Climate Influencers on Earth: Land, Water, Altitude

1. Chapter 1 - Lesson 3 The Effect of Land and Water, Altitude Chapter 1 Earth’s Climates and Vegetation

2. The Effect of Land and Water pg 35 • Another important effect on climate is the heating and cooling differences between land and water • Land heats quicker than bodies of water • It also cools quicker than bodies of water • Water takes longer to warm up but stays warm longer • Land in the middle of a continent is likely to be colder than land at the coast.

3. The Effect of Land and Water pg 36 • Ocean currents also affect the temperature of some land areas • The North Atlantic Drift – this current brings warm temperatures to Western Europe as it flows across the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico • Without the North Atlantic Drift, Western Europe would have a much colder climate

4. The Effect of Land and Water pg 36 Sea Breeze - a daytime cool breeze blowing toward the land from the sea that pushes the warmer air up and warms the land

5. The Effect of Land and Water pg 36 Land Breeze – cool night air from the land, blows toward the sea and warms due to the land cooling quicker than the water

6. How do land and water affect climate? (pg.36)

7. The Effect of Altitude pg 36 • Altitude effects the climate because the higher the elevation the colder it gets Altitude – the elevation of landforms above sea level Rain Shadow – the dry area on the side of a mountain or mountain range

8. How does altitude affect climate? (pg.36)

9. Climate and Vegetation pg 37 • Six major climate regions: tropical, desert, temperate warm, temperate cold, polar, and highland • Each region has its own climate patterns and its own type of plant life Vegetation – plant life Rainforest - a tropical forest, usually of tall, densely growing, trees in an area of high annual rainfall

10. Climate and Vegetation pg 37 • Tropical Climates: Along or near the equator, as far north as the Tropic of Cancer and as far south as the Tropic of Capricorn • Warm all year long, with a lot of precipitation and rainforests • The largest rainforests are in South America – Amazon and Africa – near the Congo River • The average yearly temperature is 80 degrees and 100 inches of rain falls on average each year

11. Climate and Vegetation pg 38 • Desert Climates are found in areas where there is little precipitation for the whole year • Desert climates are arid, and receive less than 10 inches of rain per year • Deserts can be hot or cold but they must be dry to be a desert • Example of a cold desert is the Gobi Desert, A hot desert; the Mojave Desert Arid – dry

12. Climate and Vegetation pg 38 • Temperate Climates are generally found in the temperate zones • Temperate Cold climates are usually inland, big changes of temperature from winter to summer • Temperate Warm climates are found along coastal areas near oceans and seas • Two kinds of Temperate Warm climates: Marine – warm and damp/wet climates, Mediterranean – warm and dry climates

13. Climate and Vegetation pg 38 • Polar Climate – North and South of the temperate zones are regions with a polar climate • This name comes from them being so close to the North and South Poles • A polar climate has no summers and is freezing cold • Highland Climate – this climate is found where there are a lot of mountains and relies on the altitude of the mountains and the rain shadow

14. Terms to Know • Arid Rainforests • Altitude temperate • Vegetation climate • Rain shadow tropic • Sea breeze Land breeze • What is the relationship between climate and vegetation? (pg. 38)