Third Grade
Worksheets
Climate
Caption: Light blue (center)shows desert regions, darker blue around it shows grasslands, brown (at bottom) means temperate regions, darker purple (each side) shows subtropical climate regions, light purple (at top) shows tropical climate areas, and small area of turquoise blue at top right shows equatorial climate area.
Climate is the average weather in a place over a long time. Many things shape the climate of a place. One thing is latitude. Latitude is a measure of the distance from the equator. Higher latitudes are closer to the North or South Pole. There, the sun's rays are less direct than at the equator. The sun's energy is spread out over a larger area. There the land and ocean don't get as much of the sun's heat. The way the winds blow is another thing that shapes the climate. If the wind starts out over water, it carries more moisture. If winds begin over land, the air mass is drier. If the winds begin at high latitudes, the air masses are colder. Winds that start out in the tropics carry warmer air. Mountains affect the climate of a place. Rising air cools as it moves up a mountain. Rain falls. On the other side, .....
