Understanding Climate and its Influencing Factors

• Climate refers to the long-term average weather conditions in a specific region.
• Weather describes the short-term atmospheric conditions of an area, while climate represents the long-term patterns.

Factors Affecting Climate

• Climate is influenced by latitude, altitude, the presence of mountains, and proximity to large bodies of water.

Latitude

• Latitude is measured in degrees north and south of the equator.
• The equator receives the most direct sunlight, resulting in the warmest temperatures on Earth.
• The poles receive the least direct sunlight, leading to the coldest temperatures on Earth.

Altitude

• Altitude refers to the elevation above sea level.
• Higher altitudes generally experience colder climates.

Mountains

• The windward side of a mountain faces the prevailing wind.
• The windward side of a mountain typically receives significant rainfall due to air being forced upward, cooling, and forming clouds.
• The leeward side of a mountain is sheltered from the prevailing wind.
• The leeward side of a mountain usually experiences dry weather with minimal cloud cover and rainfall.

Specific Heat

• Specific heat is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree Celsius.
• Land has a low specific heat.
• Water has a high specific heat.
• Land heats up and cools down more quickly than water.
• Coastal areas tend to have more consistent climates, while inland areas experience greater temperature variations.

Climate Types

• Polar climates are characterized by cold temperatures and dryness.
• Continental climates have warm summers and cold winters, with moderate precipitation.
• Moderate climates experience dry conditions, hot summers, and cool winters, with low precipitation.
• Tropical climates are warm and have high levels of precipitation.
• Mild climates feature warm summers, mild winters, and high precipitation.

Microclimates

• A microclimate is a localized climate that differs from the surrounding larger area.
• An urban heat island occurs when a city is warmer than its surrounding countryside.

Long-Term Climate Change

• Long-term climate change is caused by variations in the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth.
• Ice ages are extended cold periods, lasting hundreds of thousands to millions of years, during which glaciers cover large portions of the Earth.
• Interglacial periods are warm intervals that occur between ice ages.
• Changes in Earth's orbit shape, the angle of Earth's tilt, the movement of continents, and alterations in ocean currents are four factors contributing to long-term climate change.

Seasons

• Seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis.
• When the Northern Hemisphere experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter.
• When the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter, the Southern Hemisphere experiences summer.
• Summer occurs because the hemisphere tilted towards the sun receives more direct sunlight and has longer days, increasing temperatures.
• Winter occurs because the hemisphere tilted away from the sun receives less direct sunlight and has shorter days, decreasing temperatures.
• Solstices mark the longest and shortest days of the year.
• Equinoxes are days with an equal number of daylight and nighttime hours (12 hours each).

El Nino, Monsoons, Droughts, Cold Waves

• El Nino is an ocean and atmospheric cycle that weakens trade winds.
• A monsoon is a wind circulation pattern that changes with the seasons.
• A drought is a period of below-average precipitation.
• A cold wave is a prolonged period of unusually low temperatures.
• Cold waves are caused by large, stagnant continental polar air masses.