Ch Climate Zones

3 Major Climate Zones  There are 3 different climate zones, they are categorized by their temperature and precipitation.

Tropical Climates  There are 3 subcategories of tropical climates, they are warm areas found around the equator.

Tropical Rain Forest Climate  Warm, humid area.  5 ˚ to 10 ˚ on either side of the equator.  250 cm of rainfall average each year  Rain-forest vegetation

Pictures of Tropical Rainforests

Tropical Desert Climate  Warm, dry weather  20˚-30 ˚ latitude north and south of the equator  Less than 25 cm of rainfall average each year

Pictures of Tropical Desert Climate

Tropical Savanna Climate  Occurs between tropical rainforest and tropical desert climates  Very wet summers, very dry winters.  The savanna has wide open areas of coarse grasses and shrubs.

Pictures of Tropical Savanna

Polar Climates  Cold areas between 55˚ and the poles.

2 Polar Climate Subcategories  Subarctic (taiga)  Tundra

Subarctic (taiga)  Located between 55 ˚ and 65 ˚ north latitude  Dry and cold  25 to 50 cm of rain fall each year  Winters are severe and summers are short  There isn’t a subarctic region in the southern hemisphere because there isn’t land between 55 ˚ and 65 ˚  Spruce trees and pine trees can grow here because of low evaporation rates

Pictures of Subarctic Climate

Tundra Climate  Near the poles  Extremely cold  25cm of precipitation a year (mostly snow)  Low shrubs, moss, small flowering plants  Not a lot of animal variety

Pictures of the Tundra

Middle-Latitude Climates  Found in between tropical and polar climate regions.

Marine West-Coast Climate  Between 40 ˚ and 60 ˚ north latitude.  Cool, moist maritime polar air  60 cm to 150 cm of precipitation yearly  20 ˚ c in summer and 7 ˚ in winter

Mediterranean Climate  The climate we live in!  30 ˚ to 40 ˚ latitude  Dry summers and wet winters  40 cm of precipitation yearly

Middle-Latitude Desert and Steppe Climates  35 ˚ to 50 ˚ north latitude  Found in the interiors of north America and Asia  Less than 25 cm precipitation yearly  Very hot summers and cold winters

Humid Continental Climate  Cold winters. Season differences.  Temperature ranges from -5 ˚ c to 25 ˚c  Locations: East coast of North America and Asia  At least 75 cm of precipitation yearly

Humid Subtropical Climate  Warm, humid, heavy rains, hurricanes  Located between 30 ˚ and 40 ˚ north and south latitude  Locations: The southeastern united states  75cm to 165cm of precipitation yearly

Local Climates  The climate in any place can be influenced by nearby high mountain ranges, plateaus  Lakes and forests can increase levels of precipitation  Large cities are hotter than small cities because they have pollution than warms the air and less trees to absorb the carbon dioxide