagosonline. com/nathistory/Oceanography/Currents. html

2. Ocean Currents Hot liquids always spread into cold spaces This means that hot water from the equator will mix with cooler water nearby

3. Winds and Air Masses Our air is heated and cooled by nearby land water Hot air rises, cold air falls http: //rst. gsfc. nasa. gov/Sect 14_1 c. html

3. Winds and Air Masses have the climate conditions of where it was formed (created) If it was formed over water, it will be moist If it was formed over land, it will be dry

3. Winds and Air Masses In Canada, winds travel from WEST to EAST Because they come from the west, we call them Westerlies

4. Elevation As air rises, it expands (spreads out) & cools As air cools, it leads to condensation Clouds turn to rain/snow

5. Relief* What happens when moving air meets a mountain?

Meaning of “Relief”

5. Relief 1) When air moves off the ocean, it is often very moist 2) When this moist air meets a mountain, it is forced to rise (on the windward side) While this air rises, it releases its moisture 3) As cold air descends on the leeward side, it contracts and becomes warmer 4) A rain shadow is created as most of the moisture was already released

6. Nearness to Water Large bodies of water can influence the climate of the land around them! The temperature of water changes slowly Temperature of air & land changes more quickly

6. Nearness to Water This is why places near water have different climate patterns than places surrounded by land

6 Factors That Affect Climate: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Latitude Ocean Currents Wind & Air Masses Elevation Relief Nearness to Water