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| the amount of incoming solar radiation per km2 of Earth surface is not the same everywhere. Solar radiation that reaches higher latitudes is less concentrated than that at lower latitudes. Also higher latitudes experience a greater degress of seasonality |
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| wind transports heat and moisture across the globe, so the history that winds have experience affects the climate of a regions (i.e. where are the winds coming from…this is why the convention of describing wind directions refer to where they come from, not where they are going |
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Definition
temperature and wind speed is strongly influenced by altitude (colder/windier at higher altitudes) |
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Definition
| (presence of large topographic features)- the presence of major mountain chains affects the climate on the upowind and leeward sides of the mountains. The “rainshadow effect. (OR/WA as examples) |
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| Proximity to major bodies of water- |
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Definition
water has a tremendous capacity to hhold heat, so regions near water often experience more moderate seasonal change in temp. |
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| Proximity to ocean currents- |
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Definition
| ocean current redistribute heart around the globe and greatly affect temperature and humidity of coastal regions |
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Definition
| (reflectivity of the land surface)- in areas that are highly reflective to incoming solar radiation (say white, snow or ice covered areas) more of the suns energy is reflected back to space. |
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