What is temperature like in the polar zones? Why?
Cool or cold all year because the suns rays always strike at a low angle
What is the temperature like in the tropical zone? Why?
Warm year round because it receives direct or nearly direct sunlight all year
Why does proximity to oceans or large lakes affect temperature?
Water heats up and cools down about five times more slowly than land.
Where are the polar zones?
At the poles (66.5*N to 90*N and 66.5*S to 90*S)
What is a continental climate?
A climate that has more extreme temperatures because they are far from large bodies of water
How does altitude affect temperature?
The higher up you go, the colder it gets. The temperature in the troposphere decreases about 6.5*C for every 1 km increase in altitude.
Where is the tropical zone?
Near the equator (between 23.5*N and 23.5*S)
What are three factors that affect precipitation?
Prevailing winds, presence of mountains, and seasonal winds
How do prevailing winds affect precipitation?
They can bring humid or dry air masses depending on where they blow in from
How is temperature related to precipitation?
Temperature changes cause evaporation and precipitation.
What do both weather and climate depend on?
The transfer of thermal energy and water into and out of the atmosphere
What are monsoons?
Sea and land breezes that change direction with the seasons
Which side of a mountain is likely to be dry?
The leeward side
When winds blow from land to sea, what happens?
There is no precipitation
What are prevailing winds?
Winds that usually blow in one direction in a region that move air masses from one place to another
What is the temperature like in the temperate zones? Why?
Warm or hot in summer and cool or cold in winter because the sun's rays are more direct in summer and less direct in winter
Latitudes close to the equator have ___________ climates than latitudes farther from the equator.
Warmer
What is the windward side of a mountain?
The side the wind hits
What is the leeward side of a mountain?
The side the wind does not hit
What four things affect temperature?
Latitude, altitude, distance from large bodies of water, and ocean currents
When winds blow in from sea to land, what happens?
Precipitation
Where are the temperate zones?
Between the polar and tropical zones (23.5*N to 66.5*N and 23.5*S to 66.5*S)
How do ocean currents affect temperature?
The temperature of the current affects the air temperature above it.
What is climate?
The average, year-after-year conditions of temperature, precipitation, wind, and clouds in an area.
What is a marine climate?
Climates that have relatively mild winters and cool summers because of their proximity to oceans