CLIMATE CONNECTIONSMaking Connections

Chapter 12

Weather In Other Words

Combination of temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and

winds experienced daily

Climate Weather conditions of a place

averaged over a long period of time

CANADA & CLIMATEa] Canada extends for a great distance,

from the far north to the southern most parts. It covers many degrees of latitude.

CANADA & CLIMATE

b] Different elevations produce different climate conditions.

c] Coastal regions have different climates from inland regions.

d] Wind and pressure systems move weather from one part of North America to another.

THE FACTORS

AFFECTING CLIMATE

• Latitude • Ocean Currents• Relief & Elevation• Wind and Pressure Systems• Continental & Maritime Locations

#1 LATITUDE

• Latitude affects climate depending on how close you are to the Equator.

• The climate is hottest on the Equator.

• The farther from the Equator you travel (north or south) the colder it will be.

• The reason for this is that the closer you are to the Equator, the more directly the sun's rays go through the Earth's atmosphere.

The Sun’s rays shine on the Earth.

The Sun’s rays are more concentrated at the Equator.

In other words . . . • Since the Earth is curved, the Sun’s rays hitting our planet at a higher latitude are spread out over a greater area.

• Over the Equator the rays are concentrated in a smaller area.

Elementary School Review

The Sun’s rays are stronger depending

on its position in the solar system.

and that is how we get our seasons.

Pay close attention to the Sun’s rays

on the Northern Hemisphere in the summer and the winter.

WINTER

SUMMER

#2 OCEAN

CURRENTS

The temperature of an ocean

current affects the temperature of air that passes over it.

CANADA’S WEST COAST

The warm North Pacific Current heats the cool, moist air which passes

over it.

CANADA’S EAST COAST

The cold Labrador Current cools the air of coastal locations

in Labrador and northern

Newfoundland...

...while the Gulf Stream, warms the air of coastal areas in Nova Scotia and

southern Newfoundland.

When these two currents meet on the Grand Banks the weather is

often damp and foggy.

THEGLOBAL

OCEAN CURRENT CONVEYOR BELT

#3 WINDS - PRESSURE SYSTEMS

Don’t Forget . . .Air has weight.

The weight is called air pressure.

Differences in air pressure are created when the earth

is heated to different temperatures.

Warm air rising above

heated ground creates an area of low pressure.

When the rising air has cooled, it falls toward the earth and

creates an area of high

pressure.

Air moves along the surface of the earth from high-pressure areas toward low-pressure areas.

Around the earth, there are high

and low pressure belt patterns

called Prevailing Winds.

Over North America air masses move from

west to east.Air masses that form over the Arctic will be cold and

dry, while air masses coming from the Gulf of Mexico will be warm and

moist.

#1 The boundary between cold, dry polar air and warm, moist tropical air is called the

Polar Front.

#2 High in the atmosphere above the polar front is a

current of fast-moving air called the Polar Front Jet Stream.

In the winter, the JET STREAM moves

southward, allowing cold arctic air to flow in

to the USA.

In the summer, it moves northward,

allowing warm air from Mexico to flow into

Canada.

Important FactThe warm air masses

and the cold air masses that meet at the polar front will result in storms.

#4 RELIEF AND

ELEVATION

Relief refers to differences in

elevation of the earth’s surface.

a) Mountain ranges act as barriers to the movement of air

masses.

b) The higher the elevation the lower the temperature.

c) As air rises, it expands because there is less air

pressure.

d) As the air expands, it loses heat.

Fig. 12-4 on page 130 in the Making Connections

textbook will explain how to calculate changes in

temperature of a rising air mass.

#5 CONTINENTAL

& MARITIME ENVIRONMENTS

CONTINENTAL CLIMATES

Are areas far from oceans and large lakes.

The temperature range is great because there is no large water

body to moderate the hot temperatures of summer and the

cold temperatures of winter.

MARITIME CLIMATES

Coastal areas have a relatively small temperature range.

The level of precipitation is higher.

THE MODERATING EFFECT OF WATER

An explanation of why Maritime climates are moderate compared to

Continental climates.

DID YOU KNOW?

Oceans and larger lakes heat up and cool down more slowly than land

masses.

IN THE SUMMERA body of water

remains cooler than the land surrounding it.

IN FACT Winds blowing from over water keep the

surrounding countryside cooler than it would be if the water body was not present.

IN THE WINTERBodies of water retain

their heat and are warmer than the land.

IN FACT Winds blowing off the

water warm the surrounding countryside.

THAT IS WHY Maritime locations

have cooler summers and milder winters than continental locations far

from water bodies.