GEO 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Climatology, Trade Winds, Air Mass
4 Feb 2020
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Document Summary
Climate is the average weather of a region. Minimum of 30 years used to determine climate by means of 3 factors: Seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation atmosphere. Primary driving force for weather is the flow of solar energy received by the earth and. Climate controls include altitude, elevation, and proximity to oceans. these controls influence the annual and seasonal temperatures and precipitation for a given region. The annual cycle of temp at any place depends on its latitude. Near the equator, temps are warmer and the annual range is low. Toward the poles, temps are colder and the annual range is greater. Ocean surface temps vary less with the seasons than land surface temps, so coastal regions show a smaller annual variation in temps. High elevation stations show cooler temps than sea level because the atmosphere cools with elevation at the average environmental temperature lapse rate. Air masses from continetal regions are drier, opposite for marine locations.
