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Eastern Canada is very cold for its latitude with some parts of the Hudson Bay coast being a tundra biome and climate despite being much further south than the arctic circle.
Western Canada, although still very cold, is much milder and the tree extends above the arctic circle.
It's because of the water around and in Canada and also because of Canada's topography, it's not because of latitudes.
The various bodies of water and their locations on the planet are the engines that create and regulate global temperatures and weather and climate and air movement everywhere. Topography on land and the air movement in the upper atmosphere is what channels and directs all of the energies that the waters generate and then impact the land.
I notice that nearly all of your posts on the board are questions about weather. If you really want to get a basic understanding about what causes climate, weather, temperatures and air movement in different locations around the globe, you need to start by first studying up on the waters in all their locations and their respective behaviours through all the changing seasons. Try to think of the waters as living things with purposes to fulfill. Ask yourself, why is the Pacific Ocean so much warmer than the Atlantic Ocean, and ..... regardless of daily tides ..... why does the Pacific have a 3 feet higher sea level elevation of surface water in some parts of it and many more high water bulges on the surface than the Atlantic does? Why are the average surface sea levels of the Arctic and the Antarctic oceans so much lower than the average surface sea levels of all the other ocean's levels?
Since you are asking specifically about Canada being warmer in the west and colder in the east there are 4 large bodies of water (Pacific, Arctic, Hudsons Bay and Atlantic) and many, many, many smaller bodies of water (Canada's millions of lakes) for you to learn about and understand WHY they have their individual characteristics and effects on Canada's climate. And you need to study up on the topography of Canada to understand how it channels and directs the movement of both air and water that carries the temperatures with it.
Forget about latitudes for the time being. Latitude is related but everything all fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and latitude's effect is a different story because it's a different piece in the puzzle.
It's because of the water around and in Canada and also because of Canada's topography, it's not because of latitudes.
The various bodies of water and their locations on the planet are the engines that create and regulate global temperatures and weather and climate and air movement everywhere. Topography on land and the air movement in the upper atmosphere is what channels and directs all of the energies that the waters generate and then impact the land.
I notice that nearly all of your posts on the board are questions about weather. If you really want to get a basic understanding about what causes climate, weather, temperatures and air movement in different locations around the globe, you need to start by first studying up on the waters in all their locations and their respective behaviours through all the changing seasons. Try to think of the waters as living things with purposes to fulfill. Ask yourself, why is the Pacific Ocean so much warmer than the Atlantic Ocean, and ..... regardless of daily tides ..... why does the Pacific have a 3 feet higher sea level elevation of surface water in some parts of it and many more high water bulges on the surface than the Atlantic does? Why are the average surface sea levels of the Arctic and the Antarctic oceans so much lower than the average surface sea levels of all the other ocean's levels?
Since you are asking specifically about Canada being warmer in the west and colder in the east there are 4 large bodies of water (Pacific, Arctic, Hudsons Bay and Atlantic) and many, many, many smaller bodies of water (Canada's millions of lakes) for you to learn about and understand WHY they have their individual characteristics and effects on Canada's climate. And you need to study up on the topography of Canada to understand how it channels and directs the movement of both air and water that carries the temperatures with it.
Forget about latitudes for the time being. Latitude is related but everything all fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and latitude's effect is a different story because it's a different piece in the puzzle.
If you look at the Weather Patterns chapters, there are maps of mean summer and winter upper level winds. Look at the location of the Arctic upper low and the orientation of counterclockwise flow about it (doesn't follow lines of latitude exactly, does it?)
For example: Fig 3-7 and 3-8 in the Yukon book or 3-8 and 3-9 in the Arctic.
I think the opening premise is a huge generalization.
For starters, "Western Canada" and "Eastern Canada" are ill-defined in addition to being enormous and enormously varied, in terms of geography and climate.
The coldest major cities in Canada in the winter are found on the Prairies which are in Western Canada, whereas the warmest/hottest major cities in summer in Canada are found in southern Ontario and southern Quebec ("central eastern Canada"). And of course the warmest place in Canada during the winter is SW BC, which is in the West.
Generally speaking, except for a small region of inner British Columbia, the warmest parts of Canada in the summer are all in the "east".
I also don't believe that the tree line's extension northwestwards is entirely related to temperatures. A big part of that is likely related to soil, as highly fertile soil extends quite far into NW Alberta (where the Peace River region is a major agricultural zone) and even beyond. Whereas the areas around James and Hudson bays are rocky and swampy with muskeg and other not-so-fertile soil conditions.
If you look at the Weather Patterns chapters, there are maps of mean summer and winter upper level winds. Look at the location of the Arctic upper low and the orientation of counterclockwise flow about it (doesn't follow lines of latitude exactly, does it?)
For example: Fig 3-7 and 3-8 in the Yukon book or 3-8 and 3-9 in the Arctic.
Thanks for posting that link. That's got some further information there about the effects of topography and bodies of water. I like the color coded topographical maps that are shown.
Thanks for posting that link. That's got some further information there about the effects of topography and bodies of water. I like the color coded topographical maps that are shown.
1) Warm ocean current known as Kuroshio current - basically the Pacific version of Gulf Stream. also look up "thermohaline circulation".
2) The Rocky Mountains block cold air mass from the Arctic Circle.
These conditions keep Pacific Northwest mild in winter but probably responsible for the gloomy weather as well, since when warm air mass meets cold air mass it usually results in clouds and precipitation.
1) Warm ocean current known as Kuroshio current - basically the Pacific version of Gulf Stream. also look up "thermohaline circulation".
2) The Rocky Mountains block cold air mass from the Arctic Circle.
These conditions keep Pacific Northwest mild in winter but probably responsible for the gloomy weather as well, since when warm air mass meets cold air mass it usually results in clouds and precipitation.
I'd add the Pineapple Express as well.
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money well spent IMO.
