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Climate Influences

What affects the climate in an area?

Goal:

Goal:

Study the slides below to learn about the five major influences on climate.
ALT

Latitude

he different geographical zones of the world. The temperate zones span from either north or south of the subtropics (north of the yellow dotted line, at 40 degrees north) to the polar circles.

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The equator receives direct sunlight every day of the year. This means that the closer to the equator a region is, the warmer the climate, and the farther away from the equator a region is, the colder the climate.

Elevation

rain fall

Higher elevations have colder climates. The top of a mountain range is much colder than at the base, or bottom, of a mountain. Regions with higher elevations will be colder because the air is thinner and can't hold heat.

Mountain ranges can block rainfall and create a rain shadow, which prevents precipitation from reaching the other side of the mountain. This causes the region next to the mountain to be dry.

Beautiful mountain valley

Ocean Currents

Vertical Ocean Currents. cold and warm - Illustration

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Warm air and water rise, while cool air and water sink. The warm air and water currents move heat from the equator around the Earth, while the cool air and water from the poles move cold water from the poles down to the tropics.

The ocean currents. Vector map

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Closeness to
Large Bodies of Water

Water heats up and cools off more slowly than land does. Coastal climates stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. The closer an area is to a large body of water, the more moderate the temperatures are there.

Tropical Beach tropical Beach

Topography

By Plumbago - English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3460093

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By Plumbago - English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, Link

Mountain ranges create barriers that can change wind and precipitation patterns. They can also affect how much rain or sun an area gets. Because of the colder temperatures in higher elevations, when the warm air rises, it cools. As the air cools, moisture forms, creating rain.