Natural Factors that Influence Climate

Vocabulary terms and definitions regarding the natural factors that influence climate, including solar processes, orbital cycles, and geographic effects.

Weather

The day to day conditions of the atmosphere, describing the conditions of the air outdoors such as temperature, cloud cover, and rainfall.

Climate

The average weather of a region year after year (at least for a season); what you expect, whereas weather is what you get.

Fusion

A process in the Sun's core where hydrogen atoms come together to create helium atoms, providing the Sun with its energy.

Convection currents

The method by which energy is transferred from the core to the outside of the Sun.

Sunspots

Areas where the magnetic field is about $2,500$ times stronger than Earth's, creating cooler dark blotches on the Sun that occur in an $11$-year cycle.

Faculae

Areas that emit a high level of radiation, causing the overall total amount of energy emitted by the Sun to increase during periods of high sunspot activity.

Milankovitch Cycles

Changes in the Earth's eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession that affect Earth's climate by changing the amount of solar radiation received.

Eccentricity

A component of the Milankovitch Cycles referring to the shape of Earth’s orbit.

Axial tilt

The change of Earth’s tilt from $21.5$ to $24.5$ degrees.

Precession

The slow wobble as Earth spins on its axis.

Solstices

Ocur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is oriented directly towards or away from the Sun.

Winter Solstice

The shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring on December 21st.

Summer Solstice

The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (or June 21st) marking the beginning of summer.

Equinoxes

Meaning “equal night,” this is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, occurring on March 20th and September 23rd.

Prevailing winds

A term used to describe the direction wind blows at a particular location, named by the direction the wind is coming from.

Windward side

The side of a mountain range where air rises and cools, causing clouds to form and resulting in heavy precipitation.

Leeward side

The side of a mountain range where air sinks and is usually much drier and warmer than the other side.

Rain shadow

An area of dry land on the leeward side of a mountain range.

Latitude

The distance north or south of the equator; as this increases, temperature decreases.

Elevation

The height above sea level; higher levels result in a colder climate.

Specific heat

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a substance; water has a higher property of this than land.