Climate Regions in Canada

Climate Regions in Canada

• Two key metrics for determining climate regions: total annual precipitation and January temperature.
• Pacific Maritime: Over 1000mm annual precipitation, January temperature above 0°C.
• Atlantic Maritime: Same precipitation, but January temperature below 0°C.
• Southeastern: Annual precipitation between 500-1000mm, January temperature above -10°C.
• Boreal: Same precipitation range with January temperature below -10°C.
• Prairie: Annual precipitation between 250-500mm, January temperature above -20°C.
• Taiga: Same precipitation range but January temperature below -20°C.
• Arctic: Less than 250mm annual precipitation.

Factors that Determine Climate

• Six major factors influencing climate: latitude, ocean currents, winds and air masses, elevation, relief, and proximity to water.
• Latitude: Affects temperature based on sun's energy angle.
• Ocean Currents: Transport warm water to polar regions and cold water towards equator.
• Winds and Air Masses: Bring diverse air types, impacting local weather.
• Elevation: Higher altitudes have lower temperatures.
• Relief: Topography (hills and mountains) causes precipitation by forcing air to rise and cool.
• Proximity to Water: Maritime climates are influenced by ocean, leading to more precipitation compared to continental climates.

Landform Regions

• Regions defined by specific unifying physical or human characteristics provide insights into Earth's landscapes.
• Canadian Shield: Features rounded hills, igneous and metamorphic rocks, and extensive wetlands.
• Interior Plains: Composed of sediments from Canadian Shield and Rocky Mountains, characterized by rolling hills and flat lands.
• Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands: Dominated by sedimentary rocks, rolling hills, and river valleys resulting from glaciation and erosion.
• Hudson Bay Arctic Lowlands: Composed of sedimentary rocks, including warmer swampy areas and rolling tundra islands.
• Appalachian Mountains: Oldest highland region, with sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, and fertile river valleys.
• Western Cordillera: Features younger, jagged mountains with three subdivisions: coastal range (igneous), interior plateaus (metamorphic), and eastern mountains (metamorphic and sedimentary).
• Innuirian Mountains: Noted for jagged peaks, composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks, situated in isolated, barren, snow-covered land.