Climate Zones

Tropical Climates Located around the Equator

Tropical Rainforest Year-round rain Warm Vegetation (plant-life): Lush and thick Trees form canopies- little sunlight reaches the ground

Tropical Savanna Dry year-round Wet season- rains for a few months Warm Vegetation: grasslands

Mid-latitude Climates Located north and south of the Equator In the middle of north and south hemispheres Very diverse climates Temperature changes with seasons

Marine West Coast Climate Winters- rainy and mild Summers- cool Heavy rainfall Vegetation: Deciduous trees (they lose their leaves in the fall) and Coniferous trees (evergreens)

Mediterranean Climate Winters- rainy and mild Summers- hot and dry Vegetation: shrubs and short trees

Humid Continental Climate Winters can be long, cold, and snowy Summers are short and hot Vegetation: Deciduous trees and grasslands

Humid Subtropical Climate Rain falls throughout the year Summers have the heaviest rainfalls They are hot and humid Winters- short and mild Vegetation: palm trees, and oaks

High Latitude Climates Located in the highest latitudes North and South Poles

Subarctic Climate Winters- very cold and bitter. Summers- temperatures do rise above freezing. Vegetation: Evergreen forests known as Taiga

Tundra Climate Harsh and dry Permafrost- lower layers of soil are permanently frozen Summers- plains become marshy Vegetation: grasses and low bushes

Ice Cap Climate Bitterly cold Average temperature in Antarctica is -128°F Vegetation: lichens- funguslike plants and mosses

Dry Climates Dry or partially dry areas Temperatures are extremely hot during the day and very cold at night

Desert Climate Receive less than 10 inches of rain per year Vegetation: cacti and scrub

Steppe Climate Partly dry grasslands (prairies) Receives more rain than a desert Vegetation: short grasses or “treeless plains”

Highland Climate Elevation changes climate Mountains are cold Vegetation: Timberline- the point where no more trees grow. Above the line there are only small shrubs and wildflowers.

High-Latitude Mid-Latitude Tropical