Ch 17.3 Temperature Controls

Objectives:

What is a temperature control?

Any factor that causes temperature to vary from time to time and place to place

• latitude
• heating of land and water
• altitude
• geographic position
• cloud cover
• ocean currents

Know graphs pages 489-492

How do the heating of land and water differ?

Water heats more slowly than land but also cools more slowly than land.  Water moderates the temperature.
Why do some clouds reflect a portion of sunlight back to space?

Albedo is the fraction of total radiation that is reflected by any surface

Many clouds have a high albedo, and therefore reflect a significant portion of sunlight that strikes them back to space.