9/3/14 Student Objectives
Climates of the Earth
Lesson 5
Ms. Francis
Social Studies
•  Identify the factors that contribute to the Earth’s climates.
•  Describe the major climate patterns found on Earth
•  Identify how global warming might affect Earth’s air,
land, and water
•  Discuss how latitude and elevation affect climate.
•  Explain how landforms and climate patterns influence
each other.
•  Identify the climate regions of the world.
Climate & Weather
•  Weather is the condition of the atmosphere in a
certain place at a specific time.
•  The climate of an area is its long-term typical
weather pattern.
Earth’s Tilt & Rotation
•  Earth is currently titled at an angle of about 23 ½’.
•  Because of the tilt of this axis, not all places receive
the same amount of direct sunlight at the same time.
•  The climate of an area is determined by many
things; the most important is the earth’s position in
relation to the sun.
Earth’s Revolution
The Poles
•  Earth travels in an orbit around the sun, completing
one trip about ever 365 days.
•  The North Pole and the South Pole are located at
either end of the earth’s axis.
•  The seasons are caused by the earth’s revolution
around the sun and the earth’s tilt.
•  Each pole receives continuous indirect sunlight six
months each year.
•  The equator divides Earth into the Northern and
Southern hemispheres.
•  While one receives continuous sunlight, the other
receives little or no sunlight.
•  When one experiences summer, the other experiences
winter.
1 9/3/14 The Greenhouse Effect
•  Part of the sun’s radiation passes through the
Earth’s atmosphere.
•  Like glass in a greenhouse, the atmosphere keeps the
heat from escaping back into space too quickly.
•  Humans have altered Earth’s atmosphere by burning
fuels that release carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
•  They have also cut down the forests that absorb
carbon dioxide.
Elevation and Climate
The Greenhouse Effect (2)
•  Some scientists claim that rising carbon dioxide
levels have coincided with a rise in global
temperatures.
•  This trend, known as global warming, is believed to
be caused by human activities
•  Ex. The burning of coal, oil, and natural gas
•  How might global warming affect your community
over the course of the next several years?
Landforms and Climate
•  The higher the altitude of a place, the colder its
climate will be.
•  Earth’s surface features, such as mountains and
bodies of water, can affect and be affected by climate
•  At high altitudes, the air is thinner and retains less
heat.
•  Large bodies of water are slower to heat and cool
than land, so bodies of water tend to moderate
coastal land temperatures.
•  When wind meets a mountain range, it is forced
upward.
•  This rising air cools and brings precipitation to the
windward side, (the side facing the wind) of the
range
Landforms and Climate (2)
•  After the rain falls on the windward side, the air is
warmer and drier as it descends on the leeward side
(the side facing away from the wind) of the
mountain range.
•  Areas on the leeward sides of mountains receive
little precipitation and are often very dry because of
this rain shadow effect.
Climate Regions
•  Tropical Climates are found in or near the low
latitudes.
•  The two types of tropical climates are tropical rain
forests and tropical savanna.
•  Tropical rain forests are densely wooded areas that
are hot and wet year-round.
•  Tropical savannas are grasslands that are hot yearround, dry in winter, and wet in summer.
2 9/3/14 Climate Regions (2)
•  Dry climates include desserts and steppes.
•  Desserts are always dry with sparse vegetation;
temperatures vary greatly from day to night and
season to season, and rainfall is 10 inches or less per
year.
•  Steppes are dry grasslands that receive from 10 to 20
inches of rain annually.
Climate Regions (4)
•  Humid subtropical climate regions have short, mild
winters and year-round rain.
•  Those areas with humid continental climates are
inland; ocean currents do not moderate their
climates
•  Winters in these areas are generally cool to very
cold; summers are hot.
Climate Regions (6)
•  At very high altitudes, climates vary with elevation,
these are highlands climates
•  The higher the altitude, the cooler the temperatures
Climate Regions (3)
•  Mid-latitude climates include four temperate
climate regions:
•  Regions with a marine west coast climate are cool in
summer, damp in winter and forested.
•  Mediterranean climate regions have mild, rainy
winters and hot, sunny summers.
Climate Regions (5)
•  High latitude climates are the surfaces of ice cap
regions that are constantly covered with snow and
ice.
•  Tundra climate regions are slightly warmer than ice
cap regions and can support short grasses.
•  Subarctic climate regions, experiencing bitterly cold
winters, have a long enough growing season for
needled evergreens.
Climate Changes
•  Climates change gradually over time.
•  Humans have altered climates by burning fossil
fuels, building dams, and cutting down forests.
•  The natural vegetation of these areas also varies with
elevation.
3 9/3/14 Assessment
Lesson 5
4