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Class #34: Friday, April 3

Class #34: Friday, April 3. Introduction to Climate. Climate. Is to weather what a friend’s personality is to his/her mood Sums up the weather’s long-term behavior Is the collective state of the atmosphere for a given place over a specified interval of time. Climate is defined by. Location

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Class #34: Friday, April 3

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  1. Class #34: Friday, April 3 Introduction to Climate Class #34: Friday, April 3

  2. Climate • Is to weather what a friend’s personality is to his/her mood • Sums up the weather’s long-term behavior • Is the collective state of the atmosphere for a given place over a specified interval of time Class #34: Friday, April 3

  3. Climate is defined by • Location • Globe, continent, region, city • Chapter 14: regional and global scale • Time: a specified interval • 30 year average is normal • 100 years or longer for history of climate • Averages and extremes of variables • Chapter 14: temperature and precipitation Class #34: Friday, April 3

  4. Controls on climate • Similar to controls on temperature in Chapter 3 • Latitude: solar energy input • Elevation: air temperature, snow vs. rain • Topography: moist vs. dry, temperature, distribution of cloud patterns, solar energy reaching the surface Class #34: Friday, April 3

  5. Controls on Climate (continued) • Proximity to large bodies of water • Thermal properties of water (absorption, heat capacity, transparency, mixing) moderate temperature downwind • Prevailing atmospheric circulation • Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) • Subtropical Highs Class #34: Friday, April 3

  6. Classifying Climate • Hard to do • No clear boundaries • Complex natural systems • How it is done • Important to life: hot or cold; moist or dry • Most common system: based on vegetation • Köppen climate classification scheme based on vegetation and temperature Class #34: Friday, April 3

  7. Köppen (KEPP-in) Scheme • Modified by Trewartha and Horn • Related to geography and global circulation • Uses letters (1, 2 or 3) in Chapter 14 • Has many other subdivisions within the categories shown in our book • Has 6 major groups: A, B, C, D, E, H Class #34: Friday, April 3

  8. The 6 major climate groups • A: Tropical moist • B: Dry (can be subtropical or mid latitude) • C: Moist with mild winters (mid latitude) • D: Moist with severe winters (mid latitude) • E: Polar (high latitude) • H: Highland (rapid climate change with elevation) • 2nd letter: usually latitude (except B) • 3rd letter: differences in temperature Class #34: Friday, April 3

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  11. Class #34: Friday, April 3

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