Text Book page # 482 - 491

CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE WORLD

What factors are used to classify climates?

What are the six main climate regions?

THE BIG IDEA

Scientists classify climates according to two major factors:

TemperaturePrecipitation

CLIMATE REGIONS

There are six main climate regions:

Tropical rainyDryTemperate marineTemperate continentalPolarHighlands

CLIMATE REGIONS

WORLD CLIMATES

The tropics have two types of rainy climates:

Tropical wetTropical wet-and-dry

TROPICAL RAINY CLIMATES

Are found in low-lying lands near the equator

Many days are rainy, often with afternoon thunderstorms

Thunderstorms triggered by mid-day heating

In many areas with a tropical-wet climate the trade winds bring moisture from the oceans

TROPICAL WET CLIMATES

With year round heat and heavy rainfall, vegetation grows lush and green

Dense rain forests grow in these climates

In the United States, only the windward sides of Hawaiian islands have a tropical wet climate

TROPICAL WET CLIMATES

Areas that have tropical wet-and-dry climates receive slightly less rain than tropical climates

Have distinct dry and rainy seasons

Instead of rainforests, tropical grasslands called savannas grow

In the United States only the southern tip of Florida has a tropical wet-and-dry climate

TROPICAL WET-AND-DRY CLIMATES

A climate is dry if the amount of precipitation that falls is less than the amount of water that could potentially evaporate

It does NOT mean that it doesn’t ever rain…

DRY CLIMATES

Dry climates include arid and semiarid climates

DRY CLIMATES

Dry regions often lie inland

Far from the oceans that are the source of humid air masses

DRY CLIMATES

Also known as deserts

On average, arid regions receive less than 25 cm of rain per year

Only specializes plants and animals can survive

Much of California’s southeast, including Death Valley and the Mojave Desert, has an arid climate

ARID CLIMATES

Semiarid regions are usually located on the edges of deserts

These semiarid area are called steppes

May also be called a prairie or a grassland

The Great Plains are the major steppe region of the United States

Portions of southeastern California are considered semiarid

SEMIARID CLIMATES

There are three types of temperate marine climates:

Marine west coastMediterraneanHumid subtropical

TEMPERATE MARINE CLIMATES

Because of the moderating influence of oceans, all three temperate marine climates are humid and have mild winters

TEMPERATE MARINE CLIMATES

The coolest temperate marine climates are found on the west coasts of continents north of 40 degrees north latitude and south of 40 degrees south latitude

Humid ocean air brings mild, rainy winters

Summer precipitation can greatly vary

MARINE WEST COAST

In North America, the marine west coast climate extends from northern California to southern Alaska

Because of heavy precipitation, think forests of tall trees grow in this region

One of the major industries of this region is harvesting and processing wood for lumber, paper, and furniture

MARINE WEST COAST

A coastal climate that is drier and warmer than west coast marine is known as Mediterranean

Most areas with this climate are found around the Mediterranean Sea

In the United States, much of coastal California has a Mediterranean climate Mild, with two seasons Winter – marine air masses bring cool, rainy weather Summer – somewhat warmer, with little rain

MEDITERRANEAN

Mediterranean climates have two main vegetation types:Chaparral (dense shrubs and small tress)

Grasses with a few large trees

MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATES

The warmest temperate marine climates are along the edges of the tropics

Humid subtropical climates are wet and warmNot as constantly hot as the tropics

The southeastern United States has a humid subtropical climateSummers are hot, with more rainfall than winters

Winters are cool to mild, with more rain than snow

HUMID SUBTROPICAL

Are not influences very much by oceansHave extremes of temperature

TEMPERATE CONTINENTAL CLIMATES

Temperate continental climates are only found on continents in the Northern Hemisphere

Include:ContinentalSubartic

TEMPERATE CONTINENTAL CLIMATES

Shifting tropical and polar air masses bring constantly changing weather to humid continental climates

Winter – continental polar air masses move south, bringing bitterly cold weather

Summer – tropical air masses move north, bringing heat and humidity

The northeastern region of the United States, as well as the Midwest, have humid continental climates

HUMID CONTINENTAL

Subarctic climates lie north of the humid continental climates

Summers in the subarctic are short and cool

Winters are long and bitterly cold

SUBARCTIC CLIMATE

The polar climate is the coldest climate region, and includes the ice cap and tundra climates.

POLAR CLIMATES

Ice cap and tundra climates are found only in the far north and south, near the North and South poles

Most polar climates are relatively dryCold air holds little moisture

POLAR CLIMATES

Found mainly on Greenland and Antarctica

Average temperatures always at or below freezing

The land in this region is always covered with ice and snow

Intense cold makes the air dry

Lichens and a few low plants may grow on the rocks

ICE CAP CLIMATE

Stretches across northern Alaska, Canada, and Russia

Short, cool summers

Bitter, cold winters

Some layers of the tundra are always frozen Permanently frozen soil is called permafrost Water cannot drain away, so the soil is wet and boggy

in summer

TUNDRA CLIMATE

It is too cold in the tundra for trees to grow

During the short summers the tundra is filled with lifeMosquitos and other insectsMosses, grasses, lichensCariboubirds

TUNDRA CLIMATE

Temperature falls as altitude increases, so highland regions are colder than the regions that surround them

HIGHLANDS

Increasing altitude produces climate changes you would expect with increasing latitude

Precipitation also increase as air masses carrying moisture pass over highland area

Climate on the lower slopes of a mountain range is like that of the surrounding countryside

HIGHLANDS

As you go higher up the mountains, temperature becomes lower and precipitation increases

Climate higher on the mountain is like that of the subarctic

Above a certain elevation, called the tree line, temperatures are too low for trees to grow

Climate above the tree line is like that of the tundra Only low plants, mosses, and lichens can grow there

HIGHLANDS