Controls of Weather & Climate / Climograph Exercise
make sure to use the worksheet with the climographs
| Climographs (pdf file) of places listed below. |
> Question: probably the most fundamental distinction between climate is continental and ______________.
> Remaining questions focus on the chart below
Here is a list of core climate controls:
| Latitude ( let's ignore for now because all places have this one ) |
| Land and Water Distribution |
| General Circulation of the Atmosphere ( air currents ) |
| General Circulation of the Oceans ( ocean currents ) |
| Topographic Barriers |
| Pressure Belts & Storms ( which let's also ignore for now ) |
San Francisco, California
1) What month does the temperature in the climograph peak?
2) What month does the temperature in the climograph reach it's lowest point?
3) Does it freeze or not?
4) What are the major climate controls with a few sentences explanation?
Note: As mentioned above in the chart, ignore latitude and pressure belts for now.
Hint: All of these place have a lot to do with proximity to the ocean and air currents.
Answer the same questions with:
Vladivostok, Russia
1) What month does the temperature in the climograph peak?
2) What month does the temperature in the climograph reach it's lowest point?
3) Does it freeze or not?
4) What are the major climate controls with a few sentences explanation?
(For example: Vladivostok - Land Water Distribution and air currents - compared to oceans, land cools off quickly during the winter time. That cold airmass inland in Siberia then is brought toward Vladivostok because of the westerlies. Those winds are blowing from the west, making this place even colder.
Reykjavik, Iceland
1) What 2 months does the temperature in the climograph peak?
2) What month does the temperature in the climograph reach it's lowest point?
3) Does it freeze or not?
4) What are the major climate controls with a few sentences explanation?
> Question: which one of the climographs has the coldest winter?
> Question: which one of the climographs has the warmest summer days?
> Question: which one of the following below has the steepest (like a giant roller coaster) climograph? Is this a continental climate?
> Question: which one of the following below has the gentle curve (like a mild slope) climograph? Is this a continental climate?
Data Source: http://en.climate-data.org/
Handout: Climographs (pdf file) of places listed above