5 Causes of Climate

In order of importance

1. LatitudeHow close a place is to the equatorusually, the closer to the equator, the warmer it is. 2. ElevationHow high the land is above sea levelusually the higher the elevation, the cooler it is. 3. Ocean/Wind CurrentsHot water and air rises, cool water and air sinksthis creates currents that move heat around our planet. 4. Closeness to large bodies of waterThis can increase precipitation and affect the temperature depending where the water is and how big it is. 5. TerrainMountains can change how much rain or sun you get, the north side of a mountain usually has a different climate than the south side.

The most important factor/cause of climate type is latitude. Closer to the equator =warmer climate. Closer to the

Flip back and forth--can you see the cold spot in the last slide and the red highelevation spot on this slide? Higher elevation=colder temperatures

After the rain falls, the area beyond the mountain only gets dry air. The area north of the Himalayas is a good example or a rain shadow.

Flip back and forth from the last slide--see the similarity? In this case, mountains cause more rain because they lift the warm air, which cools and makes the moisture in the air fall as rain.