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Factors affecting climate and co. - Coggle Diagram
Factors affecting climate and co.
latitude
Places that are closer to the Equator are generally warmer than places
near the poles.
Insolation refers to incoming solar radiation
(or sun’s energy received by the Earth).
Direct sunrays cause more
heating than slanting
sunrays.
incident sunlight- sunlight received at a right angle
the solar equator varies during the year, from the Tropic of Capricorn on the December solstice to the Tropic of Cancer on the June solstice
TEMPERATE
ZONE
23½°N to
66½°N/// south as well
moderate climate
new zealand
FRIGID ZONE
Extremely cold
66½°N to 90° N/south as well
ANTARCTICA
TORRID zone
Hot and humid
CONGO
23½°N to 23 half S
ALTITUDE
During the day, the atmosphere is mostly heated when air comes in contact with the ground heated by insolation. The hot air rises, carrying heat to higher altitudes.
As altitude increases, temperature decreases.
When warm air rises, it expands with altitude due to the decrease in pressure. The expansion of the air requires energy, which is drawn from the heat that the air is carrying with it. This means that as it expands with increasing altitude, rising air becomes cooler and cooler.
DISTANCE FROM THE SEA
Places near the sea have a moderate (maritime) climate, whereas places in the interiors have an extreme (continental) climate.
Day breeze and night breeze near the coasts have a moderating influence on the climate.
During the day, land heats up faster than water. A low pressure zone is created on land, causing cool wind to blow from the sea to land. This cools down the coasts during the day.
Areas that consist of warm air have low pressure because the warm air rises
Land surfaces absorb much more solar radiation than water. … Water reflects most solar radiation that reaches its surface back to the atmosphere.
Day breeze and night breeze cause the temperature in coastal places to remain moderate, known as maritime climate.
Land cools down faster than water at night due to loss of heat by terrestrial radiation. A high pressure zone develops, causing wind to blow from land towards the sea.
Diurnal range of temperature (difference between maximum and minimum temperature during a day)
Continental climate: high diurnal range of temperature.
Maritime climate: low diurnal range of temperature.
RELIEF
The direction of mountain ranges has a huge influence on the climate of a region.
They block cold winds.
They create rainshadow zones.
Over the sea,
water evaporates in summer and forms clouds which are driven towards landmasses due to low pressure areas.
They are obstructed by landmasses
such as mountains, causing the clouds to rise and become cooler. They give heavy rainfall on this windward slope.
The clouds become lighter and cross the landmasses.
However, they don’t have much moisture and give very less rainfall on the leeward slope. This creates a rainshadow zone.
They separate maritime and continental climate.
orographic rainfall- THE NAME OF THE RAINFALL THAT OCCURS DUE TO
blocking of wind by high mountains.
The rainshadow effect causes wet and desert regions to be formed on two sides of a mountain range.
OCEAN CURRENTS
Ocean currents are continuous, directed movements of sea water.
Cold currents flow from polar regions towards the Equator, and warm currents flow from Equatorial regions towards the pol
Places next to warm ocean currents tend to receive heavy rainfall; while deserts are formed in places next to cold currents.
Confluence of cold and warm currents results in formation of (foggy) fishing banks.
Peru Current
Cold
Chile on West coast of South America
Formation of Atacama Desert
Labrador + Gulf Stream
cold+warm
East coast of North America
Grand Banks of Newfoundland
Brazil Current
warm
Brazil on East coast of South America
PREVAILING WINDS
There are definite planetary winds which blow on the surface of the Earth all year round. These influence the climate of the place along which they blow.
These winds blow due to pressure belts formed along various latitudes on Earth.
Coriolis effect
Winds get deflected to their right in the northern hemisphere, and to their left in the southern hemisphere due to Earths rotation.
Naming of winds
Winds are names after the direction from which they blow.
Types of winds
Winds may be planetary, seasonal, or local.
Trade winds
They usually bring heavy rainfall, hurricanes and typhoons, and blow from subtropical high pressure belt to equatorial low pressure belt.
Westerlies
These cold winds bring storms, and keep places in frigid zones frozen. They blow from polar high pressure belt to sub polar low pressure belt.
