The Factors the

Affect Climate:
L.A.C.E.M.O.P.S.

Much of the information

in this Power Point came
from Linda Hammon.
 Terms to Know
Fold your paper in half 3 times to create 8 boxes necessary
to record the information in this lesson.
Use one side record each of these vocab terms & definitions.

• Rotation/1 day takes the earth 24 hours (1

day) to make one complete rotation on it’s
AXIS.
• Revolution/1 year Takes the earth 365 ¼
days (1 year) to make one complete revolution
around the SUN
• Weather – The DAILY condition of the
atmosphere.
• Climate – Weather conditions over TIME.
• Precipitation – Moisture that falls from the
sky: rain, snow, sleet, & hail.
 How to Read a Climograph
Look at the title to see what location’s climate is
being described by the graph.
Line Graph =
avg
temperature
for each
month.
Average
precipitation
by month.

Months of the year.

Forces that create the climate of a certain location:
LACEMOPS.
Place one of each of these letters in your boxes
created by folding the manilla paper.

L A C E

M O P S
 L = Latitude
Distance from the equator is one of the most
important factors in determining climate.
Zones of Latitude
High: Polar
climates.

HIGH One Season:

COLD
Middle:
MIDDLE Temperate
Climates
4 Seasons:
LOW Winter,
Summer,
Spring, Fall
MIDDLE
Low:
Tropical
Climates
HIGH
2 Seasons:
Rainy, Dry
Take a moment to compare the temperatures of
Mangalore & Memphis.

Which one do you think is closer to the equator? Why?

Tropical Wet & Dry Humid Subtropical

Location Location
 Study the two climographs below.

•Can you pick out the one that depicts a tropical climate?
How do you know?

•Bonus Question: Is it a tropical wet or a tropical wet

and dry climate? How do you know?

Climate A Climate B
A is for Air Masses
 Air Masses
• Northern hemisphere =
• cold air from the polar regions
comes from the north
• hot air from the tropics comes
from the south.

• Southern hemisphere =
• cold air from the polar region
comes from the south
• hot air from the tropics comes
from the north.
Why is the direction that cold air comes
from flip flopped in the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres?
C is for Continentality
 Continentality
The effect of a location on a continent
• Why is there so little difference between
summer and winter along the coast of
California?
It takes the ocean a long time to heat & cool!
Wind blowing off of water moderates coastal areas.

• What is the difference between summer

& winter in Kansas?
BIG difference in seasons in Kansas…why?
Land heats & cools quickly!!

• Close to large body of water = smaller difference in temperature

• Farther away from water = greater difference in temperature.
 Continentality: How Does It Affect
Climate?
Remember: continentality is the effect of location on a
continent on the climate of a place. Inland locations typically
have larger temperature ranges and (possibly) drier conditions
than maritime locations.

Compare these two locations. Which one is

further inland? How can you tell?
E is for Elevation
 ELEVATION
• The higher you go, the colder it gets.
• As you go up in elevation, the air gets thinner
and does not trap heat.
• Are there glaciers on the equator??
 Elevation
Remember: elevation affects climate and climate
affects the type of vegetation.
 Elevation affects the type of natural
vegetation & crops that grow in a region.
In this photo, you can see the tree line-the
highest point on a mountain that trees can
survive.
M is for Mountain Barriers
 MOUNTAIN BARRIERS
(aka the Orographic Effect or the Rain Shadow Effect)

• Winds blow across the ocean & push moisture inland.

• Moisture cloud reaches the mountains, gets “popped” by the
mountain top & rains on the coastal side
• By the time this cloud reaches the other side of the mountains,
the air is dry.
What very dry state do you find East of the Sierra Nevada
Mts??
Mountain Barriers: Rain Shadow
O is for Ocean Currents
 OCEAN CURRENTS
• The UK & Europe are on the same line of latitude as Canada.
• Do they experience the same climate?
• North Atlantic Drift = warm current that flows up from the equator &
and keeps Europe warmer than it should be at that latitude
 Ocean Currents
• Cold currents create dry conditions on the coast.
• Warm currents create wet conditions on the coast.
Ocean Currents Physical Map of Africa

Using both maps above, how do you explain

the existence of the desert region of
southwestern Africa?
P is for Pressure and
Prevailing Winds
Pressure
High Pressure =H
Heavy, cool air,
brings clear skies
and no rain.

Low Pressure =L
Light, warm air,
usually brings
precipitation
Wind and the Earth’s winds would
Coriolis Effect blow in straight lines,
but since the earth
rotates they are turned
at an angle. In the
northern hemisphere,
they turn to the right.
In the southern
hemisphere they turn
to the left. This
bending of the wind is
called the Coriolis
Effect.
 Cyclonic storms (hurricanes & typhoons)

Northern Hemisphere spin counter-clockwise.

Southern Hemisphere cyclones spin clockwise.

Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere

What relationship can you detect between the
diagram and the map of the world’s major
deserts? HINT: Think high pressure vs. low
pressure.
S is for Storms
 Storms
• Storms occur where ….
• polar winds meet westerlies
• when hot & cold air masses collide
 Storm Tracks
Cat. 5 Hurricane

Tropical Storm

Tornado
Cyclone
• L atitude This acronym was
.introduced by:
• A ir Masses Dr. James Petersen
– Texas State
University – San

• C ontinentality Marcos, TX, 1990.

• E levation
• M ountain Barriers
• O cean Currents
• P ressure & Prevailing Winds
• S torms