CLIMATE VARIABLES

CLIMATE VARIABLES• Climate - the overall weather conditions over a long time span

CLIMATE VARIABLES1. Latitude and Temperature

• Temperature is affected by latitude, the angle of insolation, intensity, and duration of sunlight

Latitude and Temperature

CLIMATE VARIABLES2. Prevailing Winds - movement of

air over the Earth’s surface that blows from the same direction

• Prevailing Winds are caused by pressure differences and redistribute heat

Gamma rays

X rays

Ultraviolet Infrared

Microwaves

Radio waves

Visible light

Violet Blue Green Yellow Orange Red

Decreasing wavelength Increasing wavelength

(Not drawn to scale)

Electromagnetic Spectrum

DRY

60° SWET

DRYS.E.

N.W.Winds

30° S

0°

60° N

30° N

WET

DRY

S.E.Winds

N.E.Winds

N.E.

S.W.Winds

DRY

Tropopause

Polar front

Polar front jet stream

Subtropicaljet streams

Polar front jet stream

WET

Sea Level

Alti

tude

Temperature Zones

Mesopause

Mesosphere

Stratopause

Stratosphere

Troposphere

Temperature(°C)

–100° 0° 100°–90° –55° 15°

Pressure(atm)

Atmospheric Pressure

0 20 40

Concentration(g/m3)

WaterVapor

km mi

Thermosphere(extends to 600 km)

0 1.0

40 25

80 50

120 75

160 100

0 0

Tropopause

14 Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2010 Edition

Planetary Wind and MoistureBelts in the Troposphere

The drawing on the right shows the locations of the belts near the time of anequinox. The locations shift somewhatwith the changing latitude of the Sun’s vertical ray. In the Northern Hemisphere,the belts shift northward in the summerand southward in the winter.

(Not drawn to scale)

Selected Properties of

Earth’sAtmosphere

Planetary Winds and Moisture Belts in the Troposphere

Planetary Winds and Moisture Belts in the Troposphere

CLIMATE VARIABLES3. Latitude and Moisture

• Moisture content varies with latitude due to planetary winds• Low Pressure at the equator causes air to rise, expand,

cool, and condense to form clouds and rain• High pressure causes air to sink and form arid regions

Latitude and Moisture

CLIMATE VARIABLES4. Large Bodies of Water

• Oceans, seas, lakes, and bays modify climate regions where land masses close to a body of water will be regulated by the slow rate of heating and cooling of water

Specific Heat of Common Materials

Large Bodies of Water

CLIMATE VARIABLES5. Ocean Currents

• Coastal climates are modified by ocean currents

• Warm waters flow away from the equator

• Cold waters flow away from the poles

Ocean Currents

Surface Ocean Currents

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CLIMATE VARIABLES6. Mountains and Elevation

• Higher elevations are cooler due to temperatures decreasing

Temperature and Elevation

CLIMATE VARIABLES6. Mountains and Elevation [continued]

• Mountains intersect planetary winds causing the air rise, expand, cool, and condense creating a cooler and more moist region on the windward side

Mountains and Elevation

Mountains and Elevation

CLIMATE VARIABLES7. Cloud Cover

• During the day clouds block sunlight from warming Earth’s surface and at night trap heat in the atmosphere

CLIMATE VARIABLES8. No Cloud Cover

• During the day sunlight reaches the earth and heat energy warms the surface and at night reradiates back into space