How factors influence temperature and rainfall in selected places


In Unit 1 you learnt about the five factors that influence temperature and rainfall, namely: • latitude • distance from the sea • altitude • ocean currents • relief


We will now see how they affect the temperature and rainfall of the places on the map on page 54.


The effect of factors affecting temperature on places in South Africa


The factors affecting temperature all work together to affect the temperature of a place. To find the influence of any one factor, we need to consider places that are very similar in all ways except this one factor.


The effect of latitude When we compare the mean monthly temperatures for January (summer) and July (winter) of Musina and Mbombela, we can see how latitude can affect temperature. Find Musina and Mbombela on the map on page 54. You will see that they are a similar distance from the sea, and both are at an altitude of between 500 m and 1 000 m. But they are not at the same latitude – Musina is 3º north of Mbombela. This difference in latitude suggests that Musina will be warmer than Mbombela. Look at the table below, and compare their mean monthly temperatures for January and July.


Musina Mbombela


Mean monthly temperature (˚C) January 29 23


July 19 16


The table shows that Musina is 6 °C warmer in January and 3 ºC warmer in July than Mbombela. This difference in temperature is a result of the difference in latitude.


The effect of altitude Altitude has a very important effect on temperature. When snow falls in South Africa, it usually falls on the high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and on the mountains in the South Western Cape.


Part of the Drakensberg covered in snow. Unit 2 South Africa’s climate 55 New word


mean: the average of two or more quantities


Did you know?


The mean monthly temperature is found by calculating the average of the highest and lowest temperature of each day in the month, and then finding the average of these daily averages.


TERM 2


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