November 13-19 is the National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week. This year’s theme is The Adventure in Your Community. Geography is all around us and varies from region to region in the United States. Did you know that geography and weather are very closely linked? Explore some of the connections below.
- Pacific Northwest: There are several volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest, including Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier and Mount Hood. Volcanic eruptions can impact local weather. Eruptions emit particles and gases into the atmosphere, creating a haze. This haze can remain in the air for years, reflecting the sun’s rays and reducing temperatures at the Earth’s surface.
- Western US: The Sierra Nevada Mountains that run north-south through California basically separate the Western United States into a wetter (west) side and a drier (east) side. Storms come off the Pacific Ocean from the west and get lifted up by the Sierra Nevada Mountains – a process called orographic lifting. As these storms rise, they cool and condense, raining a lot of water back onto the ground. But, as the storms continue to make their way over the top of the mountains to the east, they don’t dump as much rain because they have already lost a lot of moisture. This causes a rain shadow to form on the east side of the mountain range where there is a low amount of rainfall. The rain shadow from the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains impacts the weather in the Great Basin, which covers most of Nevada and parts of Utah.
Learn more about Geography Awareness Week. For more weather and environmental tips, visit Earth Gauge!
(Sources: National Science Teachers Association, “Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis“, “A Rain Shadow“, “Warm water helps create Great Lakes snowstorms.” University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 2008, US Department of State, “The Great Plains and Prairies“, Kidz World, “Dust Storms“, “Cold air damming can bring ice to East.”, “Warm water helps create Great Lakes snowstorms.” University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 2008., United States Search and Rescue Task Force, “Predicting Weather“)