Factors Affecting

Climate
The farther the north
or south of the equator
a place is, the more
likely it is to be cold.
This is because the
sun’s energy is spread over a
larger area near the poles.

*LATITUDE
 (Play the video)

The temperature of the

ocean affects the
temperature of the air
above it. Water which
comes from the poles
and cools a region,
while water coming
from the equator raises
the air temperature.
*OCEAN’S CURRENT
Winds that blow from the poles are cold. A jet
stream of fast moving air forms the boundary
between warm and cold air. The jet stream
moves north and south during the year.

*WINDS
The higher above the sea level you go, the colder
it becomes. In general, the rate of cooling is 0.6
o
C per 100m.

*ELEVATION
Because less oxygen in the air affects vegetation, being in
the rain shadow of mountains causes relief rain (the
monsoons are caused when air rises to go over the
Himalayas, and is carrying lots of water, as it rises it cools
and so cant carry the water so it rains).

*Why does it become

cold?
 Areas on one side of a
(Play the video)
mountain receive more
precipitation than those on
the other.

This is because air masses

dump
moisture when they are
forced
to climb over mountains.

*RELIEF
Water heats up and
cools down slower
than air. Therefore,
temperatures in areas
near water are more moderate
than in the middle continent in
which less variation in temperatures.

*NEAR WATER
Ozone’s impact on climate consists primarily of changes in
temperature. The more ozone in a given parcel of air, the more
heat it retains. Ozone generates heat in the stratosphere, both
by absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and by absorbing
upwelling infrared radiation from the lower atmosphere
(troposphere). Consequently, decreased ozone in the

*OZONE
stratosphere results in lower temperatures.
 We cannot forget the influence of humans on our
climate. Trees were cut down to provide wood for fires.
The invention of the
motor engine and
the increased
burning of fossil
fuels have increased
the amount of carbon
dioxide in the
atmosphere.

*HUMAN ACTIVITY
The End