6 Factors Affecting Climate

Question 1

Closeness to bodies of water

Answer 1

Water heats up and cools slowly whole land heats and cools quickly
Summer:
Water temp is cooler than land temp when water evaporates the air is cooler blows on shore and cools the coast

Winter:
Water temp is warmer than air temp above Land when water evaporates it is warmer when it blows on shore making it warmer

Question 2

Relief

Answer 2

Refers to the differences in elevation of the earths surface

Mountain barriers can influence temp
Mountain barriers can alter the movement of air masses mountain barriers tend to cause precipitation to occur

Question 3

latitude

Answer 3

Generally speaking the further you are from the equator the cooler it gets

• The Suns direct rays pass through less air and therefore are stronger when they hit the ground closer to the equator
• further from the equator the Suns rays pass through more air therefore they are weaker when they hit the ground
• closer to the equator the Suns indirect rays are much more concentrated and are therefore warmer
• further from the equator the Suns indirect rays are more spread out and do not have much heating power

Question 4

Ocean currents

Answer 4

Canada is affected by 3 ocean currents:

• the warm North Pacific current on the west coast
• the warm Gulf Stream on the east coast
• the cold Labrador current from the north
• Along the west coast warm currents help to keep the air above them warm
• the warm gulfstream raises temperatures along the coast of Mexico r
• where the two currents meet fog often forms

Question 5

Winds and air masses

Answer 5

1- low pressure area hot air rises when ground heated from the sun warms the air above it
2- the air cools and sinks this produces a high pressure area
3- air at ground level moves from high pressure to low pressure creating winds

Over most of Canada the prevailing winds are westerlies which blow from east to west

Moisture content is dismally measured in terms of relative humidity

Amount of moisture in air
————————— x 100%
moisture holding capacity

Question 6

6 factors

Answer 6

Closeness to water 
Ocean currents 
Wind/ air masses 
Barriers/ mountains 
Elevation 
Latitude

Question 7

Elevation

Answer 7

As elevation increases temperature decreased in other words the higher one goes the cooler it gets

As air rises it become cooled and at some point condensation begins