Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Chapter 2: Changing Patterns of Climate

Weather
● Weather describes the _______________________ conditions of the air in a
particular ________________on a particular ________________.
○ When you look out the window, what do you see?
● Weather can be described in terms of:
○ _______________________
○ Precipitation
○ _______________________
Climate
● Climate describes the _________________ _________________of an area over
a _______________ period of time.
○ What comes to mind when I say Jamaica? What comes to mind when I
say Alaska?

Climate change
● Climate change is a change in _____________________
____________________ ______________________.
○ Can be caused by _________________ ______________ or
______________ ____________________.
○ It involves changes in temperature, ____________________, or wind
patterns
● __________________ ____________________ is the increase in
__________________ global temperature.

How does climate change affect us?

● ________________________
● Rising _________ ___________________
● Increase in ___________________ ____________________
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Climate Regions

What are climate regions?

● Climate regions are areas of the Earth that have similar __________________

______________________.

○ _____________________________

○ _____________________________

○ _____________________________

Climate graphs

● Climate graphs combine line graphs and bar graphs to show average monthly

temperature and average monthly precipitation

● The line graph shows the average monthly ____________________________.

● The bar graph shows the average monthly ____________________________.

What are the 9 climate regions?

● ___________________________: hot with rain all year.

● ___________________________: hot with dry season.

● ___________________________: warm and dry.

● ___________________________: hot and very dry.

● ___________________________: warm and wet

● ___________________________: dry with cold winters.

● ___________________________: very cold winters.

● ___________________________: very cold and dry.

● ___________________________: the altitude affects the climate.

Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Creating a Climate Graph Assignment

A climate graph is a type of graph that allows you to see the patterns and trends
between the average temperature and precipitation of an area. Your task is to create a
climate graph of the average temperature and precipitation of Ottawa.

Part 1- Gathering the information

Gather the information to create your graph. To do this:

1. Type in “Weather Network Canada” into Google and click on the first link that
comes up. Scroll down the page and click ​Ottawa, ON​.
2. Click the ​Menu ​tab on the top left of the page. Click on ​Forecast and Reports​,
then on ​Statistics​.
3. Using the information, fill out the chart below. Make sure you are looking at just
the ​average​ temperature (not average high or low) and the ​average
precipitation​ (not rainfall or snowfall).

Month Average Temperature Average Precipitation

(Celsius) (millimeters)

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Part 2- Constructing the graph

1. On graph paper, using a ruler, draw one x-axis (horizontal line) and 2 y-axes
(vertical lines) on each side of your x-axis. Make sure you have an even amount
of space for each month.

2. Label your x-axis with the first letter of each month from January to December.
Label the x-axis with Month, the left y-axis with Temperature (℃) and the right
y-axis with Precipitation (mm).
3. Following the image above, place a scale on both y-axes to represent the
minimum and maximum amount for each month.
4. Using a ruler, construct the bars for each month’s average precipitation. Colour
the bars in blue.
5. Plot the points for the average monthly temperature in the middle of each
month’s column. Using a ruler, connect each point with a line. Use red for your
line graph.
6. Label your graph with an appropriate title, i.e. Climate Graph of Ottawa, ON.
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Part 3- Reading the graph

Based on the graph you have constructed, answer the following questions.

1. What are the coldest and warmest months of the year?

2. What month has the most precipitation? Is it rain or snow? How do you know?

3. Explain any trends or patterns you see between precipitation and temperature.
(At least two).

4. Looking at the graph, what climate region does Ottawa most likely belong to?
Justify your answer.
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Climate graph checklist

Your graph should have:

❏ An appropriate title.
❏ A properly labeled x-axis.
❏ 2 properly labeled y-axes. This includes temperature on the left, precipitation on
the right, and a scale for each axis.
❏ Precipitation bars in blue.
❏ Temperature plotted in the middle of each month and in red.
*Remember to create your climate graph on graph paper and to use a ruler. Submit
your assignment with this rubric, your graph, and your completed questions sheet
stapled together (in that order).

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Criteria Several Some criteria A few criteria No criteria are

(Appropriate title criteria are are missing. are missing. missing.
present, correctly missing.
labeled axes,
correctly coloured
bar and line graph,
graph paper used.)

Visual presentation The graph is The graph is The graph is The graph is
(Is the graph neat? not very neat. somewhat mostly neat. very neat.
Was a ruler used? neat.
Is there proper and
consistent spacing
used for the bar
graph and scale?)

Communication Does not Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates

demonstrate little some understanding
understanding understanding understanding of how to read
of how to read of how to read of how to read and interpret
and interpret and interpret and interpret their climate
their climate their climate their climate graph.
graph. graph. graph.

Due Date: April 12th, 2018

Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Part 3- Reading the graph (modified)

Based on the graph you have constructed, answer the following questions.

1. What is the coldest month of the year?

2. What is the warmest month of the year?

3. What month has the most precipitation? Is it rain or snow? How do you know?
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

40 450

30 400

20 350

10 300

0 250

-10 200

-20 150

-30 100

-40 50

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Factors that Affect Climate

What is a climate factor?

A climate factor is a natural condition that affects the _________________

_________________________of a place.

● Global climate factors affect _____________________________ of the Earth.

● Local climate factors affect _____________________________ of the Earth.

Global climate factors

1. Winds and air masses

○ Winds are ____________________________________ along the surface

of the Earth.

i. Winds that blow commonly in one area are called

___________________________.

ii. Winds that blow towards the equator are called

___________________________.

○ Air masses are large amounts of air that have similar

_________________________ and _____________________ conditions.

2. Latitude

○ Latitude describes how far __________ or _________ a place is from the

equator.

3. Oceans currents

○ Ocean currents are ______________________________ within an

ocean.
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

i. They either _____________ or ___________ the climates of

nearby land areas.

Local climate factors

1. Elevation

○ The ___________________ the elevation, the ___________________ the

temperature.

○ The ___________________ the elevation, the ___________________ the

temperature.

2. Relief

○ The difference in _________________ between the

_______________________ and the _______________________ in an

area.

○ Mountains have ___________________________ and plains have

__________________________.

○ Relief impacts ________________________________.

3. Bodies of water

○ Bodies of water affect the __________________________ and

__________________________________________ in nearby land.

Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

What Causes Climate Change?

The greenhouse effect

____________________________________ are gases that _____________________
energy from the sun.
● Some examples of greenhouse gases are ________________,
________________, and ________________.
Fossil fuels
The widespread use of ____________________________ has contributed to an
___________________ of greenhouse gases.
● Some examples of fossil fuels are ___________________,
___________________, ___________________.
Human actions
1. ________________________________: we ____________ fossil fuels to
produce electricity.
2. ________________________________: cars, trains, ships, and planes are all
__________________by fossil fuels, such as gasoline and diesel.
3. ________________________________: many industries, such as the steel
industry, use fossil fuels to produce _______________ for making products.
4. ________________________________: fossil fuels are burned for __________.
Some of the chemicals we use in our homes, such as the coolants in
refrigerators, also give off ___________________________.
5. ________________________________: greenhouse gases are produced in
_________________________________ of animals and released into the air.
○ ________________________________ from
___________________________ also release greenhouse gases.
6. ________________________________: ________________________ and
________________________ wastes release greenhouse gases as they
decompose.
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

What’s my Carbon Footprint?

What is your carbon footprint? Answer the questions below to find out! Circle only one
answer for each questions.

1. How do you get to school?

a. Walk
b. Bike
c. Car
d. Bus
e. Carpool ____
2. How often do you eat out?
a. Once every couple weeks
b. Once a week
c. A few times a week
d. Almost everyday
e. Almost never ____
3. Do you turn off the lights when you leave a room?
a. Yes
b. No ____
4. Do you unplug appliances/ charges when not in use?
a. Yes
b. No ____
5. How do you dry clothes?
a. Hang dry
b. Dryer
c. Both ____
6. Do you turn off the water when brushing your teeth?
a. Yes
b. No ____
7. Do you recycle?
a. Yes
b. No ____
8. Have you ever planted a tree?
a. Yes
b. No ____

Total: /18
Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

This number is your “carbon footprint”. The lower the number, the fewer greenhouse
gases you contribute to the environment.
Review your choices in the survey. ​What changes can you make in your life to
reduce your carbon footprint? ​Try to make some of these changes in the next week.
Use the space below to brainstorm.

Things I will turn off/ unplug:

How I will get to school:

What I will recycle:

Other things I can do:

Name: ________________________________ Date: __________________

Taking Action Against Climate Change

There are two main ways we can deal with climate change:

Mitigation
Mitigation is action taken to _____________________ the consequences of the
problem.
● To mitigate climate change, we must reduce the amount of
___________________________________ we produce.

Some ways people can mitigate climate change are:

Adaptation

Adaptation is a change made to deal with a new situation

● This means adjusting ourselves to the _____________________ of climate

change.

Some ways that people can adapt to climate change are: