What Affects the Climate of Continents?

Weather describes atmospheric conditions near the Earth's surface in a place on a day-to-day basis, while climate describes typical weather patterns over a long period of time. There are many different types of climates around the world. The type of climate an area has is largely due to four main factors.

Closeness to Water

• Oceans heat up and cool down more slowly than land. So, when temperatures on land, in summer, are hot, the oceans are still cool and act as natural air conditioners, cooling down the coastal areas. In the winter, the opposite is true, and the oceans warm the coastal areas. Coastal cities are also wetter than those inland because the moisture dries up as it moves inland. Ocean currents greatly affect temperature. The California Current brings cool water, and temperatures, from Alaska. The Gulf Stream brings warm waters, and temperatures, to Western Europe from the south, keeping the coast ice-free in the winter and warmer than other places in the summer.

Latitude

• The farther a place is from the equator, the cooler it will be. This is because the sun's rays are less direct, and therefore less intense, in places closer to the poles. This means that they hit the Earth at more of angle than rays at the equator, so the same rays must heat up more land area at the poles, resulting in less concentrated heat. Also, because the rays that enter the atmosphere at the poles are at a greater angle, more surface is in contact with the atmosphere, meaning more energy is lost, and the rays are not as hot.

Elevation

• Places of higher elevation are generally colder because the temperature drops 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000-foot rise in elevation.The reason for this is that the air becomes thinner as elevation increases, making it harder to absorb and retain heat. Mountainous areas are also wetter than lower areas, because as clouds try to pass over mountains, they rise, to where the air is cooler. As the clouds become cooler, they cannot carry as much moisture, so it rains or snows. Hope, British Colombia, which is in the mountains, receives about 70 inches of rainfall per year, while Regina, Saskatchewan, in the prairies, receives about 15 inches.

Winds

• Prevailing winds, the direction from which the wind usually blows, can bring many different types of weather. Winds that commonly hit Britain are from the southwest and bring warm, moist air. They are responsible for Britain's heavy rainfall. Winds that hit California from Canada in the winter are cold and dry. The two main wind patterns affecting North America are the Easterlies, which bring cold weather down from the poles, and the Westerlies, which travel from the south bringing warm, moist winds.