2. Seasons
Earth’s tilt (23.5)
◦ In relation to the sun
◦ Some places receive more or less direct
rays
◦ Northern hemisphere points toward the
sun in summer and away during the
winter
◦ Cancer and Capricorn are the two last
places of direct sunlight
Solstice (winter and summer)
Equinox (autumnal and spring)
3. Weather and Climate
Weather and Climate- difference?
Causes of Weather
◦ Solar energy received by an area(sunlight)
◦ Other Factors
Water Vapor= determines precipitation
Cloud Cover= hold water vapor
Landforms and bodies of water= water loses and
gains heat slowly, opposite for land
Elevation= air becomes thinner the higher up and
loses ability to hold moisture
Air movement= winds move the air and solar
energy that holds it
4. Weather Extremes
Hurricanes (typhoons in Asia) =
storms that form over warm tropical
climates
Tornadoes= powerful funnel-shaped
column of spiraling air (up to 300 mph)
Blizzard= heavy snowstorm with winds
of more than 35 miles an hour
Droughts= long period of time without
rain
Floods= When water spreads over
land that is not normally covered by
5. Factors Affecting Climate
Wind Currents
◦ Wind helps distribute suns heat from one
part of the world to the other through
convection
Sunlight heats the atmosphere, the air expands,
creating a low pressure zone
Cooler denser air is nearby pressure zone
rushes into the low pressure zone causing wind
◦ Pg. 54
◦ Winds would blow in a straight line but the
earth is at an angle(Coriolis Effect)
6. Factors Affecting Climate
(cont.)
Ocean Currents
◦ Currents are like rivers flowing in the ocean
Warm current flows away from equator
Cold current flows away from the poles
◦ Winds blowing over the ocean currents affect
the climate of the land…Gulf Stream..NA Drift
7. Factors Affecting Climate
(cont.)
Zones of Latitude
◦ 3 General zones:
Tropic- to the tropic of Cancer/ Capricorns
Hot all year long (rainy and dry season)
Polar- circle the north and south poles
