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Earth’s Climate Systems. What is the difference between weather and climate?. Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at any given place. Climate is the consistent, long-term behavior of weather over time. Climate Factors. H. Statistical Analysis of 30 years of data Insolation - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Earth’s Climate Systems
What is the difference between weather and climate?
• Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at any given place.
• Climate is the consistent, long-term behavior of weather over time.
Climate Factors
• H Statistical Analysis of 30 years of data
• Insolation• Temperature• Pressure• Air Masses• PrecipitationH L
5 Climate Regions
1. Tropical
2. Dry
3. Mid latitude
4. High Latitude
5. Highlands
Tropical ClimatesA. Tropical Wet
• Avg temp 80 degrees F• Daily rain• 80 in/year• Wildlife abundant• Tropical rainforest veg• Amazon Basin, S. Am, Asia Caribbean, Africa
B. Tropical Dry• Dry winters, wet summers• High yearly temps• Savannas• Africa, central - S Am., Australia
Dry Climates
A. Desert• < 10 in. rain/yr• Day/night temps vary• 1/3 of world’s land• Veg = scrub, cactus• Dunes, rocky surfaces• Where???
B. Steppes• Dry, treeless• 10 – 20 in. rain/year• Where???
Mid latitude ClimatesA. Marine West Coast
• 30 - 60 N/S• Western coastlines• Cool summers, cool damp winters• Veg = Coniferous, Deciduous, mixed forest
B. Mediterranean• Mild, rainy winters• hot., sunny summers• Veg = woody bushes, short trees,• Where?
C. Humid Subtropical• Short, mild winters• Year round rain, high humidity
b/c of oceans• Veg = prairies, forests• Where?
D. Humid Continental• Inland locations, further N, longer harsher winters• Veg = Mixed forests – but evergreens out# in N
High LatitudeA. Subarctic
• Bitter-cold winters• Summers short/cool• > temp vary variation• permafrost• Veg = needles evergreens
B. Tundra• Winter darkness• No roots• Veg = Low shrub, short grasses, mosses
C. Ice Caps• Snow, ice 2 miles thick!
Highland
• Natural vegetation varies with elevation
• High Mountain areas
The Köppen System
What is the Köppen System?
• Widely used system that classifies climate according to:– annual and monthly averages of temperature– annual and monthly averages of precipitation
• Devised by Walter Köppen (1846-1940); updated and modified by Köppen until his death.
• Continues to be modified by geographers today!
Köppen’s major climates:
• Tropical Climates (A)• Dry Arid and Semiarid Climates (B)• Mesothermal Climates (C) – mild winter• Microthermal Climates (D) – severe winter• Polar Climates (E) • Highland (H)
http://www.uwmc.uwc.edu/geography/100/koppen_web/koppen_map.htm
Climate subcategories
• Each category is further divided into sub-categories based on temperature and precipitation.
• For example, in a Dfa climate:• D = microthermal climate• f = feucht (German for “moist”)• a = warmest avg. summer month above 22° C• Dfa = humid-continental, hot-summer climate in
the microthermal D category.
The Köppen System: Pros & Cons
Pros:• Uses temperature
and precipitation which are easy to measure
• Temperature and precipitation directly affect humans.
• Corresponds with vegetation regions.
Cons:• Only uses averages
which does not take into account subtle changes from place to place.
• Ignores wind, cloud cover, intensity of precipitation, and humidity.
Climographs
• Graphic means of giving info on mean monthly temperature and rainfall for a select location or station
• Usually two parts– Annual temperature curve (red)– Precipitation bars (blue)
Annual Climatology: Green Bay, WI (GRB)Elev: 687 ft Lat: 44o 29'N Long: 88o 08'W
Figure 1: Average Temperatures and Precipitation 1971-2000. (NCDC Data)