Factors Affecting Climate of Pakistan

There are many different factors that affect the climate of Pakistan and they are the same factors that affect climate around the world The most important factors are
Distance from the Sea;
The sea affects the climate of a place. Coastal areas are cooler and wetter than inland areas. Clouds form when warm air from inland areas meets cool air from the sea. The weather of Karachi is different from that of Lahore and Peshawar as it is located near the sea.
Direction of the winds
Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas. That is one of the reasons why Karachi enjoys Monsoon season,as the winds from the Arabian Sea brings rain during the months if June and July
Relief
Climate can be affected by mountains. Mountains receive more rainfall than low lying areas because the temperature on top of mountains is lower than the temperature at sea level. That is why you often see snow on the top of mountains all year round. The higher the place is above sea level the colder it will be. This happens because as altitude increases, air becomes thinner and is less able to absorb and retain heat.
This is the reason why the northern areas of Pakistan have snow fall and difference in climate as compared to Balochistan and Sind.
Proximity To The Equator
The proximity to the equator affects the climate of a place. The equator receives the more sunlight than anywhere else on earth. This is due to its position in relation to the sun (see right). The diagram shows that the equator is hotter because the sun has less area to heat. It is cooler at the north and south poles as the sun has more area to heat up. It is cooler as the heat is spread over a wider area.
Human Influence
The factors above affect the climate naturally. However, we cannot forget the influence of humans on our climate. We have been affecting the climate since we appeared on this earth millions of years ago. In those times, the affect on the climate was small. Trees were cut down to provide wood for fires. Trees take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. A reduction in trees will therefore have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
This is also a major contributing factor that influence the climate of different areas of Pakistan because they have different population

Acknowledgement
These pages were developed by Daniel Jackson, a student at Liverpool Hope University College, as part of a final year BSc (Hons) Geography project.
The ECN Weather tutorials were developed by Daniel Jackson, with the help of Susannah Rennie and Terry Parr.Created: June/July 1998.Last updated: .04 October 2000