Topic: Factors affecting the climate of Poland

Author: Magdalena Jankun

Target group

7th‑grade student of primary school

Core curriculum

IX. Poland’s natural environment in European perspective: Poland’s geographical location.

Student:

6) presents major factors affecting the climate of Poland.

Purpose of the lesson

Students discuss factors influencing the climate of Poland.

Conditions to be met to succeed

• to provide influence of particular climate‑forming factors on the climate of Poland;

• to describe air masses affecting the climate of Poland;

• to indicate relation of a particular weather type with an oncoming air mass;

• to read major barycentres forming the weather in Poland.

Key competences

• communication in native language;

• communication in non‑native language;

• mathematical competences;

• IT competences;

• ability to learn;

• social and civic competences.

Methods/forms of work

• Work with map and multimedia, talk on topic, a brainstorm method.

• Individual work and work with an entire class.

Teaching accessories

• an abstract;

• electronic coursebook;

• an interactive or traditional writing board;

• a multimedia projector;

• tablets/computers;

• a physical map of Europe;

• a map of Europe - climate zones;

• a map of Poland - climate;

• geographical atlases.

Stages of the lesson

Introduction

1. The teacher provides a topic and a purpose of the lesson as well as conditions to be met to succeed.

2. The teacher asks students which climate zone Poland is located in. Students give answers, using a map presenting climate zones of Europe (they indicate Poland’s location in medium latitudes (54°50’–49°00’) within warm climates of a temperate zone).

Realization

1. The teacher asks students to look at Poland’s location on the physical map of Europe
and explain how the fact that Poland lies in the Central European Lowlands belt.

2. The teacher explains that air masses, able to affect the weather,
may enter the territory of Poland. A direction of movement of such air mass is decided by distribution of atmospheric pressure and deployment of major barycentres - highs and lows.

3. The teacher asks students to draw, using an interactive board, high‑pressure and low‑pressure systems.

4. Using an interactive board, the teacher displays a graphic named “Air masses in Europe” (available at epodreczniki.pl).

He/she analyses it together with students. Points out that mountain barriers, such as the Alps, the Carpathians, and the Sudetes slows down movement of tropical air masses.

5. The teacher discusses the masses of air flowing to Poland. Explains the designations of individual air masses.

6. The teacher discusses the impact of individual air masses on the weather.

7. The teacher presents, in turn, two another interactive exercises:

• an exercise checking whether students memorised abbreviations related to the names of air masses;

• an exercise consisting in matching air masses with areas which they come from, and their influence on local weather.

The exercise is to be completed during the lesson by volunteers or students indicated by the teacher.

8. The teacher provides some insight on another factor affecting the climate of Poland: the distance from the Atlantic and influence of the warm North Atlantic Current.

9. The teacher describes the issue of influence of the compact land of Eurasia, being relatively close to our country, thus affecting its climate.

10. The teacher writes a question on a board: does the altitude affect the climate of Poland? Next, he/she shows climate charts for Wrocław, Hel and Zakopane. Using on of the charts as an example, he/she explains how to calculate average annual air temperature and annual precipitation amount. Students complete appropriate calculations based on the other charts. They compare results and answer the question on the board. The teacher points out to influence of the Baltic Sea on the climate of Poland.

11. The teacher asks some students to indicate, on a physical map of Poland:

• the largest swamp systems;

• regions with the lakes with the largest area;

• regions with large amount of forests.

Next, he explains how particular ground type affects the climate, with regard to humidity and temperature.

12. Students participate in a brainstorm related to the influence of human activities on local climate.The teacher comments on the students’ ideas and discusses causes and locations of urban heat islands.

Summary

1. Indicated students analyse, in front of the class, an infographic presenting some factors affecting the climate of Poland.

2. Students independently perform an interactive single‑choice exercise:
   “In the territory of Poland, the following climate prevails...”

3. The teacher evaluates efforts of students during the lesson, considering their commitment and individual abilities.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Factors shaping the climate of Poland

The prevailing transitional moderate warm climate climate is characterized by quite high variability of weather throughout the year. Winters can be both frosty and mild, and summers – hot or rainy. The reason for this is the location of Poland between the zones of influence of various climate‑creating factors. The following factors are the most important for our climate:

• location in medium latitudes (54°50'–49°00') – moderate zone, reached by a certain amount of heat;

• a relatively short distance from the Atlantic Ocean, which mitigates the climate, i.e. warms it in the winter, cools it in the summer; it also increases the amount of rainfall; in addition, the warm North Atlantic Current mitigates winters, especially in western Poland;

• relative proximity of the Eurasian compact mainland, which makes our climate harsher, i.e. it is frosty in the winter, hot in the summer; it also reduces the amount of rainfall;

• latitudinal system of geographical regions facilitating the movement of air masses along the west‑east direction (no terrain obstacles in the form of mountains).

Analyze the infographic below. It presents the factors that shape the weather in Poland. On the map marked examples of places where the factor is important.

The weather in a given place is shaped mainly by incoming air masses. Air reaches Poland from various directions and at different frequencies. The atmospheric pressure distribution and distribution of the main baric centers – high and low pressure zones. The air generally flows from highs to low. However, this is not a straight‑line movement. Various factors, including Earth's rotation and the resulting so‑called Coriolis force, make the air move almost parallel to the isobar, spinning around the baric centers. Interestingly, this whirling movement differs in the northern and in the southern hemisphere.

The inflow of certain air masses to Poland is mainly determined by two large, permanent baric centres – Azores High (the name comes from the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic) and Icelandic Low . Their location and size change throughout the year, which has a significant impact on the movements of the air masses.

If the Azores High is more developed and closer to Europe, it directs to us warmer air from the south‑west directions. Often the cloudless, so‑called high‑pressure, weather. On the other hand, if the Icelandic Low is deep and located above Northern Europe, it draws the cold and humid Atlantic air to us, which is usually accompanied by strong winds.

The mutual location of the Azores High and the Icelandic Low means that moist, polar marine air masses most frequently flow to Poland the from the Atlantic Ocean. In winter, they bring warming and snow or rainfall, and in the summer – cooling and rainfall. The dry polar continental air coming to us from the east bring frost in winter and heat and drought in the summer. Northern cold arctic air masses are particularly harsh in winter, when they bring a bitter frost. Rare warm masses of Tropic air from the south in summer bring strenuous heat, and thaw in the winter.

• Poland is in the zone of moderate climates, including warm transitional climate. This is determined by our location in middle latitudes and between the Atlantic Ocean and the compact land of Eurasia.

• The weather in Poland is most affected by the air masses reaching it.

• The movement of air masses results from the distribution of baric centers; The Azores High and Icelandic Low are of the greatest importance for Poland.

• Moving air masses affect air temperatures, precipitation, winds, storms, fogs and other weather phenomena.