An area's climate - or average weather conditions over a long period of time - is influenced by a number of factors. This song summarizes the main effects of five of these factors: latitude, elevation, ocean currents (like the Gulf Stream), global winds (like the Jet Stream), and proximity to water.
Lyrics:
5th grade, It’s time to rhyme it
These are the factors that affect the climate
(LATITUDE)
Look it up on a map but don’t give me attitude
Degrees to the North or South we call latitude
In the middle sun really beats down
That’s why it stays warm all year ‘round
As you move away, higher latitudes are colder
Climate zones: tropical, temperate, polar
So you know that the equator’s hot
But just ask the penguins: the poles are not!
(Equator’s hot, but the poles are not)
(Equator’s hot, but the poles are not)
(ELEVATION)
Elevation also affects the climate,
Which you’ll notice if you go to a big mountain and climb it.
Sea level’s zero, and as it gets greater,
It means you’re going up, like an elevator
Another word for elevation’s altitude
Like a guy named Al, who’s a really cool dude
And by cool I mean cold, ‘cause the higher you go
The more the temperature drops, and so you’re gonna get snow
(The higher you go, more cold, more snow)
(The higher you go, more cold, more snow)
(OCEAN CURRENTS)
The oceans are moving; we can trace the currents
As they cool things down or they bring heat like a furnace
Canada is cold, but across the sea it’s balmy
Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Ireland has palm trees
The water’s warm, so it warms up the air above it
Warm air holds more moisture, so the plants are gonna love it
This ocean current, it makes Europe a kind of paradise
I’m not saying it’s tropical, but the climate you’ll find there is nice
(Warm Gulf Stream makes Europe a dream)
(Warm Gulf Stream makes Europe a dream)
Three-fifths done, it’s fun to rhyme it,
Here’s two more factors that affect the climate
(GLOBAL WINDS)
High in the sky where the cold wind blows
Across North America the Jet Stream flows
Most weather moves from West to East
Because it’s blown right along by this hefty breeze.
But it’s not a straight line, and it moves around
And sometimes it carries really cold air down
Big storm? You can bet the Jet Stream’s behind it
Going over your head to influence the climate
(Jet Stream sweeps from West to East)
(Jet Stream sweeps from West to East)
(PROXIMITY TO WATER)
When the sun beats down, all the rocks get hot
But to heat up an ocean takes an awful lot
Temperature is moderated by a body of water, you got it?
It flattens out the pattern if you plot it
Climate on the coast stays relatively mild
But move inland, fluctuations get wild
Big lakes put on the brakes, slow down changes
But landlocked areas see very wide ranges
(Farther from the water, colder AND hotter)
(Farther from the water, colder AND hotter)
Play it on repeat, until you can rhyme it
Now you know some factors that affect the climate
