Climate

Question 1

What is climate

Answer 1

Climate refers to the average weather conditions of a specific location over an extended period of time

Question 2

The Spatial Distribution of Climate across the Earth

Answer 2

Earth’s climate distribution is influenced by factors like latitude, altitude, winds, and topography, dividing it into tropical, temperate, and polar zones.

Question 3

5 main Köppen climate types

Answer 3

A: Tropical Moist Climates - all months have average temperatures above 18 degrees Celsius
B: Dry Climates - with deficient precipitation during most of the year
C: Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters
D: Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters
E: Polar Climates - with extremely cold winters and summers

Question 4

6 factors affecting Climate

Answer 4

• LAPDOG
• Latitude (The distance from the equator affects the climate of a place (degrees North or South))
• Altitude (The higher the place is above sea level the colder it will be)
• Prevailing Winds (Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas)
• Distance from Sea (The sea affects the climate of a place - Coastal areas are cooler and wetter than inland areas)
• Ocean Currents (Ocean currents can increase or reduce temperatures - Ocean currents shift heat from tropical to polar latitudes)
• Geographic Barriers (Climate impacts mountains by causing more rainfall due to cooling air and orographic rainfall.

Question 5

Explain the relationship between the spatial distribution of Biomes and climate

Answer 5

• highly interconnected
• climate, which includes factors such as temperature, precipitation, and sunlight, plays a fundamental role in determining the types of plants and animals that can survive and thrive in a particular region
• Different biomes have adapted to specific climatic conditions over time, resulting in unique ecological communities

Question 6

Köppen climate

Answer 6

Köppen climate classifications categorize climates based on temperature and precipitation

Question 7

What is the purpose of a climate graph?

Answer 7

Climate graphs display monthly temperature and precipitation averages, aiding in visualizing a region’s climate patterns.

Question 8

Natural Systems

Answer 8

• Heat orbit (balance between incoming heat (insolation) absorbed by the earth and outgoing heat (terrestrial radiation) escaping it in the form of radiation)
• Carbon cycle (how carbon moves between the atmosphere, soils, living creatures, the ocean, and human sources)
• Atmospheric circulation (the movement of air around the planet - how thermal energy and storm systems move over the Earth’s surface)
• Hydrological cycle (sum total of all processes in which water moves from the land and ocean surface to the atmosphere and back in form of precipitation)

Question 9

Difference Between Weather and Climate

Answer 9

The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere “behaves” over relatively long periods of time.