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Guiding Questions: Climate Notes

Section 14.1 What is Climate?


1.Define climatology.
- The study of Earths climate and the
factors that affect past, present, and
future climatic changes.
2.What factors does climate include in
addition to average weather conditions?
- Annual variations of temperature,
precipitation, wind, and other weather
variables.
3.Give two examples of how climatic data
can be used.
- It can indicate the warmest and coldest
temperature ever recorded for a
location
- It can be used by companies to decide
where to locate new facilities
- It can also be used by people who have
medical conditions that require them to
live in certain climates.
4.Why must we exercise caution when using
normals to predict weather?
- Weather conditions on any given day
might differ widely from normals.
- Normals only apply to the specific place
where the meteorological data were
collected.

5.What factors cause climate?


- Latitude, topography, closeness of lakes
and oceans, availability of moisture,
global wind patterns, ocean currents,
and air masses.
6.Why are coastal areas cooler in the
summer than inland areas?
- Water heats up and cools down more in
coastal areas. Large bodies of water
affect the climates of coastal areas.
7.Describe the relationship between
temperature and altitude.
- Temperatures in the lower atmosphere
generally decrease with altitude. Thus,
mountain climates are usually cooler
than those at sea level. In addition,
climates often differ on either side of a
mountain.
8.Figure 14-3 depicts what effect of
orographic lifting that we discussed last
Friday? (HINT: return to those notes!)
- Adiabatic cooling causes rain on the
windward side of the mountain.
Adiabatic warming occurs on the other
side of the mountain, creating a warm
desert climate.
Section 14.2 Climate Classification

1.Name the system used to classify climates.


What factors does it consider?
- Koeppen Classification system. It
considers climates using averages
monthly values of temperature and
precipitation. It also takes into account
thee distinct vegetation found in
different climates.
2.List the six main climate types.
- Tropical
- Mild
- Dry
- Continental
- Polar
- High elevation
3.What climate type do we live in? List its
characteristics.
4.What is a microclimate? Give an example.
- A localized climate that differs from the
main regional climate.
5.What is the heat island effect and where
does it occur?
- The presence of many concrete
buildings and large expanses of asphalt
can create heat islands, wherein the
climate is warmer than in surrounding
rural areas.
Guiding Questions: Climate Notes

Section 14.1 What is Climate?


1. Define climatology.
2. What factors does climate include in
addition to average weather conditions?
3. Give two examples of how climatic data
can be used.
4. Why must we exercise caution when
using normals to predict weather?
5. What factors cause climate?
6. Why are coastal areas cooler in the
summer than inland areas?
7. Describe the relationship between
temperature and altitude.
8. Figure 14-3 depicts what effect of
orographic lifting that we discussed last
Friday? (HINT: return to those notes!)
Section 14.2 Climate Classification
1. Name the system used to classify
climates. What factors does it consider?
2. List the six main climate types.
3. What climate type do we live in? List its
characteristics.
4. What is a microclimate? Give an
example.
5. What is the heat island effect and where
does it occur?

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