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What determines climate? - Coggle Diagram
What determines climate?
Latitude
Latitude gradient
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This happens because at the poles, the same amount of solar radiation is being spread over a larger area so each point receives a smaller amount of radiation
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Latitude zones
The polar zones are from 66.5N to 90N and from 66.5S to 90S. The sun's rays here strike at a low angle, which means the energy is spread among a large area, making the climate cold.
Between the tropical zone and the polar zone is the temperate zone. In the summer, the rays strike the tropical zone more directly, and in the winter the sun's rays strike at a lower angle. The climate in the temperate zones ranges from cold in the winter to hot in the summer or vice versa.
The tropical zone is the area around the equator between the latitudes of 23.5N and 23.5S (The tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn). it receives direct sunlight year-round, making the climate warm.
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Elevation
The further away from land and oceans cooled by the sun, the thinner the air gets.
The higher we go, the colder it gets. Temperature decreases about 6.5C every 1km increase in elevation.
Prevailing winds
The Coriolis effect
Winds don't only go north and south, but also east and west due to Earth's rotation under the atmosphere.
Convection currents
The sun heats up earth's surface more in some places than others, causing an difference in pressure. Winds occur because air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.