Funded in part by a grant from the City’s Initiative Program through the Houston Arts Alliance.

CLIMATE: The average condition of the weather at a place usually over a period of years (starting at around 30 years) as exhibited by temperature, wind velocity and precipitation. Weather vs. Climate WEATHER: The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity and barometric pressure.

Tropical Arid Temperate Tundra Polar

Tropical CLIMATE REGION HOT AND HUMID ABUNDANT RAINFALL LOTS OF SUNSHINE CONSTANT TEMPS ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS MEAN THAT TROPICAL CLIMATES HAVE IDEAL GROWING CONDITIONS. ALL OF THE WORLD’S TROPICAL RAINFORESTS ARE FOUND IN THE TROPICAL CLIMATE ZONE.

As many as 30 million species of plants and animals live in tropical rainforests. A typical four square mile area of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies.

Arid CLIMATE REGION High Evaporation Low Precipitation This climate is characteristic of the desert or semi-desert areas and of great continental areas surrounded by mountains.

IT IS HARD TO LIVE IN THE DESERT... ANIMALS AND PLANTS THAT LIVE IN ARID REGIONS MUST BE ABLE TO SURVIVE IN VERY HARSH CONDITIONS. THEY MUST BE ABLE TO SURVIVE EXTREME HOT AND COLD TEMPERATURES EXPOSURE TO SUN LIMITED WATER AND FOOD SUPPLIES

Temperate CLIMATE REGION WARM AND HUMID SUMMERS (WITH FREQUENT THUNDERSTORMS) AND MILD WINTERS NO EXTREME TEMPERATURES OR PRECIPITATION

Some animals like bears HIBERNATE and stay warm in their dens all winter. Animals that live in Continental Temperate Zones have to deal with changing temperatures in the winter and the summer. Some animals like geese MIGRATE south for the winter.

TUNDRA CLIMATE REGION VERY COLD TEMPERATURES, NEVER REACHING OVER 50 DEGREES. 9 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR ARE BELOW FREEZING. LESS THAN 10 INCHES OF RAIN PER YEAR. DURING THE WINTER THE SUN NEVER RISES ABOVE THE HORIZON. PERMAFROST (PERMANENTLY FROZEN GROUND) IS A MAJOR FEATURE.

ANIMALS THAT LIVE IN THE TUNDRA ARE SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO LIVE IN EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES. MANY HAVE THICK COATS OF DENSE FUR THAT ALLOW THEM TO STAY WARM. MANY OF THE ANIMALS ARE WHITE IN COLOR TO HELP BLEND INTO THE SNOW.

Polar CLIMATE REGION Covered by snow and ice throughout year Temperatures rarely above freezing Extremely dry

The POLAR CLIMATE is one of the harshest climates on the planet. Very few animals can survive in the extremely cold conditions. Most polar animals have a thick, dense coat of fur and a thick layer of BLUBBER (fat) that keeps them warm.

Funded in part by a grant from the City’s Initiative Program through the Houston Arts Alliance. For more information, visit the INTERACTIVE CLIMATE ZONE EXHIBIT at The Weather Museum