TOPIC 8 REVIEW BOOK – CLIMATE
PAGES 143-148
FACTORS AFFECTING CLIMATE
- latitude
- wind and pressure belts
- nearness to a large body of water such as oceans and lakes
- ocean currents
- mountains
- elevation
- amount of cloud cover
- vegetation
Latitude and Temperature
1. Why is latitude the most important factor in determining climates? ______
2. Why does temperature vary with latitude? ______
______
3. Where is there consistently a high angle of insolation and constant duration of insolation resulting in high temperatures? ______
______
4. Where is there consistently a low angle of insolation and some months the duration of insolation is low? ______
5. According to diagram 8.8 where are climates that have 4 seasons based on changing angle of insolation and duration of insolation? ______
______
Latitude and Moisture
6. Why do moisture conditions vary with latitude? ______
______
7. When the air rises due to low pressure what is the resulting climate? ______
8. What latitudes are considered humid climates? ______
______
9. When the air sinks due to high pressure what is the resulting climate?
______
10. What latitudes are considered dry climates? ______
______
______
Latitude Climatic Patterns
11. What happens to the annual temperature range as you increase your distance from the equator? (in other words as you go toward the poles) ______
Large Bodies of Water
12. What do large bodies of water do to the climate? ______
______
13. Why does water moderate the temperature?______
______
14. What climate characteristics do marine climates have? ______
______
15. What is the annual temperature range of continental climates? ______
______
Prevailing Winds
16. What causes planetary winds? ______
______
17. What are the prevailing winds for the United States? ______
______
18. Why does most of the east coast with the exception of the areas adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean have continental climates? ______
______
19. Why is Long Island different from the rest of New York? ______
______
20. How do most storms track? ______
21. What causes lake effect snows? ______
______
SurfaceOcean Currents
22. Cool currents cause ______temperatures and ______precipitation
23. Warm currents cause ______temperatures and ______precipitation
FYI – England is much warmer than it should be at its latitude due to the warm Gulf current
Elevation
24. The higher the altitude, the ______the climate.
25. The higher the altitude, precipitation ______.
Mountains
26. What is the windward side of the mountain? ______
______
27. What is the leeward side of a mountain? ______
______
28. Number the steps (in order) responsible for the increased precipitation on the windward side of the mountain? ______
______
______
29. What type of climate is on the windward side of mountains? ______
______
30. What happens to air on the leeward side of the mountain? ______
______
31. What type of climate is on the leeward side of mountains? ______
______
Vegetation
32. What happens to a climate when trees are cut down? (deforestation)
______
Cloud Cover
33 The equatorial regions should be the hottest regions on earth. Why aren’t they? ______
34. What areas have the hottest temperatures due to no clouds? ______
______