Can you guess the characteristics of these air masses and their names?

Polar Maritime

Polar continental

Tropical continental

Tropical Maritime

Therefore, the sun’s rays are more concentrated in the South rather than the North of Britain.

1) How does the latitude affect Britain’s climate?

1) How does the latitude affect Britain’s climate?

• The suns rays nearer to the poles also have to pass through more of the atmosphere which contains more dust, smoke and other solid particles.

• Therefore more heat will be lost in the atmosphere nearer to the poles than over the equator.

2) Prevailing winds

• In the UK we are affected by the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic Drift.

• These bring warmer currents from the equator towards out western coastline.

• If they didn’t, our climate would be several degrees colder

Can you describe the path of the Gulf Stream?

2) Prevailing winds…

• The climate of the UK is very much affected by the winds that blow over it.

• Quick Quiz!– If the winds have been blowing over the sea

they are wet/warm/dry/cold?– If the winds have been blowing over land they

are wet/warm/dry/cold?– If the winds are coming from the south they

are wet/warm/dry/cold?– If the winds are coming from the North they

are wet/warm/dry/cold?

3) Distance from the sea• The sea is a liquid. Liquids take longer

to heat up and cool down than solids.• Continents, being solid, do not take

very long to warm up in the winter.• Summer: the sea feels colder than the

land, places near sea cooler than inland• Winter: the sea feels warmer than the

land, places near sea warmer than inland

So if you go to the seaside in summer in the UK, the water is likely to feel really cold!

4) Ocean Currents

• These images show how ocean currents can be warm or cold, and can affect temperatures around the world.

5) Relief (shape of the land)

• The higher up a mountain you go, the colder it gets.

• For every 100m climbed, the temperature falls by 0.5ºC.

• That is why snow stays on the top of mountains much longer than it does in the valley.

6) Aspect

• South facing slopes (in the northern hemisphere) are much warmer in the winter as the suns rays shine on them.

• The low angle of the sun means that the north facing slopes don’t get the sunshine.