Grade 8 Term 2

Geography
Study Notes

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 Climate Regions

#1
Climate vs. Weather
• Climate is the average measures of temperature, wind,
humidity, snow and rain in a place over the course of a few
years.
• Climate is like the weather, but over a long time.
• Climate regions are large area that have similar
climate conditions.
• Climate is different to weather. Weather refers to
changes in the atmosphere that occur daily.
• The weather we experience today could be completely
different to the weather we experience tomorrow.
• Climate is a pattern of weather that occurs over a long
time such as years and centuries. For example, the
climate in an area could be dry and it rarely rains there.
• However, on days when it does rain, the weather is rainy for
the day. The climate doesn’t change. It’s still a dry climate.

Factors That Influence

Temperature and Rainfall
• There are many different factors that affect climate around the world.
• It is the varying influence of these factors that lead to different parts of the Earths
experiencing differing climates.

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The Following Five Factors Influence Temperature and Rainfall:

1. Distance from the equator

2. Distance from the equator (latitude)
3. Height above sea level
4. Ocean current and
5. Mountains (relief or topography)

#1
Distance From the Equator
(Latitude)
What is Latitude?

• One of the primary factors affecting the unequal heating of the Earth’s atmosphere is
latitude.
• Latitude is the measure of the distance of a location on Earth form the equator.
• The further away from the equator that a location resides, the less sunlight that this
location receives.
• Temperature decreases with the latitude. This means that the further away from the
equator a place is, lower than average temperature.
• Places which are close to the equator have higher temperatures than places close to the
poles.

Why Do Locations at High Latitudes Receive Less Sunlight?

• It all has to do with the shape of the Earth.

• The Earth is not positioned straight up in the space. Because the Earth is round, only the
front most part gets direct sunlight.
• The Earth is tilted on its axis. This means that certain area ‘lean’ toward or away from the
sun.
• The position of Earth during its yearly revolution around the sun affects how much
radiation certain areas receive from the sun.
• The tilt of Earth’s axis and the shape of earth means that during the winter seasons the
area close to the poles receive very few hours of sunlight. The lack of heat from the sun
keeps the temperatures low.

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• The poles also experience the greatest difference between summer and winter day
lengths.
• In summer there is a period when the sun does not set at all.
• Conversely the poles also experience a period of total darkness during winter.
• In contrast, day length varies a little at the equator.

Remember
Remember that the Summer
solstice is on December 21 and
the Winter solstice is on June 21.

#2
Distance From the Sea
• The sea affects the climate of an area.
• Coastal areas are cooler and water than inland areas.
• Inland is an area situated in the interior of a country rather than at the coast.
• Clouds form when warm air from inland areas meet cool air from the sea.
• In the summer, temperatures can be very hot and dry as moisture from the sea evaporates
before it reaches the centre of the land mass.
• Temperature and rainfall are influenced by how far a place is from the sea.
• Generally, places far from the sea have hotter summers and cooler winters than places
closer to the sea.
• Solids and liquids heat and cool differently.
• Solar radiation heats the land to a higher temperature than it heats water.
• Solar radiation only heats the surface layer of solids.
• However, solar can penetrate deep into water and heat water layers below the surface.
• This means a much greater volume of water is heated than just the surface.
• The temperature of the land and the oceans affects the air above these areas because the
air is either warmed or cooled by contact with the land or ocean beneath it.
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 • The temperate of the air is what measures and describes an area’s temperature.

Height Above Sea Level (Altitude)

• The higher a place is, the lower the temperature.

• Temperature decreases as altitude increases.
• The average drop in temperature is 6.5◦C for every 1 000 meters of altitude.
• Air is a mixture of gases, and at higher altitudes, air pressure decreases, which cools all
gases.
• Air pressure is created when gravity acts on air molecules in the atmosphere.
• Air pressure is not uniform worldwide; it can change over time. Desert regions typically
have lower air pressure than other areas because the hot desert air is less dense than
cool air.
• Radiation only begins to heat the land and oceans when it strikes the earth’s surface.
• Once the land and oceans are heated they can transfer heat to the air above, therefore air
is heated from below.
• Heat is not transferred evenly.
• There are more air molecules concentrated in the air close to earth’s surface.
• The gases in the air at this level absorbs heat and transfer heat easily.
• Air is thinner at higher altitude. This means there are fewer air molecules in each unit of
air.
• Heat transfer is less efficient, so temperature are cooler at higher altitudes.

#3
Ocean Currents
• According to the shape of Earth and the position of Earth in space, there is more solar
radiation in the area close to the equator are much warmer than the oceans closer to the
poles because the solar radiation is weaker and seasonal.
• Unlike land, water moves.
• Large masses of water are continually moving around the worlds as oceans currents.

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The Forces That Cause Water to Move Are:

1. Waves
2. Winds
3. Current
4. Ocean tides
5. Differences in the temperature of the water

• The temperature of oceans currents affects the temperature of places next to them.
• The air over cold currents is cooled by contact with cold water. Cooling causes the air to
lose its moisture as rain.
• Areas next to cold ocean currents tend to have cool, dry climates.
• Air over warm ocean currents is warmed by contact with the warm water.
• The air absorbs moisture from the oceans. When this air cools it releases the moisture as
rain. Places next to warm ocean currents often have warm temperature and high rainfall.
• You need to remember that none of the influences on temperature act in isolation.
• Other influences, such as latitude and altitude, also influence temperature and rainfall in
the area.

#4
Mountains (Relief or Topography)
• Climate can be affected by mountains.
• Mountains receive more rainfall than low lying areas because as air is forced over the
higher ground it cools, causing moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall.
• The higher the place is above sea level the colder it will be.
• This occurs because as altitude increases, air becomes thinner and is less able to absorb
and retain heat.
• That is why you might see snow on the top of mountains all year round.

The Effect of Relief on Temperature

• The mountains of the land means that some areas get more solar radiation than others.
• Some areas face the sun while other places face away from the hours of radiation during
the hottest times of the day will have higher temperatures.

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 • Mountains bring rain in some areas by forcing air to rise and release moisture content as
rain.
• Mountains can shelter and stop other places from getting rain.
• Areas on the sheltered side of the mountain are in the rain shadow areas.

South Africa’s Climate

• South Africa has a lovely temperate climate with lots of sunny, dry days.
• The main factors influencing conditions are altitude and surrounding oceans.
• Temperatures drop by about 6◦C for every 1 000m altitude.
• The east coast is on the Indian Ocean, which has a warm current.

#1
A Physical Map of South Africa
South Africa Has Different Physical Features Including:

• Plateaus
• Mountains
• Escarpments
• River valleys
• Coastal plains

• A physical map often focuses on physical features rather than human made features such
as roads and settlements.
• Physical maps uses different colours to indicate different landforms and elevation.

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 #2
Factors That Influence Temperature
and Rainfall in South Africa
These Include:

• Distance from the equator (latitude)

• Distance from the sea
• Altitude
• Ocean currents
• Mountains (relief)

Distance From the Equator (Latitude)

• The areas of South Africa that are closest to the Equator, experience higher temperatures.
That is because temperatures decrease with distance from the equator.
• Latitude also affects rainfall.
• In summer, winds from the North and East bring rain to much of South Africa.
• In winter the wind belts move north leaving the northern parts of the country without rain.
• The southern cape is the only part of South Africa that receives winter rain from the
westerly winds.
• The land heats up to a higher temperature than the sea in summer.
• The land cools to a lower temperature in winter.
• This means that the inland places that are far from the sea have more temperature
variations that the places near the sea.
• An example of this: Kimberly is about 700km from the nearest ocean. This means that
Kimberly experiences very high temperatures, sometimes as high as 40◦C in summer and
very love temperatures, sometimes below freezing in winter.
• It experiences extremes in summer and winter temperatures.
• Places that are located inland tend to have higher temperature ranges that places near the
sea.
• Durban gets its rain from winds that blow from the warm Indian Ocean.
• Kimberley is situated a long way from the winds that bring rain.

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Height Above Sea Level (Altitude)

• Temperature decreases with altitude.

The Influences of Ocean Currents

• Ocean currents influences the area adjacent to them.

• The warm Agulhas current flows southwards down the east coast of southern Africa.
• The Agulhas currents brings warm water from the equatorial areas of the Indian Ocean.
• The warm water warms the air above it.
• Winds that blow over the warm Agulhas current absorbs moisture.
• Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air.
• In Durban, there is high temperature in summer and winter and high rainfall are partly
explained by the presence of warm moist air that has blown over the Agulhas current.
• The cold Benguela Current is found on the west coast.
• It causes cold air above the ocean which holds very little moisture.
• The cold Benguela current brings cold water from the Southern Ocean to the west coast of
southern Africa.
• When the air is cooled it releases rain.
• The cooling effect of the Benguela current lowers the temperature of places on the west
coast.
• Rain that may have fallen on the west coast falls over the sea.
• Cooling of the air also causes fog.
• Port Nolloth experiences fogs for over a quarter of the year.
• Oceans moderate temperature along the coast, causing summers to be less hot and
winters less cold than in the interior.
• Ukahlamba-Drakensberg form a high mountain barrier along a large part of the eastern
part of the country.
• These mountains bring rain to the eastern parts of the country and prevent rain from
passing westwards.
• This is one of the reasons why the western parts of South Africa are much drier than the
eastern parts.
• Rain shadow areas are sheltered by mountains and have low rainfall.

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 Climates Around the World

#1
The Elements of Weather
The Following are Elements of Weather:

• Precipitation
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Wind

The elements of weather affect people in term of the types of activities you will find in the area.

Types of Climate

There are 10 Types of Climate Namely:

1. Tropical
2. Subtropical
3. Temperate
4. Desert
5. Semi-desert
6. Continental
7. Polar
8. Mediterranean
9. Tundra
10. High mountain (alpine)

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 #1
Tropical Climate
• Tropical climates are found 25 degrees north and 25 degrees south of the equator.
• Tropical climates cover the area between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer
and tend to be warm wet.
• There is abundant rainfall and thunderstorms can happen regularly.
• The primary regions with a tropical climate are the Amazon Basin in West Africa and
Indonesia.

#2
Sub-Tropical Climate
• A subtropical is characterised by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters.
• It normally lies on the southeast side of all continents, generally between latitudes 25◦ and
40◦.
• The regions are far from the equator.
• They tend to be located as coastal or near coastal locations.
• The coast of KwaZulu-Natal has a subtropical climate.

#3
Temperate Climate
• Temperate climates have consistent temperatures and precipitation. There are no
extremes.
• The changes between summer and winter are generally not extreme.
• The yearly temperature variance is about 10◦C. The total yearly rainfall is about 1400 mm.

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 #4
Desert Climate
• Deserts areas where the rainfall is too low to sustain vegetation except for plants like cacti.
• The rainfall in desert areas is less than 250 mm per year and some years might
experience no rainfall at all.

Characteristics of a Desert
o Among the driest places on earth
o Annual temperature of 20-24◦C
o Low relative humidity
o Irregular and unreliable rainfall
o Highest percentage of sunshine of any climate
o Large temperature range
o Highest daytime temperature of any climate

#5
Semi-Desert Climate
• Semi-desert areas receive rain yearly between 250-500 mm
• Usually on the borders of hot deserts
• Semi-Desert areas include the Steppes of southern Russia and central Asia
• The Kalahari region is also a semi-desert
• There is a high temperature range between day and night.

#6
Continental Climate
• Regions that experience continental climates experience hot summers and cold winters.
• This is because they are inland and do not have the moderating influences of the oceans.
• Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail and other weather phenomena occur here.
• There are not areas of continental climate in the southern Hemisphere because there are
no large continents between there latitudes.

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 • Continental climates are relatively dry.
• Regions of the Earth that have continental climates include Siberia, central Russia and
much of North America.

#7
Polar Climate
• The Polar regions are covered by snow and ice throughout the year.
• In these regions of the world, the temperature rarely rises above freezing.
• The lowest temperature ever recorded occurred in Antarctica it was -88◦C.

The North Pole Region Includes:

o The ice-covered Artic Ocean

o The Greenland continent
o Northern Canada
o Northern Siberia

In the Southern Hemisphere, the vast mountainous continent of Antarctic is covered by snow
and compacted ice several kilometres thick.

#8
Mediterranean Climate
• The Mediterranean climate describes a pattern of hot summer drought and winter rain in
the mid-latitudes.
• This climate occurs most noticeably in the regions around the Mediterranean Sea, from
where the climate gets its name, but also in coastal areas of California, South Africa and
southern parts of Australia.
• During winter, the high-pressure belts drift back towards the equator, and the weather
becomes more dominated by the rain-bearing low-pressure depressions. An example of
this is Cape Town in winter.
• While usually mild, such areas can experience cold snaps when exposed to the icy winds
of the large continental interiors, where temperatures can drop to -40◦C in the extreme
continental climates.

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 #9
Tundra Climate
• The tundra climate is very cold, and these harsh conditions make it difficult for plants and
animals to service.
• Around 20% of the Earth’s land surface is covered with tundra.
• The average winter temperature is -34◦C and the average summer temperature is 3-12◦C.

#10
High Mountain (Alpine) Climate
• High mountain areas have similar climate as tundra and polar climates.
• These are also called Alpine climates.
• Temperatures are low because of the high altitudes.

Temperature and
Rainfall Characteristics
of Different Climates

#1
Bar and Line Graphs
– Climate Graphs
• Climate graphs are used to illustrate the average temperature and rainfall experienced at a
particular place over the course of the year.
• Governments arounds the world collect climate data. This makes it possible to compare
the climate of different places.
• In South Africa, the data is collected by the South African Weather service.

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 #2
Temperature and Rainfall
of Different Climates
Tropical Climate

• High temperature
• High rainfall
• The average rainfall is 2000 mm yearly and average temperature is 25◦C.

Sub-Tropical Climate

• In summer the average temperature is above 20◦C.

• In winter the average temperature is around 15◦C.
• Annual precipitation is over 1000 mm.

Temperate Climate

• Have mild summers and cool winters.

• The average temperature is 10◦C yearly.
• The average rainfall is about 1400 mm yearly.

Desert Climate

• Receives less than 250 mm a year.

• Hot deserts have high temperature during the day and low temperature at night.

Semi-Desert Climate

• Semi-desert receive rain between 250 -500 mm yearly.

• The temperature range between day and night is high.

Continental Climate

• Receive rain between 500-1250 mm a year.

• In summer temperature can rise to 20◦C for three to four months.
• In winter the temperature can be below 0◦C for six months.

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Polar Climate

• No month has an average temperature above freezing.

• Low precipitation (snow)

Tundra and Mountain Climate

• In summer, the average temperature is between 20◦C and 12◦C.

• The precipitation is between 100-400 mm per year.

Mediterranean Climate

• In summer the average temperature is above 20◦C.

• In winter the average temperature is between 10-15◦C.
• The rainfall is between 400-600mm a year.

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