GRADE 8

CLIMATE
REGIONS
TERM 2
atmosphere at a particular place over a
short period of time.
• CLIMATE: The weather pattern of a place
over a long enough period.
 DISTANCE
FROM THE
FACTORS
EQUATOR:
THAT
TEMPERATURE:
INFLUENC
E • The further away from the
equator a place is, the
TEMPERAT lower is the average
URE AND temperature.
• Places closer to the equator
RAINFALL: are warmer than places at
the polar regions.
• The Earth is tilted at an
90°
North
A
Diagonally
sunlight
Equator
0° Direct Su
sunlight
B n
90°
South
 Angle of sun rays are not
at a 90° angle.
Thicker atmosphere the
AT THE sun rays must pass
through therefore more
POLES: Bigger area that must
heat will be absorbed. be
warmed up.
Heat is less concentrated
because of bigger surface.
 AT THE
EQUATOR
Direct sunlight;
Less atmosphere to pass
through and therefore less
heat is absorbed;
Smaller area that must be
heated;
Heat is more concentrated
because of the smaller
surface.
SEASONAL
TEMPERAT
URE
DIFFERENC
E: revolves
Earth
around the
sun in 365
and one
quarter days.
Earth also
rotates around
its own axis in
24This
hours
causing day
movement
and night.
cause the
different
seasons –
Winter,
Summer,
• The hemisphere that
experience summer is
warmer because that
hemisphere receive direct
sunlight.
• The hemisphere that
experience winter is colder
because that hemisphere
is turned away from the
sun and doesn’t receive a
lot of sunlight.
• Equator is constantly
warm and the polar areas
constantly cold.
 PRECIPITATION:
• Places near the
Equator receive
more precipitation in
the form of rain;
• Condensation and
cloud formation
takes places due to
the rising of warm
air at the equator;
• Temperatures at the
poles are very low
2. DISTANCE FROM THE SEA:
a) TEMPERATURE:
• Places far from sea have hotter
summers and cooler winters than
places close to the sea;
• The sea helps to cool coastal
areas in summer and warm them
in winter;
• Sea heats up slower in the
summer and cools down slower
in the winter and therefore sea
temperatures are more constant.
b) Reasons why land surfaces are
warmer in the summer than sea
Land surface only need small amount of heat to
surfaces:
increase temperature with 1°C;
Water is translucent therefore the heat rays move
deep into the sea while on land it only heats up the
top layer of the surface;
Heat is spread in the sea with ocean currents;

Some of the heat on the ocean is used for

condensation rather than to heat up the surface.
 c)
PRECIPITATION:

• In the summer the land surface is

warmer than the ocean;
• Warm air on the surface of the land rise
and cause a lot of rainfall and
thunderstorms in the inland;
• During the winter the inland experience
dry cold conditions with no precipitation;
• The coastal areas however experience
rainfall due to the presence of cold fronts
from the West in the Atlantic ocean.
ALTITUDE/HEIGHT ABOVE SEA LEVEL:

TEMPERATURE:

The higher a place is the lower the

temperatures;

Temperature drop with 6.5°C for

every 1000 meter;
Incoming radiation move through the
atmosphere and only begin to heat
up when it reaches the land or sea
surface;
Once the surface is heated it
only then transfer heat to the
air above the surface;

Air is heated from below;

There are more air molecules

concentrated in the air close
to the Earth’s surface;
Air is thinner at high latitudes
with fewer air molecules to
absorb and transfer heat.
 OCEAN
CURRENTS:
A movement of surface
ocean water that is
caused by winds.
Places next to warm
oceans are warmer.

Places next to cold

oceans are colder.
Air blow from ocean to
land causing the land
temperature to be hot
TWO OCEAN CURRENTS
THAT AFFECT SOUTH
AFRICA’S TEMPERATURE:
• Warm Mozambique
current ( Eastern part of
SA/Durban) – ocean
current is warm
therefore climate will be
warm and moist. Warms
the land.
• Cold Benguela current
( Western part of SA/
Cape Town) – ocean
current is cold with dry
air therefore less rain.
Cools the land.
5. RELIEF (MOUNTAINS)
TEMPERATURE:
• Relief means that:
• Some places face the sun and
receive more sunlight;
• Some places face away from
the sun and receive less
sunlight with more shade;
• In South Africa the North- facing
slopes are warmer because a
smaller piece are heated.
Perpendicular sun rays are more
concentrated.
 PRECIPITATION:
• One side will have warm moist rising air where
condensation will take place and cause rainfall;
• The other side will have dry descending air with
no precipitation.
 What kind of plant grow
on your hand? — Palm

Activity 1 p. 81
tree

[1-2]
ELEMENTS OF WEATHER:
1. TEMPERATURE:
• Indicate how HOT or COLD
it is;
• Measured with a
thermometer in degrees
Celsius;
• Influence other elements
like precipitation, humidity,
clouds, atmospheric
pressure and wind;
• The lowest and highest
temperature are indicated
as the minimum and
maximum.
2.PRECIPITATION:
Different forms of
precipitation:
Rain: Precipitation
that reaches the
ground in liquid form.
Hail: A frozen
form of
precipitation
that falls as
ice pellets.
Snow: A frozen
form of
precipitation that
falls as tiny ice
crystals in the form
of snowflakes.
Dew: Drops of
water that
condense and
cools down when
air is saturated.
Frost: Small ice
crystals that collect
on surfaces when
air is below
freezing point.
3. HUMIDITY:
• Definition: The amount
of water vapour in the
air.
• Places with a high
humidity is hot and
sticky example, Durban.
• Warm air has more
space for water vapour
therefore it has a high
humidity.
• Cold air is dense
therefore less space for
water vapour therefore
it has a low humidity.
4.WINDS:
• Wind transfer heat from
the equator to the polar
region and from the
polar region to the
equator in order to main
a heat balance over the
Earth;
• Wind blows from where
the air pressure is high
to an area where it is
low.
CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE
WORLD:
TROPICAL
CLIMATE:
1. TROPICAL RAINFOREST:
• Located between 0° - 20° N
and S of the equator;
• The climate close to the
Equator is warm and wet;
• Temperature: Always warm
due to the Equator receiving a
high concentration of sunlight
throughout the year;
• Vegetation: Consist of dense
rainforests.
• Precipitation:
• The warm moist air rise
through convection and
cause thunderstorms
and heavy rain on a
daily basis.
• An annual rainfall of
more than 2000mm is
recorded;
• Rainfall throughout the
year.
2. TROPICAL
SAVANNA:
• Located between 5°
- 15° N and S of the
equator;
• Temperature: Above
18 °C every month
with temperatures
as high as 30°C in
the summer;
• Vegetation:
• Soil doesn’t have enough
water to maintain a dense
vegetation throughout the
year therefore in the
winter the grass is dry;
• In the summer the grass
is long and there is
dispersed shrubs and
trees.
 SEMI- DESERT
CLIMATE:
• Example of a semi-desert is the Kalahari
desert in South Africa;
• Temperature:
• Deserts near the equator are warm
during the day and moderate during
the night in the summer;
• Cold during the night;
• Dry winters days are warm and clear
skies while the nights are cold and with
frost;
• Precipitation: Low
rainfall between 250 –
500mm in this regions;
• Vegetation: Consist
of drought resistant
bushes with soil in
between them.
DESERT
CLIMATE:
• 10% of the Earth’s surface is
covered with deserts;
• The biggest deserts in the world
is the Sahara desert, Namib
desert, Central Australia desert
and the Atacama desert in Chili;
• Antarctica is the world’s largest
cold desert;
• Temperature: The average temperature is
always high. The dry air cause the days to be
very warm and nights very cold;
• Precipitation:
• Desert receive less than 250mm rain a year;
• Most of the rain evaporate at a high rate;
• The water infiltrate quickly into sandy soil;
• Droughts are common in these areas as it only rain
once in a while;
• Vegetation: Very little vegetation that is
sparsely spaced.
MEDITER
RANEAN • Climate in the areas around the

CLIMATE: Mediterranean sea;

• Temperature:
• Warm summers with cool wet winters ;
• Summer temperatures are above 20°C;
• Winter temperatures are between 10°C
and 15°C.
• Precipitation:
• Droughts in the summer
and rainfall in the winter;
• The yearly rainfall is
between 250 – 750 mm;
• Light snowfall can occur
on mountain tops;
• Rainfall due to the cold
fronts from the sea.
• Vegetation: Plants adapted to the
dry summers and has small, waxy
and hairy leaves. Some plants
store water in bulbous roots or
fleshy stems.
SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE:
• Similar to the Tropical savanna climate region;
• These region are further away from the equator
between 20° - 40° North and South on the East
coast of continents;
• Temperature:
• Only two season: Winter and Summer
• Summers are warm and humid with
temperatures between 22°C - 27°C;
• In the Winter the temperature is moderate to
cool;
• The winters in the Northern hemisphere is cold
due to the cold winds from the inland;
• Precipitation: Annual precipitation of more than 1000
mm throughout the year but mostly in the summer.
• Vegetation: Palm trees and shrubs are common in
these areas.
TUNDRA
CLIMATE:
• Regions between 60° and 75°
North and South;
• Temperature:
• Winters are almost 6 – 8 months
long with temperature below
freeing point of -20°C;
• Summers are short with
moderate climate.
• Precipitation: Most precipitation
occur as rain in the summer and as
snow (between 100 – 400 mm) in
the winter.
• Vegetation:
• This region is too cold for
trees;
• Low shrubs, grass, moss and
lichens;
• Lower soil is always frozen and
water cannot infiltrate;
• Marsh and vlei is common in
these areas.
POLAR
CLIMATE:
This region
experience six
The polar
region
months of experience low
Temperature:
darkness and insolation/low
six
The
months
annualof amount of
sunlight;
average sunlight;
temperature in
this region is - The ice remain
33,5°C. The frozen in the
lowest summer;
temperature
that was
Precipitation:
recorded was -
Deep layers of
65°C. No vegetation
snow.
in this area.
Experience a
lot of snowfall.
Activity 3 p. 99
[1-4]
Why is grass so dangerous? —
Because it’s full of blades
Formal
assessment
p.101 [1-6]