First of all, you should know that weather and climate are not the same thing.

First of all, you should know that weather and climate are not the same thing.

WEATHER IS: Short term Limited area Can change rapidly Difficult to predict WEATHER is what s happening outside your window right now.

CLIMATE is the average of many years of weather observation. CLIMATE IS: Long term Wide area Seasonal changes Measured over long spans of time

LAMECOWS Factors Affecting Climate

L is for Latitude What is Latitude? What is Longitude?

Latitude The farther away from the Equator, the colder the climate becomes. Tropic of Cancer Equator Tropic of Capricorn 23.5 degrees N 23.5 degrees S Arctic ~ 66.6N-90N ZONES Temperate 23.5N-66.5N Tropic 0 to 23.5N and 23.5S Temperate 23.5S-66.5S Antarctic ~ 66.6S-90S

From which latitude zone were these pictures taken?

Rainforest

Deciduous Trees

Tundra

Steppe

Tropical Grasslands

Marine West Coast

Washington State Lies between the 40 and 50 degrees North latitude. What climate would you expect?

L is for Latitude A is for Air Pressure

Air Pressure Air pressure is caused by the unequal heating of earth s surface by the Sun. 1. Low pressure is warm, moist air. It raises and forms clouds. 2. High pressure is cold, dry air. It sinks and creates clear skies.

Low Pressure Air Rising, forming clouds High Pressure Air Falling, clear skies

Why is it so wet in Seattle and dry in Spokane???

L is for Latitude A is for Air Pressure M is for Mountain Barriers

Mountain Barriers Mountain Barriers create a phenomenon called the Orographic Effect or Rainshadow. The rainshadow helps create deserts Ex. Sierra Nevada mountains in CA receive large amounts of precipitation, Las Vegas, NV is in the rainshadow creating a desert climate.

Rainshadow Effect Windward Side Wet side Leeward side Dry side

A rain shadow exists in Washington State.

L is for Latitude A is for Air Pressure M is for Mountain Barriers E is for Elevation

Elevation As elevation increases, temperature decreases. For every thousand feet the temperature drops 3.6 F

lower elevation means more vegetation

Based on the location of Quito, Ecuador, what type of climate do you think it should have? What about Guayaquil, Ecuador?

Quito, Ecuador (mountain) Avg. Temps. Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 58 58 58 59 58 58 58 58 58 58 58 58 Guayaquil, Ecuador (sea level) Avg. Temps Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 81 81 82 82 81 78 77 77 78 78 79 81

Elevation map of Washington State Where would you expect it to be warm? Cold? Brown high elevation Green low elevation

L is for Latitude A is for Air Pressure M is for Mountain Barriers E is for Elevation C is for Continental Location

Continental Location Large bodies of water are slower to heat and cool than land. This is due to the high heat capacity of water Heat capacity defined: the amount of heat required to change a substance's temperature It takes a lot of heat to change the temp. of water.

Water keeps temperatures stable, whereas landmass makes temperatures fluctuate more It takes more heat to raise the temp of water than it does land, takes a lot more cooler air to cool the temp of water than it does land. Therefore, Coastlines have stable temperatures. Interior of continent has extreme temperatures (hotter and colder)

High/Low Temperatures for Seattle and Billings in December 50 45 40 35 Notice the differences in high vs. low temperatures Billings has a larger difference than Seattle due to its location inland from the ocean 30 25 20 Low High 15 10 5 0 Seattle Billngs

High/Low Temperatures for Seattle 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 and Billing in August Notice the differences in high vs. low temperatures Billings has a larger difference than Seattle due to its location 90 inland from the ocean 80 Seattle Billings Low High

Why does Florida have hurricanes whereas California doesn t? They are both on the coast, about the same latitude, elevation? *Hurricanes need to have water temps be at least 80 F to form*

L is for Latitude A is for Air Pressure M is for Mountain Barriers E is for Elevation C is for Continental Location O is for Ocean Currents

Ocean Currents Ocean currents are giant rivers of sea water flowing within oceans. Ocean currents flow in circular paths: 1. Warm currents carry water from low to high latitudes. These make land nearby warmer. 2. Cool currents carry water from high to low latitudes. These make land nearby colder.

Ocean Currents for East Coast

Ocean Currents for West Coast

Ocean Current Map

L is for Latitude A is for Air Pressure M is for Mountain Barriers E is for Elevation C is for Continental Location O is for Ocean Currents W is for Wind Belts

Wind Belts Created due to unequal heating of the earth s surface by the Sun Wind is the movement of air from high pressure to low pressure (like when you poke a hole in a tire.) 1. Trade Winds 2. Westerlies 3. Polar Winds

Washington State!

The Pineapple Express Movement of air from area of High to Low Pressure, brings moisture to Washington State

L is for Latitude A is for Air Pressure M is for Mountain Barriers E is for Elevation C is for Continental Location O is for Ocean Currents W is for Wind Belts S is for Storms

Storms Occur during low pressure conditions. Storm fronts occurs when two air masses with different temperatures meet. (cold meets warm) 1. Thunderstorms 2. Tornadoes 3. Hurricanes

Hurricane Sandy - 2012