Climate Graphs Flashcards
What are the two main things shown on a climate graph by the red line and blue bars?
Red Line: Temperature (in Celsius)
Blue Bars: Precipitation (in mm)
How would a climate graph look different in the Northern Hemisphere (eg. Canada) vs. the Southern Hemisphere (eg. Australia)?
In the Northern Hemisphere, the line goes up in the middle because their summer is in June/July/August. In the Southern Hemisphere, the line goes down in the middle because their winter is in June/July/August.
What happens to temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere in June/July/August?
Temperatures get cooler, because June/July/August is their winter.
What are four factors that could affect the climate in a city like Edmonton?
Latitude: Edmonton is 54 degrees north. Lower temperatures in winter should be expected.
Altitude: Edmonton is 676m above sea level. Higher places are generally cooler.
Water: Large bodies of water make temperature milder (like in Vancouver). Edmonton is not near an ocean or large lake so this means a larger temperature range.
Winds: The Rocky Mountains to the west of Edmonton shelter it from the warm moist air of the Pacific Ocean.
Based on the climate graph of Vancouver, what is the warmest temperature of the year and what month(s) does it happen?
17 degrees Celsius in July and August.
Based on the climate graph of Vancouver, what is the coldest temperature of the year and what month(s) does it happen?
3 degrees Celsius in January.
Based on the climate graph of Vancouver, what is the driest month(s) and how much rain does the city receive in that month?
36mm of precipitation in July.
Based on the climate graph of Vancouver, what is the wettest month(s) and how much rain does the city receive in that month?
179mm of precipitation in December.
How would you calculate the yearly total amount of precipitation (in mm) for Vancouver?
Add up the amount of precipitation in all 12 months. It’s 1,168mm for the year.
How would you calculate the average temperature for the year (in C) for Vancouver?
Add up the number of degrees in each of 12 months and divide that by 12 (the number of months).
The average is about 9.8 degrees Celsius (118 degrees divided by 12).
What kind of temperature line (red) would we expect for a city on the equator?
The temperature line would be flat, because the temperature doesn’t change in different seasons. The temperature is about the same year around.
Based on this climate graph, what is the temperature range for Vancouver?
The range is 14 degrees Celsius.
17 degrees (July/August) minus 3 degrees (January).
Based on this climate graph, what is the temperature range for Ottawa?
The range is about 32 degrees Celsius.
22 degrees (July) minus -10 degrees (January).
It’s a bit tricky when one of the numbers is below zero. You need to add up the number above zero (22) then add the number below zero (10).
How many months are in the growing season in Calgary based on this climate graph?
Five months are in the growing season (above 5.6 degrees Celsius on average): May, June, July, August and September
