USING CLIMOGRAPHS

INTRODUCTION:

Every location on earth has characteristics that distinguish it from all other places. Geographers describe a place in terms of physical and human or cultural characteristics. Climate is an essential part of a place's physical characteristics; it can influence many of the rest of a place's traits, such as vegetation, wildlife, cultural landscapes, and lifestyles.

One of the best and easiest ways to describe a place's climate is to use a "climograph". Although a climograph does not provide complete climate information, it does portray two of the most important elements of climate- precipitation and temperature. Many characteristics of a place can be inferred by interpreting the climograph.

OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to:

• Define geographic terms relating to climate.
• Describe an essential physical feature of a place by plotting a climograph of it.
• Make inferences about a place based on interpreting data on a climograph.

TIME REQUIRED: 1-2 class periods

MATERIALS AND PREPARATION: Make copies of Handouts 9-1, 9-2, and 9-3 for all students; you may also want to make a transparency of Handout 9-2 for projection. Students will need colored pencils.

Handout 9-1

Average Precipitation (in inches)
Jan    Feb    Mar   Apr   May   Jun   Jul   Aug   Sep   Oct   Nov   Dec
3.5    3.8    3.6   3.2   3.9   4.0   2.9   3.4   3.4   3.5   3.0   3.6

Average Temperature (Fahrenheit)
Jan    Feb    Mar   Apr   May   Jun   Jul   Aug   Sep   Oct   Nov   Dec
 29     31     38    47    58    68    74    72    65    54    47    33

Handout 9-2: blank climograph

PROCEDURE:

• Discuss with students the difference between climate and weather. Write definitions on the chalkboard:
  • weather- day to day atmospheric conditions (precipitation and temperature) in a particular place for a short period of time.
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  • climate- average of precipitation and temperature patterns over a long period of time (usually 111 years of data are used by the U.S. Weather Bureau to establish normal patterns.)
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  • precipitation- moisture in form of rain, snow, or sleet.
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  • temperature- measure of heat and cold.
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  • climograph- a chart that shows a place's yearly climate patterns.
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• Give each student Handouts 9-1 and 9-2. Go over the data on precipitation and temperature with the students. You should tell students that an "average monthly temperature" would be an average of all the high and low temperatures for a month.
   
• Plot the information. Show the monthly precipitation data as a bar graph using the inches scale on the left of the climograph. Show the temperature data as a line graph using the Fahrenheit scale on the right. For clarity, you can have students use one colored pencil to plot precipitation and another colored pencil to plot temperature.
   
• After students have completed making the climograph of Boston (see below), have them complete the exercise, Analyzing a Climograph.

Completed climograph image

Handout 9-3: ANALYZING A CLIMOGRAPH

• Use the information on the climograph of Boston you have just made to answer the following questions:
   
• What two months in Boston average below freezing temperatures? In which months might the precipitation come in the form of snow?What is the warmest month in Boston?
   
• What is the difference in degrees between the coldest and warmest months?
  
• Does Boston have a "dry season"? Why or why not?
  
• Which business would you rather own in Boston, air conditioning or heating?
  
• When would most crops be planted? Why?
   
• Would grapefruits and oranges be grown? Why or why not?
   
• Would you expect to find a seasonal change of clothing? What kinds of different clothing might be needed?
   
• Would you expect to find skiing near Boston? Ice skating?
   
• Would you play hockey indoors or out?
   
• Would it be common to find outdoor swimming pools? Why?
   
• How might houses in this area be built? Would roofs be flat or pitched? Why?
   
• Looking at the climograph, how can you tell Boston is located in the Northern Hemispere?
   
• Add all of the months' average precipitation. What would be Boston's average yearly rainfall in inches? What is its average monthly rainfall?
   
• Make up a question of your own based on the climograph.

This climograph exercise was contributed by the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance