Understanding Climate Variation: Factors and Influences

3. altitude • climate • climatologist • landform • latitude • ocean current

4. Read the introduction and look for key ideas

5. Why do different parts of the world have different climates?

6. What types of measurements of meteorologists use to describe weather? • What types of measurements do you think climatologists use to describe climate? • Record your answers in your notebook.

7. Complete the reading Be sure to answer the Stopping to Think questions.

8. Stopping to think 1 Imagine holding a tennis ball in front of a heat lamp for five minutes. What do you predict will happen to the temperature along the “equator” of the ball compared to the top and bottom?

9. Stopping to think 2 Which coast of the United States is warmed by warm ocean currents? Hint: Look at the map below.

10. Stopping to think 2 Which coast of the United States is cooled by cool ocean currents? Hint: Look at the map below.

11. Stopping to think 2 Do you predict that the climate of southeastern states along the ocean (such as Georgia and North Carolina) would be warmer or cooler without ocean currents? Explain.

12. Stopping to think 3 What three factors affect local climates? Which of these factors do you think affect your local climate?

13. Analysis question 1 Which factors affecting climate were described in the reading in this activity?

14. Analysis question 2 Oceans can store large amounts of heat. How does this affect climate?

15. Analysis question 3 Imagine that the sun suddenly disappeared forever. What do you think would happen to the earth’s climates? Explain.

16. Analysis question 4 Reflection: In this activity, you learned that many factors influence climate. If you were a climatologist, which factor would you most like to study? Why?

17. Why do different parts of the world have different climates?

18. Key vocabulary definitions Altitude - The elevation above sea level. Climate - The average weather for a place over a long period of time (usually at least 30 years). Climatologist - Scientist who studies the earth’s climates.

19. Key vocabulary definitions Landform - A feature of the earth’s surface such as a lake, stream, valley, canyon, hill, ridge, or mountain. Latitude - The distance in degrees of a location north or south of the equator.

20. Key vocabulary definitions Ocean current - Regular movements of large amounts of water in the ocean.