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Climates of the Earth Lesson 5

Ms. Francis Social Studies

Student Objectives

•  Identify the factors that contribute to the Earth’s climates.

•  Describe the major climate patterns found on Earth

•  Identify how global warming might affect Earth’s air, land, and water

•  Discuss how latitude and elevation affect climate.

•  Explain how landforms and climate patterns influence each other.

•  Identify the climate regions of the world.

Climate & Weather

•  Weather is the condition of the atmosphere in a certain place at a specific time.

•  The climate of an area is its long-term typical weather pattern.

•  The climate of an area is determined by many things; the most important is the earth’s position in relation to the sun.

Earth’s Tilt & Rotation

•  Earth is currently titled at an angle of about 23 ½’.

•  Because of the tilt of this axis, not all places receive the same amount of direct sunlight at the same time.

Earth’s Revolution

•  Earth travels in an orbit around the sun, completing one trip about ever 365 days.

•  The seasons are caused by the earth’s revolution around the sun and the earth’s tilt.

•  The equator divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. •  When one experiences summer, the other experiences

winter.

The Poles

•  The North Pole and the South Pole are located at either end of the earth’s axis.

•  Each pole receives continuous indirect sunlight six months each year.

•  While one receives continuous sunlight, the other receives little or no sunlight.

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The Greenhouse Effect

•  Part of the sun’s radiation passes through the Earth’s atmosphere.

•  Like glass in a greenhouse, the atmosphere keeps the heat from escaping back into space too quickly.

•  Humans have altered Earth’s atmosphere by burning fuels that release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

•  They have also cut down the forests that absorb carbon dioxide.

The Greenhouse Effect (2)

•  Some scientists claim that rising carbon dioxide levels have coincided with a rise in global temperatures.

•  This trend, known as global warming, is believed to be caused by human activities •  Ex. The burning of coal, oil, and natural gas

•  How might global warming affect your community over the course of the next several years?

Elevation and Climate

•  The higher the altitude of a place, the colder its climate will be.

•  At high altitudes, the air is thinner and retains less heat.

Landforms and Climate

•  Earth’s surface features, such as mountains and bodies of water, can affect and be affected by climate

•  Large bodies of water are slower to heat and cool than land, so bodies of water tend to moderate coastal land temperatures.

•  When wind meets a mountain range, it is forced upward.

•  This rising air cools and brings precipitation to the windward side, (the side facing the wind) of the range

Landforms and Climate (2)

•  After the rain falls on the windward side, the air is warmer and drier as it descends on the leeward side (the side facing away from the wind) of the mountain range.

•  Areas on the leeward sides of mountains receive little precipitation and are often very dry because of this rain shadow effect.

Climate Regions

•  Tropical Climates are found in or near the low latitudes.

•  The two types of tropical climates are tropical rain forests and tropical savanna.

•  Tropical rain forests are densely wooded areas that are hot and wet year-round.

•  Tropical savannas are grasslands that are hot year-round, dry in winter, and wet in summer.

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Climate Regions (2)

•  Dry climates include desserts and steppes.

•  Desserts are always dry with sparse vegetation; temperatures vary greatly from day to night and season to season, and rainfall is 10 inches or less per year.

•  Steppes are dry grasslands that receive from 10 to 20 inches of rain annually.

Climate Regions (3)

•  Mid-latitude climates include four temperate climate regions:

•  Regions with a marine west coast climate are cool in summer, damp in winter and forested.

•  Mediterranean climate regions have mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.

Climate Regions (4)

•  Humid subtropical climate regions have short, mild winters and year-round rain.

•  Those areas with humid continental climates are inland; ocean currents do not moderate their climates

•  Winters in these areas are generally cool to very cold; summers are hot.

Climate Regions (5)

•  High latitude climates are the surfaces of ice cap regions that are constantly covered with snow and ice.

•  Tundra climate regions are slightly warmer than ice cap regions and can support short grasses.

•  Subarctic climate regions, experiencing bitterly cold winters, have a long enough growing season for needled evergreens.

Climate Regions (6)

•  At very high altitudes, climates vary with elevation, these are highlands climates

•  The higher the altitude, the cooler the temperatures

•  The natural vegetation of these areas also varies with elevation.

Climate Changes

•  Climates change gradually over time.

•  Humans have altered climates by burning fossil fuels, building dams, and cutting down forests.

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Assessment Lesson 5