Besides the availability of food and water what factors might affect an organism life expectancy

You need soil, sunlight, and protien and sugar and strach to male your organism nice and healthy.

This is all you, but i can give you some topics that you could try. if it rained when you want to do something outdoors, it 'limits' that human activity. maybe you want to do an experiment that goes throughout the whole year and you have to have above freezing the entire year. this 'limits' your activity. i thought of those just off of the top of my head. something that gets to me that might be getting to you is you are thinking too hard about what to do. think simply, and if it is too simple, then bump it up just a little bit.

Humid continental climate is found in the interior of continents between the 30 and 60 degrees latitude, but usually above the 40 degree line.   40 degrees north of the equator means less direct sunlight and therefore less warmth.   this climate is mainly found in the northern hemisphere since there are no major landmasses in the southern hemisphere.  if you live in northern indiana, you know all about humid continental because that is the climate type you have!