bay area environment paper

Today's Agenda  Lecture: Bay Area Climate &

Microclimates  Lecture Quiz 2 and Microclimates Lab

Bay Area Climate & Microclimates

Bay Area/CA Climate  Spatiotemporal

Variability  Space  Time

The Jet Stream Brings Storms to Northern California

Why do we (usually) have wet winters and dry summers?  Ocean currents and winds create

permanent high pressure region.  Pacific high slides south in winter,

north in summer.  Low pressure region generates

winter storms.

Why Does It Rain?

Cold Fronts  Cold air pushes into warm air  Warm moist air rises and cools…  Water vapor condenses into drops  Drops grow big enough to fall

Warm air can hold more water vapor

Orographic Lifting (Effect) Warm moist air forced to rise and cool

Orographic Precipitation

Green is low elevation. Brown is high elevation.

Orographic Effect? Topography

Rain Shadow

San Francisco Microclimates

San Francisco Microclimates  Orographic Effect  Rain Shadow  Fog  Urban Heat Island

Fog  Predominate source of water

during summer months.  Warm, moist air is blown

across a cooler surface (land or water), causing water vapor to condense and form fog.

 Pacific Ocean prevailing currents.

Courtesy of Bay Nature

Urban Heat Island Effect

Trees & Urban Heat Islands

Homework  Lecture Quiz #2  Microclimates Lab

 Due Monday before class

Microclimates Lab  Generate 3 hypotheses as to why air

temperatures are different around the Bay Area.

 Gather air temp data from 3 locations in Bay Area  Choose different landuse areas; urban, forest,

beach, grass, etc.

 Analyze your data and compare to your hypotheses

 Generate conclusions  Follow the format detailed in the assignment

sheet (sections I – VI).

Have a great week!