Weather and Climate in Canada

October 2nd, 2019

Big Ideas

•How are climate and weather in Canada influenced by geography?

•How do weather and climate affect the lives of Canadians?

Weather and Climate

• Weather refers to the condition of the atmosphere over a short period of time

• Climate refers to the condition of the atmosphere over a long period of time

• Weather can change quickly, climate changes slowly

• Meteorologists vs. Climatologists

Atmospheric Conditions

• How do we describe weather?

• Precipitation - rain, snow, sleet, hail or a mixture

• Wind – hot air rises, cool air rushes in to replace it

• Clouds – condensed water vapour

• Fog – Clouds on the surface of the earth

• Extreme Weather:• Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tornados, Electrical Storms

Factors affecting weather & climate

1. Latitude

2. Elevation

3. Winds and Air Masses

4. Proximity to large bodies of water

5. Ocean Currents

6. Physical Features: Barriers & Throughways

Weather & Climate (cont’d)

Consider the location of these cities/towns

• What might the weather and climate by like there?

• What factor’s might affect the weather/climate?

• Tuktoyaktuk

• Alert

• Windsor

• Haida Gwaii

• Kelowna

Factors affecting weather & climate

1. Latitude

2. Elevation

3. Winds and Air Masses

4. Proximity to large bodies of water

5. Ocean Currents

6. Physical Features: Barriers & Throughways

Understanding Weather & Climate

October 17th, 2019

Factors Affecting Weather & Climate

1. Latitude

2. Elevation

3. Winds and Air Masses

4. Proximity to large bodies of water

5. Ocean Currents

6. Physical Features: Barriers & Throughways

Ocean Currents

Air Masses

• Continental (c) – dry

• Maritime (m) – wet

• Arctic (A) – very cold

• Polar (P) – cold

• Tropical (T) - warm

Canadian Weather & Climate

• What factors would affect the weather/climate in the following places?

• Halifax, Nova Scotia

• Tofino, British Columbia

• Grand Prairie, Alberta

• Lethbridge, Alberta

• Torngatt Mountains National Park, Quebec

• Winnipeg, Manitoba

• Tuktoyaktuk, NWT

Three Types of Precipitation

• Relief Precipitation – caused by winds carrying air up over a mountain barrier

• Convectional Precipitation – caused by the sun heating the earth’s surface and the hot surface heating air above it

• Frontal Precipitation – caused by moving masses of warm and cold air

Climate & Culture

•We know that geography affects climate, how does climate affect culture?

Temperate West Coast

Vancouver• Largest city in BC

• 631,486 people in the city

• 2,463,431 in Greater Vancouver Area

• Consistently ranked in the top 5 best cities to live in in the world

• Why?

Vancouver and surrounding areas(Temperate West Coast)

The Arctic

Arctic Bay, Iqaluit• Latitude - 73N

• Continually inhabited for over 5000 years

• Population - 868

High C Low C

January -26 -32

February -27 -33

March -24 -30

April -17 -23

May -8 -13

June 2 -3

July 8 3

August 4 -1

September -4 -8

October -13 -18

November -20 -25

December -24 -30

Year -13 -18

The Arctic

• Canada’s northernmost regions are characterized by such extreme cold that simply staying alive is the ultimate challenge.

• Reliance on nature essential for survival

• Very sparsely populated, people drawn there for unique reasons

• Celebrated in famous literary works • Robert Service poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee”

• Jack London short story To Build a Fire.

Life in Canadian Climates

October 15th, 2018

Canadian Climates Project

• Choose a city/town for each climate zone

• Find the monthly average high & low for that city/town

• Select one of the cities or towns and report upon a particular cultural tradition that is related to climate. • For example:

• Totem Poles in the Temperate West Coast

• Frozen Toe Cocktail in the Arctic

High C Low C

January -26 -32

February -27 -33

March -24 -30

April -17 -23

May -8 -13

June 2 -3

July 8 3

August 4 -1

September -4 -8

October -13 -18

November -20 -25

December -24 -30

Year -13 -18

October 18th, 2018

Natural Vegetation & Wildlife

Canadian Ecosystems

• Plant (flora) and animal (fauna) life in Canada has developed in the context of our weather and climate

• Recreate “Natural Vegetation Regions of Canada” map

• Note that lines between regions represent transition zones

Tundra• Place of limited vegetation and cold,

dry climate found in the artic region

• A thin layer of soil above the Permafrost (permanently frozen soil) warms up just enough for mosses, lichens, low bushes and arctic grasses to grow.

• Above the tree line, which separates this region from the boreal forest. Very few trees can grow above this line

• Home to arctic fox, caribou, muskox and a variety of non-migratory and migratory birds.

Boreal Forest

• Largest vegetation zone in Canada

• Follows mostly the same borders as the subarctic climate region

• Dense forest, mainly coniferous

• Very large and diverse animal populations• Bear, Deer, Moose, Beaver and more

Mixed Forest• A large vegetation zone between the boreal forest and the small

deciduous forest of Southern Ontario• A large variety of trees both coniferous and deciduous; • In New Brunswick we have the Acadian Forest, one of the most diverse

types of forest in the world• Also home to a the greatest variety of species and largest numbers of

them.• Logging operations are very prevalent in this region and threaten

biodiversity of the forest

Grasslands

• Found in the semi-arid prairie

• Tall grass grows abundantly due to excellent soil and climate conditions

• Almost no trees, little cover for large animals

• Small deer and antelope are common

• Bison used to roam the prairie in the millions, slaughtered to the brink of extinction

• Gophers are the most common critter

Mountain

• Varied elevations result in varied vegetation in the mountains

• Fauna include goats, sheep, bears and cougars

West Coast Forest

• Warm temperatures and high precipitation allow the growth of temperate rainforest

• Tree Species include Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar

• Fauna similar to mountain region

Jasper National

Park

Fryatt Valley

Jasper National Park - Alberta

• Situated astride• Mountain & Subarctic Climate Zones

• Mountain & Boreal Ecozones

• Landforms• Mountains

• Canyons

• Glaciers

• Rivers/Waterfalls

• Lakes

• Enormous biodiversity

Moose: A Year in the Life of a Twig Eater

Make Lists1. What other animal life in Jasper National Park is depicted in the film

2. What are the biggest threats to the moose’s survival?

3. What do the moose require to survive?

Parks Canada AssignmentResearch and report upon a National Park in Canada.Include the following in your report• A map• Brief overview of when/why/how the park was established• Discussion of how the park relates to:

• Landform region• Climate Region• Vegetation Region

• Charts showing:• Average highs and lows in temperature for each month• Average precipitation for each month

• Graphs based on those charts• Discussion of influences on weather/climate in that park• Description of flora & fauna found in the park• What attracts visitors to the park• Something else you found interesting

Temperature Graph

White Pine

Oak

Tamarack

Trees

• Deciduous – “falling off at maturity”

• Coniferous – “cone bearing”

• Hardwood – wood from a deciduous tree

• Softwood – Wood from a conifer

• Angiosperm – flowering plants (deciduous)

• Gymnosperm – seed bearing plants (conifers)

What’s the different between trees and a forest?