​What are the main factors that affect climate?

The main factors that affect climate include latitude, which is one of them, and atmospheric circulation, the distribution of land and sea, and topography are also the main factors that affect climate. The movement of air on different scales is called atmospheric circulation. The higher the latitude, the lower the temperature. The different latitudes of different places are the reason for the different temperatures in different places. What are the main factors affecting the climate? Let’s take a look at it next.

1. The main factors affecting climate

Latitude, atmospheric circulation, distribution of land and sea, ocean currents and topography are the main factors affecting climate. The first two are global zonal factors, and the last three are non-zonal factors.

2. Latitude is the basic factor affecting climate

Because the earth is a very large sphere, the angle of sunlight is different in places with different latitudes. Some places receive direct sunlight, some places receive oblique sunlight, and some places do not receive sunlight all day or for several months. Therefore, the solar altitude angle in different places is different, the amount of solar heat received is different, and the temperature also varies greatly. Generally speaking, the lower the latitude, the higher the temperature; the higher the latitude, the lower the temperature. The different latitudes of various regions are the main reason for the different temperatures around the world.

3. Atmospheric circulation is the main factor in the formation of various climate types and weather changes

The movement of air on different scales within the atmosphere is collectively referred to as atmospheric circulation. It is an important way of transporting and exchanging heat, water vapor, etc. in the atmosphere. The manifestations of atmospheric circulation include planetary wind systems, monsoon circulation, sea and land breezes, valley winds, etc. When people usually talk about atmospheric circulation, they mainly refer to the planetary wind systems. The influence of atmospheric circulation on climate is very significant. In the equatorial low-pressure belt, rising air currents are strong, water vapor is easy to condense, and precipitation is abundant; in the subtropical high-pressure belt, sinking air is prevalent, water vapor is not easy to condense, and rain is scarce; in the trade wind belt, air flows from higher latitudes to lower latitudes, water vapor is not easy to condense, and rain is generally little. However, on the east coast of the continent, the trade winds blow from the sea, so there are more chances of precipitation; on the west coast of the continent, the trade winds blow from the inland, so there is less precipitation. In the area controlled by the westerly belt, on the west coast of the continent, the wind blows from the sea, and there is abundant water vapor and rich precipitation. The further inland you go, the less water vapor there is and the less precipitation there is. On the east coast of the continent, the westerly wind blows from the inland and there is less precipitation. Generally speaking, for rising air currents and air currents flowing from low latitudes to high latitudes, the temperature changes from high to low, water vapor is easy to condense, and there are more chances of precipitation; for sinking air currents and air currents flowing from high latitudes to low latitudes, the temperature changes from low to high, water vapor is not easy to condense, and there are fewer chances of precipitation. Therefore, under the control of different pressure belts and wind belts, there are significant differences in climate characteristics, especially changes in precipitation. In addition, the wind belts and pressure belts move with the seasons, forming various climate types.

4. The distribution of land and sea changes the zonal distribution of temperature and precipitation

Due to the different physical properties of the ocean and land, under strong sunlight, the ocean warms up slowly and the land warms up quickly; after the sunlight weakens, the ocean cools down slowly and the land cools down quickly. The amount of water vapor contained in the air on the ocean and land surfaces is also different. Generally speaking, in ocean or coastal areas, the daily and annual temperature changes are smaller, precipitation is relatively abundant, and the seasonal distribution of precipitation is relatively even, forming a marine climate. Therefore, areas at the same latitude and under the control of the same pressure belt or wind belt have different climatic characteristics due to their different locations on land and sea.

5. The undulation of terrain can destroy the zonality of climate distribution

Topography is a non-zonal factor, and different topography has different effects on climate. In the same latitude, the higher the terrain, the lower the temperature. Within a certain altitude range, precipitation increases with increasing altitude. Therefore, in the high mountains in the tropics, from the foothills to the top of the mountain, climate changes from the equator to the poles occur successively. In addition, tall mountains can block the flow of air, and there are obvious differences in temperature and precipitation between the windward and leeward slopes of the mountains.

Ocean currents also have a certain impact on the climate along the coasts of the continents they flow through. Ocean currents flowing from low latitudes to high latitudes contain a large amount of heat energy, which has the effect of warming and humidifying the coastal areas they pass through; ocean currents flowing from high latitudes to low latitudes have water temperatures lower than the surrounding sea surface, which has the effect of cooling and dehumidifying the coastal areas they pass through. Therefore, in terms of temperature, ocean currents can regulate the temperature difference between high and low latitudes. Under the influence of prevailing air currents, the temperatures on the east and west coasts of the continent at the same latitude are significantly different, thus destroying the latitudinal zonality of temperature.