GEOG 2RC3 Lecture 4: Climate
22 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Climate is the long term behaviour of the weather in a bounded area, usually averaged over decades or centuries. Weather is the short term, fluctuating behaviour of precipitation, cloud cover, temperature and wind, usually over timescales less than a year. Factors affecting climate include: latitude, proximity to water (continental vs. coastal, elevation, precipitation, ocean currents. The pacific region has a marine climate influenced by the pacific ocean, with warm summers and cool winters. It has seasonal variation in temperature with a wetter winter season, and is dominated by a type of precipitation called orographic: this is due to the lifting of moist air over a mountain barrier. Has higher elevation which causes the average temperature to be lower, with higher levels of precipitation on the leeward side of the mountain (side that is protected from prevailing winds). This area is the site of polar and tropical air convergence, and precipitation patterns decrease east to west.
