NAME_________________
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The Climate of an Imaginary Continent
Question: Which factors are most important in predicting the climate of a geographical
area?
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Hypothsis: Answer the above question.
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Continent X
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Climate involves an average of weather conditions for a geographical region over a long
period of time. It is described as by averages , ranges, and daily and seasonal variations
for factors such as rainfall, winds, and temperature.The great number of possible
combinations of factors from different parts of the world makes the classification of
climates very complicated.
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Climate can be described in terms of average temperature and humidity. In this
investigation, you will study a model “Continent X”, by studying the factors that
contribute to its climate.
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Procedure:
Examine the geographic locations of cities A through H. Some of the factors you will
need to consider include each one’s:
• Latitude (since that affects how much insolation they receive)
• Proximity to an ocean (since coastal cities tend to have a more moderate climate
than those that are inland)
• Elevation above sea level ( because higher altitude cities will experience cooler
temperatures)
• Planetary wind belts ( since where weather systems come from affects local
climate)
• Position relative to the mountains (since positions the cities of the leeward side of
mountain ranges will have drier/warmer conditions than those on the windward
side)
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First a few review questions:
1. As latitude increases, temperature ________________.
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2. As altitude increases, temperature ________________.
3. Locations near large bodies of water tend to have _______________ summers
and ____________ winters than locations that are inland.
4.
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Describe what happens to air as it rises such as over a mountain range.
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5. Describe what happens to air as it sinks such as on the leeward side of a
mountain.
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Analysis:
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1. How different would the temperature range be at location D be compared to
location F?
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2. Compare the climates at location A and location E.
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3. How would the climate at location H differ from the climate at location C?
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4. If there were a lake between B and C , which location (A-H), would be most likely
to get lake-snow effects? What causes lake snow effects?
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5.At which location would you have air that could hold the most moisture and why?
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6.What would the average temperatures be at location G?
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7.If an air mass was to move from south from E to B describe the kind of air it would
bring.
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8. As you describe the different climates for all of the areas what two elements would you
consider the most?
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9. How would the climate change at C if big cities were built there?
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10. What is the difference between the weather and the climate at any location?
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11. If a warm ocean current flowed past E, how would that affect the weather?
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Conclusion:
Based on this investigation, was your hypothesis correct. Do you feel that any one factor
is more important than another in predicting the climate of an area- Explain your answer.
Min. one paragraph.
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