Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. March and I'm here today to teach you all about the climate of China.

So grab everything that you need for today's lesson and let's get going.

So by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to use climate graphs to investigate what China's climate is like and how it varies from place to place.

There are five keywords for today's lesson, and those are climate, temperature, monsoon, latitude, and altitude.

Climate refers to an average of weather conditions.

For example, rain, sun, and wind, in a place taken over a long period of time, usually 30 years or more.

Temperature refers to the degree of hotness or coldness of a place.

Monsoon refers to a seasonal change in wind direction that brings either a very rainy season or a very dry season.

Latitude refers to imaginary lines on earth showing position north or south of the equator, and is measured in degrees.

And altitude refers to height above sea level or ground level.

There are two learning cycles for today's lesson, and we're gonna start with learning cycle one, which is all about, "What is China's climate like." So first of all, do you know anything about China's climate? Looking at China's location or position, what do you actually think the climate might be like there? You may like to pause the video at this point and consider your answer to that question, or you could even discuss it with someone near you.

Now Lucas says that, "Climate is the average weather conditions for a given place over a long period of time.

Climate varies around the world." Aisha says that, "I read that the temperature in northern China can reach well below freezing in winter." Finally, Sam says that, "China is a huge country and I think it will have a range of different climates." Now the three pupils in front of you are absolutely correct, and we're gonna spend the rest of the lesson trying to understand what China's varied climate looks like.

So, time now for a learning check and it says, "True or false? The climate of a place describes the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere." So, pause the video here whilst you read back through that statement and then decide whether it is true or false.

And the correct answer was false.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video again whilst you consider as to why this statement is false.

And the reason it's false is because climate is actually an average of weather conditions in a place over a long period of time, usually 30 years or more.

The weather of a place describes the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere.

So we really need to be clear about the differences between weather and climate.

Really well done though if you're able to identify the two correct answers.

Now, the thing to say about China is that it is a vast country, and as a result, the climate varies very much across different parts of China.

Now, the map in front of you does a great job in showing this.

It shows the annual average temperature.

And the darker the shading, the lower at the average temperature.

So if we just look at the map for a few moments, we can see how there are many, many different colour bands across the country of China, thereby denoting very much different temperature ranges across China.

The average annual temperature in China is around 10°C, and that is about the same as the UK.

But we can see, if we look at the map just momentarily, we can see some areas which are significantly colder than that and some areas which are significantly warmer than that.

So, average temperatures though vary very much in different parts of China.

Temperatures, as we can see in western and northern China are much lower and they can fall below freezing in the winter months.

Temperatures in southern and eastern China are much higher.

China experienced a record-breaking heat wave in 2023 and temperatures reached more than 50°C in parts of the country.

Yet at the same year, China also recorded its lowest ever temperature of minus 53°C in Mohe, the country's northernmost city.

"That's a temperature difference of more than 100°C," as Aisha correctly says.

So we're really getting an idea of the huge spectrum of climate and temperature that we see in China.

So, we'll have a quick learning check.

"What is the average annual temperature in China?" You have the three options in front of you.

You need to pause the video here whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the correct answer was A, approximately 10°C, which as we heard earlier, is similar to the average climate in the UK.

This map plan shows annual precipitation, by which we mean moisture falling to earth, so it could be rainfall, could be snow, things like that.

And areas shaded in blue have high rainfall, yellow shows areas with very low rainfall.

So straight away we can begin understanding where most rainfall happens and where least rainfall happens as well.

So we can see that southern China is actually the wettest part of the country.

Remember that coincides as well with the fact that it was also the hottest part of the country too.

China also has desert regions with very little rainfall, and again, we can see those regions correspond with what we looked at earlier, which was what were the coldest parts of China as well.

We can see that the driest parts were also the driest parts as well.

So much of China has a monsoon climate with dry winters and wetter summers.

Heavy rainfall and flooding are common in some areas during the summer months.

Now Lucas says here that, "A monsoon is a wind pattern that causes a significant change in rainfall," and that is absolutely true.

It really has a very large effect on the climate in China.

So, a learning check.

It says to complete the text.

It says much of China has a blank climate with dry winters and blank summers.

What you need to do right now then is pause the video whilst you try to recall the answers for the two gaps you can see in front of you.

Best of luck.

And the correct answers were, "Much of China has a monsoon climate with dry winters and wetter summers." Really well done if you're able to identify those two correct answers.

Now, in geography, we use climate graphs to investigate the climate in any given region, and we can use it to look at China too.

So what is a climate graph and what data does it show? Well, let's break that down in the next slide.

So a climate graph then shows how rainfall and temperature change during the year in a particular location.

So, it is a graph that provides us with two graphs for the price of one.

What we can see then is we have a line graph, which is showing us the change in temperature through the year, and then we have a bar graph as well, which is showing us the changing rainfall through the year.

If we divert our attention to the X axis, going along the bottom, you'll see 12 months of the year going along the bottom, January to December.

In the Y1 axis on the left hand side, we can see temperature, we can see that scale there as well, 0, 10, 20, 30°C.

And then on the right hand side on the Y2 axis, we can see the axis showing rainfall or precipitation in millimetres, again, going from zero to 100, 200, 300, finally 400.

So we're now able to try and build up a comprehensive idea about what the climate is like in China, or specifically in Shenzhen, which is a city in China.

So, a quick learner check.

It says, "Climate graphs show what?" You need to pause the video here whilst you read through those three options and select what you consider to be the correct answer.

And the correct answer was B, the average temperature and rainfall of a place.

Really well done if you've got that answer correct.

Another learning check says, "To read the temperature on a climate graph, we look at the-" and again, you have three options, and again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you select the correct answer.

And the correct answer was line.

So when looking for the temperature on a climate graph, we look at the line graph.

So this climate graph is from a city called Shenzhen.

It is a coastal city in the southeastern part of China, as the map in front of you shows, and we have the climate graph on the right.

Now, I have two questions for you.

The first is, "Which months are the hottest?" And the second is, "Which months are the wettest?" Now, you may like to pause the video here whilst you look at the climate graph and try to work out the answer, or you can pause the video as well and maybe discuss it with someone near you.

So again, this climate graph is from Beijing and it's the capital of China, in a very much different part of China.

This is more towards the northeastern part of China.

And again, we can see that climate graph on the right hand side.

Again, now, I have two questions, and this time it's, "Which months are the coldest? and "Which months are the wettest?" Once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you try to identify the answers here.

Finally, we have one more climate graph, and this is from a city called Dunhuang, a city in the northwest of China.

This time I want you to identify, "Which months are the coldest? and "Which months are the driest?" So you may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question, or perhaps you could even discuss it with someone near you.

It's our time for a learning check and it says, "Which of these places has almost no rainfall for much of the year?" A, B, or C? What you need to do then is pause the video whilst you study those climate graphs and then select what you consider to be the correct answer.

And the correct answer was B, in Beijing.

Yes, we can see that for the majority of the year, rainfall is really limited, as shown by the bar graphs that you can see there with a very low height.

Only really between May and perhaps September do we see rainfall in Beijing.

So really well done if you're able to identify that as the correct answer.

So, we're on to our one and only practise question for the first learning cycle, and it says, "Read these descriptions of locations in China.

Match each description with one of the climate graphs." So what you need to do then is pause the video here whilst you attempt this practise question.

Best of luck.

And the feedback then.

So, if we look at the left hand climate graph then, this matches up with a description that said, "Warm temperatures all year round with large amounts of rain, particularly in June, July and August." And that's absolutely true.

We can see that consistent line graph, which is showing us our temperature, and that seems to stay relatively warm, or relatively consistently warm, throughout the whole year.

The second climate graph is from Beijing and it says, "Temperatures and rainfall vary during the year.

Highest rainfall and temperatures are from July to August," and that is absolutely spot on.

We can see how both the bar graph and the line graph peak during July and August.

Finally, we have the climate graph from Dunhuang, and it matches with a description that said, "Average temperatures vary during the year from very warm to very cold.

There's very little rainfall for much of the year." So really, really well done if you're able to identify those three as the correct answers.

And now we're gonna leave you with a small question.

"How does this data compare with climate graphs for places in the UK?" You may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question.

But once again, really, really well done for this practise question task.

We're on now to our second learning cycle, which is, "Why does China's climate vary?" So different factors can really affect what the climate is like, especially with a country as big as China.

Now we have three pupil statements on the screen in front of you.

Let's start with Lucas.

He says that, "I think that places closer to the equator are warmer than places further away." Aisha says that, "How high a place is affects the climate, it is colder at the top of a mountain than at the bottom." And finally, Sam says, "Being near the coast can also affect what the climate of a place is like." Now, these three students are all absolutely correct and we're gonna try and understand a little bit more about why China's climate varies so much.

Now, Earth is divided into different climate zones, and each of these climate zones has similar climates.

Can you name any of these climate zones? You may like to pause the video whilst you perhaps try to recall some information about the names of different climate zones you may already know.

Here are the different climate zones though, and you can see there's being colour coded to show those different climate zones.

We have things like an equatorial climate zone, a desert climate zone, an arctic climate zone, and a temperate climate zone.

And you can see how they are distributed across the globe.

China's large size means that it actually spans across several different climate zones.

Latitude really does affect the climate of a place.

Now, China's large size means that it spans many, many, many different lines of latitude as we can see on the map in front of you.

In fact, it spans lines of latitude from 20°1' south to 53°.

3' north.

So it really is covering a vast, vast area.

Now, these lines of latitude then are really important because the difference in how the suns rays are distributed influences the climate.

So at the equator, the sun's rays are really, really much more concentrated, and as a result, temperatures are higher.

Remember that when we consider the southern part of China, why that's so much warmer, based on its location being closer to the equator.

Meanwhile, at the poles, the sun's rays are spread out over a wider or larger area, so the temperature is lower.

Again, remember just China's large size, therefore northern parts of China are a long, long way away from the equator.

As a result, the sun's energy which falls there is much more spread out and therefore the temperatures are colder.

So, a learning check.

And it says, "Sam is explaining how latitude affects the climate.

Find and correct her mistake." What I want you to do then is pause the video whilst you read through Sam's statement and try your best to find her mistake.

So pause the video here and best of luck.

And the answer was right there.

Let's have a look at it.

So Sam says that, "At the equator, the sun's rays are more concentrated." That was the answer that Sam should have said.

"So temperatures are higher." Really, really well done if you were able to spot and correct the mistake.

Climate can also be affected by altitude, by which I mean height above sea level.

Higher land is cooler and wetter, and approximately every 100 metres we gain in elevation, the temperature drops by 1°C.

This is why mountains are often covered in snow at the top.

Distance from the sea is also a really, really important factor because places closer to the sea often have a cooler and wetter climate than those further inland.

China has a very long coastline, meaning that those places along that coastline will typically be colder and wetter.

And remember, China stretches very, very far inland.

And perhaps that goes some way to explaining why it is that those inner regions of China are so much drier than those areas nearer the coast.

Now, China's large size and diverse landscape means that the climate varies very much across the country.

As the four images in front of you do a great job in illustrating.

So let's have a look at these two maps of China right here and let's have a look at their altitude.

Now, what we can see is western China is a real mountainous region.

These are where it is home to part of the Himalayan mountains, which you may have heard of before.

The higher altitudes means that the average temperatures are lower, and we can see that by looking at the left hand map there, which is showing us a much cooler average temperature.

And it is on account of those high altitude regions, those mountainous regions in the southern part of China.

Now southern China is closer to the equator.

As a result, average temperatures are higher, as we can see again through those two maps right there.

Now, let's study the precipitation of China.

And again, we have that precipitation map now on the left, and we can see that mountain ranges in western China once again are altering the climate.

This time they are altering the wind and rainfall patterns.

As we can see, there is less rainfall in the west and north of China.

Those mountains are really blocking that wind from perhaps blowing that moisture across China.

As a result, you can see that it seems to dump that rainfall in front of those mountains, rather than behind.

Also, we can see that the southeastern part of China is much wetter, perhaps on account of the fact that it's nearer the coastline.

Yes, southern China is more influenced by the monsoon and has higher rainfall.

Coastal areas receive more rainfall than those further from the sea.

So, a learning check, and it says, "What happens to temperature as altitude increases in the mountainous regions of western China?" You have three options right there.

So you need to pause the video, read through the options, and then select what you consider to be the correct answer.

And the correct answer was A, "As altitude increases, temperature decreases." So let's refer back to our three points of interest that we've been looking at through today's lesson.

So let's have a look at Dunhuang, which is on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China.

Now it has a cold arid climate with very low rainfall and cold winters and warm summers.

Beijing, which is located in the northeastern part of China, it has a more temperate climate.

We have cooler temperatures and moderate rainfall.

Finally, Shenzhen is in southeastern China and it has a tropical climate, which is warm and humid.

So, a quick learning check.

It says, "True or false, all of China has a tropical climate." Pause the video here whilst you select your answer.

And the correct answer was false.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why this statement is false.

And the reason it's false is because "although southern China is located in the tropical climate zone, the country's large size and diverse landscape means that the climate varies very much across the country." Really well done if you're able to identify those two correct answers.

So we have one question for our practise task for the end of this second learning cycle, and it says, "Explain why China has a varied climate." Try to include these words in your answer.

Climate zone, latitude, altitude, and landscape.

So what I want you to do then is pause the video here whilst you attend this practise question.

Best of luck.

And now in terms of feedback, this is what you may have included.

It says that, "Earth is divided into climate zones.

These are regions with similar climates.

Latitude affects what the climate is like.

China's huge size means that it spans several climate zones and lines of latitude.

Altitude and landscape also affect the climate.

There are several mountain ranges in western China, which affect wind and rainfall patterns.

Distance from the sea is also important.

Some places in China are on the coast and some are inland." So really well done if you included anything like that in your own answer.

Now, as Aisha says, you may like to "investigate what the climate is like in other places, apart from China." Time now for our learning summary, and this is what you need to know from today's lesson.

China's climate varies considerably because of its large size and diverse landscape.

Much of China has a monsoon climate with dry winters and wetter summers.

Temperatures in parts of China can reach more than 50° in the summer.

China's lowest recorded temperature though, was minus 53° in Mohe, the country's northern most city.

Some places in China receive heavy rainfall while other places have a more arid climate.

So really, really well done during today's lesson.

It was a pleasure teaching you and I will see you again on the next lesson.

Goodbye.