DO NOW THURSDAY

Do you think you and/or your family do anything

to affect the Earth’s weather and climate?
Explain.
TODAY’S PLAN
• To explain factors that affect the Earth’s
weather and climate.
TODAY’S DO
• We will discuss things that affect the Earth’s
weather and climate and watch some short
videos during the discussion.
 Weather by Brainpop
1) What cycle is the basis of
our weather?

2) What causes precipitation to

occur?

3) Where do storms usually

occur?
Weather
 Temporary behavior of atmosphere
(what’s going on at any certain time)

 Small geographic area

 Can change rapidly

Weather
--The study of weather is
meteorology

--Someone who studies weather

is called a meteorologist
 Climate
 Long-term behavior of atmosphere
(100+ years)
 Large geographic area
• Very slow to change
Climatology
The study of Earth’s climate and the
factors that affect past, present, and
future climatic changes
Normals
Standard values for a
location
Average values over a
long period of time
Climate Types by Brainpop

1.What is climate?

2.Where are tropical

climates most likely to be?

3.What does “arid” mean?

What Factors Affect Weather
& Climate?
1. The Sun
2. The Water Cycle
3. The Atmosphere
4. The Ocean
5. Ice
6. Landforms (Topography)
7. Latitude and Altitude
8. Living Things
How Does the Sun Affect
Weather and Climate?
It warms the atmosphere & oceans
(causing wind, ocean currents,
temperature changes, etc.)
It creates climate zones
• (ie. Tropics, temperate, polar)
It keeps the water cycle going
It affects weather patterns
The Water Cycle
All the water on the planet is recycled in
this manner!
Parts of the Cycle
Evaporation—Water going
from a liquid to a gas (gains
energy from the sun)
Parts of the Cycle
Transpiration—evaporation of water
from/out of plants. Locate this on the
diagram!

transpiration
Parts of the Cycle
Condensation—Water going from a gas to a
liquid (cools or loses energy)
 When this happens in the atmosphere,

CLOUDS form.
Clouds by Brainpop
Parts of the Cycle
Precipitation—when water falls out of
the atmosphere. Forms when the water
droplets in clouds become too heavy to
stay up.
Precipitation
Liquid water = rain

Rain Clip

Frozen water = snow

or sleet or hail
 Water Cycle by Brainpop
The Water Cycle

Water Cycle Advanced by Brainpop

The Water Cycle by Brainpop

1) What process must happen

for clouds to form?

2) What is “collection”?

3) Name one way to conserve

water.
How does the atmosphere
affect weather?
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases
that surrounds the Earth
Has five different layers; each has
different properties
We’ll label them in just a minute…
Air Temperature and Pressure change
with altitude (lower temperature and
less pressure as altitude increases)
Weather occurs in the layer closest to
Earth (troposphere)
 Write in the
labels!

Exosphere

Thermosphere

Ionosphere

Mesosphere
Ozone layer
Stratosphere
Troposphere
DO NOW FRIDAY
1. Explain the difference between weather and
climate.
2. What is one way the Sun affects weather and
climate?
TODAY’S PLAN
• To explain factors that affect the Earth’s
weather and climate.
TODAY’S DO
• We will discuss things that affect the Earth’s
weather and climate and watch some short
videos during the discussion.
• We will practice reading a weather map.
Atmosphere: Air Masses
= body of air with a
certain temperature and
moisture level
Can be warm or cold
Can contain a lot of
moisture or not a lot of
moisture
Fronts
= places where
air masses meet
4 Types: Warm,
Cold, Occluded,
Stationary
Each kind can
bring different
kinds of weather
Thunderstorms ahead of this front: Severe weather:
then weather will become cold Then weather will become
warm and humid
Occluded Front: Stationary Front:

Less severe weather Rain, snow, or fog for several days

FRONTS
Complete the “Reading a Weather Map”
Worksheet.
How does Air Pressure affect
weather?
How much the earth’s atmosphere is
pressing down on us
Measured with a BAROMETER
If it CHANGES, then new weather is on the
way:
Falling Air Pressure (Low pressure)= associated
with warm air rising; stormy weather coming
Rising Air Pressure (High pressure) = associated
with cold air sinking; fair weather coming
Steady Air Pressure = no change is coming
Winds
created from differences in air pressure
Moves from areas of HIGH to LOW
pressure
Greater the difference in pressure, the
FASTER the wind blows
Measured with wind vanes and
anemometers or you can estimate with
the Beaufort Wind Scale
Global Winds
Thousands of kilometers long;
can cause weather to move in
different directions

Examples: Jet stream, prevailing

westerlies, doldrums, horse
latitudes, trade winds
Global Winds
Caused by the temperature
difference in different regions

 Hot Tropical Regions—causes air to

rise
 Cold polar Regions—causes air to
sink
Global Winds
Also affected by Earth’s Spin
 Coriolis Effect = causes winds to
curve to the right in the N.
Hemisphere; to the left in the S.
Hemisphere
 Winds by Brainpop

1. What does warm air do?

2. What do you call winds

that blow all the time in the
same part of the world?

3. What are jet streams?

How does the Ocean
affect weather?
Ocean currents affect the temperature
of the land they pass by
Cold ocean currents = cooling effect
Warm ocean currents = warming effect
Temperature changes affect pressure –
which then creates WINDS
Winds blow this cooling or warming
effect over the land
Ocean currents distribute heat from the
equator to the poles.
http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/
Science Saurus Sections 203-204-205-206
How Does Ice (the Cryosphere)
Affect Weather and Climate?
Ice in the arctic is white and so it reflects almost
all of the sunlight that hits it. This reflection of
the sun is what keeps the artic regions cold
because the sun’s rays never reach the surface
to heat it.
In other words, ice (the cryosphere) keeps the
Earth from getting too warm.
Changes in snow and ice cover affect air and
surface temperatures: less ice= warmer air and
surface
How Does Ice (the Cryosphere)
Affect Weather and Climate?
Hands-On Activity
How Does Topography Affect Weather
and Climate?
Topography
Mountain also affect climate of an area.
Since the mountains act as a barrier to air
movements and moisture (such as rain clouds),
one side of the mountain may be desert-like,
while the other receives lots of rain and is lush
with vegetation.
How Does Topography Affect Weather
and Climate?
Topography
Coastal Regions, areas near water, are warmer
in the winter and cooler in the summer
This is because seasonal changes affect oceans
more slowly than land.
Therefore, oceans heat up more slowly in the
summer and produce cooler temperatures.
Likewise, oceans cool down more slowly in the
winter and produce warmer temperatures.
How Does Latitude Affect Climate?
66.5° N Arctic Circle

23.5° N Tropic of Cancer

Equator
0°

Tropic of Capricorn
23.5° S
Antarctic Circle
66.5° S
 Polar

Temperate

Tropics

Tropics

Temperate
Polar
Climate Zones
Tropics (warmest because most direct sun
rays hit here)
Most solar radiation, generally warm
Between Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer
Temperate (warm summers and cold
winters)
Between 23.5 and 66.5 North and South
Mild temperatures
Polar (coldest because receives least direct
sun rays)
66.5 North and South to the Poles
Cold Temperatures
How Do Living Things Affect
Weather and Climate?
Trees and other plants can actually help keep climates
cooler by providing shade and using carbon dioxide gas
from the atmosphere.
Since carbon dioxide gas is a greenhouse gas that
traps heat near the surface of the Earth, when trees,
algae, and other plants remove it from our atmosphere,
they are helping to keep our planet cooler.
How Do Living Things Affect
Weather and Climate?
Farm animals, microbes, and humans produce
lots of methane and carbon dioxide, both of
which are greenhouse gases.
Thus, many living things, mainly humans, are
causing climates across the globe to grow
warmer.
Climate Change
Long-Term Climatic Change
Climates change over extremely long
periods of time

Ice Ages – Periods of extensive glacial

coverage
Most recent ended
10,000 years ago
Temps dropped 5°C
Short-Term Climatic Change
Caused by regular
variations in
daylight, temp, and
weather patterns

Examples:
Seasons
El Nino (Warm
ocean current)