WORLD CLIMATES

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

• Weather is the atmospheric conditions here and now.

• Climate is an average of conditions in a particular place over time

A COUNTRY’S CLIMATE DEPENDS ON FOUR MAIN FACTORS

• Latitude is the distance of a location from the equator. The hottest temperatures are found at the equator. As you move further away from the equator towards the polar regions, less and less sun is received during the year and the climates become colder and colder.

Altitude is the height above sea level or the height above the earth's surface. The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature will be. On average for every 1,000 metres higher you go the temperature will fall about 6.5 °C.

Proximity to the sea affects the temperature of a place because the sea temperature changes slower than land temperature. So the sea will keep coastal areas warmer than inland area during the winter and cooler than inland areas during the summer.

• Currents exist in all the oceans. Currents that move water from tropical areas towards the poles (North Atlantic Drift starts in the Gulf of Mexico) are known as warm currents. Those currents moving from northern (or southern) colder seas, nearer the poles towards the equator are known as cool currents, an example is the Canaries current

CLIMATE ELEMENTS

• Temperature is how hot or cold the atmosphere is - ie, how many degrees Celsius (centigrade) it is above or below freezing (0°C)

• farenheit and celsius scale

• Precipitation is the term given to moisture that falls from the air to the ground

• pluviometer

• Atmospheric pressure (or air pressure) is the weight of air resting on the earth's surface. Pressure is shown on a weather map, often called a synoptic map, with lines called isobars.

• Low pressure occurs when air becomes warmer. The air molecules expand, become lighter and it rises.

• High pressure occurs when air becomes colder. The air molecules contract, become denser, heavier and sink towards the earth.

barometer

• Wind is the movement of air masses from high pressure areas (high) to low pressure areas (low). The effect of this movement of air is to rebalance the pressure in the atmosphere.

MAIN CLIMATIC ZONES

WORLD CLIMATE ZONES AND BIOMES

World climatesKoeppen’s classification

TROPICAL ZONE

EQUATORIAL CLIMATE

• Characteristics• Constant high

temperatures. • Lowest annual

temperature range of any climate.

• Evenly distributed, heavy precipitation.

• Lots of cloud cover and high humidity

Rainforest Biome

• Biome: A biome is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment

Tropical dry-wet

• Characteristics• wet season in

summer,dry periods in winter.

• Rainfall less than equatorial and monsoon.

• Highest temperature ranges of low latitude wet climates

Savanna Biome

Monsoon

• Characteristics • Heavy rain season;

short dry season. • Highest temperature

just before rainy period.

Desert

• Characteristics• Among the driest places on

earth • Low relative humidity • Irregular rainfall • Highest percentage of

sunshine of any climate • Large daytime temperature

range • Highest daytime temperature

of any climate • Annual precipitation less than 250 mm

Desert Biome

TEMPERATE ZONE

Humid subtropical

• Characteristics• High humidity; summers

like humid tropics. • Frost with polar air

masses in winter. • 1000 to 2000 mm of year

precipitation, decreasing inland.

• Monsoon influence in Asia

Mediterranean

• Characteristics

• Mild, moist winters, • Dry summers• High percentage of

sunshine

Chaparral biome

Humid continental• Characteristics• Warm Summer Subtype:• Hot humid summers; occasional

winter cold waves. • Large annual temperature ranges.

Ie. Chicago • Cool Summer Subtype:• Moderate summers; long cold

winters. • Large annual temperature ranges. • Less precipitation than warm

summer subtype• Ie. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Deciduous forest biome

Marine west coast

• Characteristics• Mild winters, mild

summers. • Low annual

temperature range. • Heavy cloud cover;

high humidity.

Biome: deciduous forest

Dry midlatitude climate

• These dry climates are limited to the interiors of North America and Eurasia.

• Cold winters and warm or hot summers. A small amount of rain falls during this season.

• Annual temperatures range widely.

Reno, Nevada, USA

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Grassland biome

POLAR ZONE

Subartic climate

• Characteristics• Brief, cool summers;

long, hard cold winters.

• Largest annual temperature ranges.

• Lowest temperatures outside of Antarctica.

Biome: Taiga

Tundra

• Characteristics• At least 9 months

average below freezing.

• Low evaporation; precipitation usually below 300 mm.

Biome: Tundra

World biomes Tundra Deciduous Forest Savanna Taiga Chaparral Rainforest Grasslands Desert Alpine Desert-scrub

CLIMATE AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES

POPULATION

CLIMATE AND FARMING

TROPICAL CLIMATES

BURNING RAINFOREST

TOBACCO PLANTATION

MONSOON CLIMATE

TEMPERATE CLIMATES

WEST COAST VINEYARDS CALIFORNIA

HUMID CONTINENTAL CLIMATE

GRASSLAND AREA