Latitude
This imaginary line at 0° latitude receives the most direct sunlight year-round.
What is the Equator
As elevation increases, temperature generally does this.
What is decrease?
This is the side of a mountain that gets the most precipitation.
What is the windward side?
Warm ocean currents generally make nearby coastal climates (warmer/cooler).
What is warmer?
El Niño events cause waters in this ocean to warm.
What is the Pacific Ocean?
As latitude increases, average temperatures generally do this.
What is Decrease
Higher elevation areas tend to have thinner air, which holds less of this gas.
What is Water Vapor
Air rises, expands, and (cools/warms) on the windward side of a mountain.
What is cools?
This warm current flows along the U.S. East Coast, impacting the climate of places like New York.
What is the Gulf Stream?
During El Niño, the eastern Pacific near South America experiences (increased/decreased) rainfall.
What is increased?
This zone, located between 30° and 60° latitude, experiences distinct seasons.
What is the Temperate Zone
Even at the same latitude, a city at sea level is usually (warmer/colder) than a city at 3,000 meters.
What is warmer?
Mountains force air upward, which leads to this process that forms clouds and precipitation.
What is condensation?
Cold ocean currents are often found along the (east/west) coasts of continents.
What is west?
This type of precipitation event occurs when cold air moves over warmer lake water, common near the Great Lakes.
What is lake-effect snow?
Areas near this type of pole experience extremely cold climates year-round.
What are the North and South Poles?
This page of the ESRT shows the elevations of New York State's major landforms, including the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskills.
What is page 2 (Generalized Landscape Regions of New York State)?
This western U.S. mountain range is famous for causing a rain shadow that impacts the Great Basin.
What are the Sierra Nevada Mountains?
This process, caused by strong winds pushing surface waters away, brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface.
What is upwelling?
Lake-effect snow is most common in late fall and early winter when these two conditions are both present.
What is cold air and warm water?
Due to the curvature of the Earth, this happens to solar energy as you move from the equator to the poles.
What is it spreads out or becomes less concentrated?
This mountain range in South America drastically impacts the climate of nearby areas due to its extreme elevation.
What are the Andes Mountains?
When air rises over a mountain and cools, this page of the ESRT helps determine the dewpoint where clouds and precipitation form.
What is page 12 (Dewpoint Temperature chart)?
This page of the ESRT shows the movement of ocean currents, including the Gulf Stream, which warms the East Coast of the United States.
What is page 4 (Surface Ocean Currents Map)?
This page of the ESRT helps predict when lake effect snow might form by showing typical air masses moving over New York State.