Post on 04-Jan-2016
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What is CLIMATE?Lavender
Warm-Up
What are the characteristics of different climates?
What factors affect the climate of a region?
CLIMATE
The long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region.
◦Dependant on average temperature and precipitation
WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR…
Discuss how weather and climate differ.
◦Write down a few reasons.
What affects CLIMATE?
LATITUDE of a location ◦Ex: areas close to equator have the warmest
climates
What affects CLIMATE?
Large bodies of water (lakes and oceans)◦Along coastlines, weather is more constant.◦Hot summers & cold winters = center of
continents
What affects CLIMATE?
Altitude of an area◦Often more rainy/snowy
What affects CLIMATE?
Buildings and Concrete retain solar energy◦Causes temperatures to be higher in urban
areas
CLIMATES ON EARTH
Open to Page 496
With your table partners…Observe the map that shows World
Climates.◦Create a table that includes the following
Climate Colors Description1 location where this
climate exists
Demonstration of Learning
Why is one climate different from another?
What climate do we live in (Colorado Springs)? What characteristics define this?
Warm-Up
1. How are climates classified?
2. Page 494 – Study figure 2◦Write a statement explaining the difference in
climate and temperature between Leadville, CO and Burlington, CO.
MICROCLIMATES
A microclimate is a localized climate that is different from the climate of the larger area surrounding it.
BRAINSTORM
Come up with as many examples of microclimates that you can think of.
Compare with your neighbor.
The south face of a mountain is warmer than the north as it gets
more sunlight
Tall buildings create shadows
Large bodies of water cool the air and make it damp
Valleys are cooler than hillsides on winter nights (as lighter warm air rises and heavier cool air falls)
Wind dries up land
In this microclimate, one side of the slope is oriented to get more sun with limited ability to absorb moisture. The other side receives less sun throughout the day, retains more moisture and creates the conditions to grow more vegetation.
Turn to page 506
Read the section titled El Nino and the Southern Oscillation
Write a 1 paragraph summary explaining what you read.
El Niño & La Niña
a temporary change in the climate of the Pacific ocean, in the region around the equator
◦La Niña = cooler temperatures◦El Niño = warmer temperatures
La Niña (cold) Conditions(December 1998)
Normal ConditionsDecember 1993
El Niño (warm) ConditionsDecember 1997
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/la-nina-story.html
Links
El Nino – MapDiscovery Education
Demonstration of learning
How might the construction of a concrete road change an area’s climate?
Define a microclimate (in your own words) and give 3 examples of microclimates with might find IN COLORADO SPRINGS.
CLIMATE CYCLES – WARM UP
Record the definitions of the following vocabulary terms in your notebooks
◦Ice ages◦Interglacial◦Monsoons◦Drought
LONG TERM CYCLES
Climate changes in cycles that take much longer than a lifetime.
How do scientists gain knowledge about past climates before our time?
Past Climates
Scientists study ◦ice cores drilled from ice layers in glaciers and
ice sheets.◦Fossilized pollen◦Ocean sediments◦Growth rings in trees
Ice Ages and Interglacial's
Ice Age – cold periods lasting from hundreds to millions of years when glaciers cover much of earth
Interglacial – warm periods that occur during ice ages or between ice ages
Major Ice Ages and Warm Periods
Most recent – about 2 million years ago◦Ice sheets reached max size about 20,000
years ago◦About half the northern hemisphere was
covered by ice
◦About 10,000 years ago Earth entered its current interglacial period Called HOLOCENE EPOCH Temperatures have continued to fluctuate
Video
Causes of Long-Term Climate Cycles
Shape of orbit – varies between elliptical and circular over the course of about 100,000 years
◦Circular orbit = greater distance from sun = below average temperatures
Page 503
Causes of Long-Term Climate Cycles
Changes in the tilt of Earths axis ◦Changes in 41,000- year cycles◦Affect the range of temperatures throughout
the year
◦Climate Change - Warming
Short-Term Cycles
Seasons
El Nino the Southern Oscillation – the combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weakened trade winds across the Pacific Ocean
Short-Term Cycles
Monsoons – a wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the seasons.◦Temperature differences between the ocean
and the land cause winds◦Summer – wind blows from water to land◦Winter – wind blows from land to water
Monsoon
Short-Term Cycles
Drought – a period with below-average precipitation ◦often accompanied by heat waves◦Large hot-air masses remain in one place for
weeks or months
◦Drought