Why does relief affect climate

This means that the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico to Britain is also warm. However, the air is also quite moist as it travels over the Atlantic ocean. This is one reason why Britain often receives wet weather. The Gulf Stream keeps the west coast of Europe free from ice in the winter and, in the summer, warmer than other places of a similar latitude. Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas. Winds that blow to Britain from warm inland areas such as Africa will be warm and dry.

Winds that blow to Britain from inland areas such as central Europe will be cold and dry in winter. Britain's prevailing i. These winds are cool in the summer, mild in the winter and tend to bring wet weather.

Climate can be affected by mountains. Mountains receive more rainfall than low lying areas because as air is forced over the higher ground it cools, causing moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall. The higher the place is above sea level the colder it will be. This happens because as altitude increases, air becomes thinner and is less able to absorb and retain heat. That is why you may see snow on the top of mountains all year round.

The distance from the equator affects the climate of a place. At the poles, energy from the sun reaches the Earth's surface at lower angles and passes through a thicker layer of atmosphere than at the equator. This means the climate is cooler further from the Equator. The poles also experience the greatest difference between summer and winter day lengths: in the summer there is a period when the sun does not set at the poles; conversely the poles also experience a period of total darkness during winter.

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Why not share! Embed Size px. Start on. The rate at which temperature decreases with height is called the environmental lapse rate. The drop in temperature is due in part to the fact that atmospheric pressure decreases with height. Because of the lower pressure at high elevations, the air is thinner the molecules of air are farther apart.

This makes the air less capable of absorbing or retaining heat. The video below explains in more detail. Wind speed is affected by altitude. At higher elevations wind speeds tend to be considerably higher. The windward slopes of mountains the side facing the prevailing wind will generally experience higher wind speeds than nearby lowland areas. Ocean currents - Britain has a maritime climate.

A warm ocean current called the North Atlantic Drift keeps Britain warmer and wetter than places in continental Europe. Prevailing wind - The prevailing wind is the most frequent wind direction a location experiences.