Climate

What is the difference between Climate and Weather• Weather-day-to-day state of the atmosphere

in a region

• Climate-how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time.

Factors That Effect Climate

LOWERN

L atitude

Latitude

Temperature- the further from the equator (north or south), the cooler it gets

Precipitation- the closer to the poles, the lower the preciptation

Why? Cooler air holds less moisture

O cean Currents

Ocean Currents

• Temperature- if they are warm it will raise the temperature along the coast and if they are cold, they will lower the temperature.

• Precipitation- if they are warm, the climate will be wetter and if they are cold, the climate will be drier

W ind (Prevailing)

In Canada, our prevailing winds are the Westerlies, which means our weather patterns travel from west to east.

Winds

• Temperature– Off water- moderate temperature s( make it more even)– Off land- more extreme temperatures

• Precipitation– Off water- brings more moisture (makes wetter)– Off land- brings drier conditions

E levation

Elevation

• Temperature- the higher you go the colder it gets

• Precipitation- the higher you go the more precipitation you are likely to get

R elief

Relief

• Temperature- moderate on ocean side and extreme on land side

• Precipitation- side facing water(windward side) is wetter than the side facing away from the water (leeward side)

• Why?- as the air rises up the mountain it cools and since cool air • cannot hold much moisture, it releases it as it rises

N ear Water

Near Water

• Temperature- moderated by the ocean (especially if moving inland off the ocean) so far inland areas experience more extreme temperatures

• Precipitation- higher next to oceans, lower in areas located far inland

SO ALL THIS CREATES SOME VERY DISTINCT CLIMATE ZONES WITHIN CANADA

CANADA’S CLIMATE REGIONS

Arctic

CharacteristicsTemperatureCold winters, cool summers

Precipitation -low amount(less than 50 cm)

- snow

What else?High windsCoastal areas are warmer and

have heavier snow falls

West Coast

CharacteristicsTemperature

Cool summers, mild winters

Precipitation Very wet (60- 400cm precipitation)

Mountain

Characteristics Very different because of the 2 mountain ranges

TemperatureTemperatures tend to drop the higher you get in elevation

PrecipitationSummers tend to be dry, with wetter winters

Boreal

Characteristics Temperature

Temperature range is large because zone covers large area latitudinal

Precipitation Precipitation is generally low, with higher amounts in

the eastern coastal areas

Prairie

CharacteristicsTemperature

Extreme temperature range

Precipitation Generally very dry

What else?Very windy

Southeastern

CharacteristicsTemperature

Cool winters, warm to hot summers

Precipitation Moderate precipitation- various forms

What else?One of the major storm tracks of North

AmericaProne to highly changeable weather

LOWERN Explained by Bill Nye

• Elevation- why is it colder at higher elevations? Are you not closer to the sun?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGNxYtT_36I

• Wind- how is wind created?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBqohRu2RRk

• Ocean Currents- what keeps ocean currents moving?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_8mw-1HYFg