THE HOT AND WET CLIMATE OF THE HUMID TROPICS Hot – Average temperatures of >27 o C (Min 25 o C, Max 33 o C) Temperature – the degree of heat or cold Wet – Heavy Rainfall (Total Annual Rainfall - >1000mm, to a max of 2400mm) Precipitation – the total amount of rainfall for a month or year.

CLIMATE GRAPH

How to make sense of a climograph? 1.Read the title (usually a name of a city). It will give you an indication of the location of the place. (latitude) 2.Study the vertical scale [Tempt ( o C) is on the right side of the climograph and amount of precipitation (mm) on the left]. 3.Study the horizontal scale: Temperature = Line graph Precipitation = Bar graph

4. Temperature: minima Lowest temperature and month (minima) maxima Highest temperature and month (maxima) Calculate the mean/average annual temperature (is it high/moderate/low?) Calculate the annual temperature range (max – min tempt) e.g 28.5 – 26 = 2.5 o C Distribution of temperature throughout the year? [Uniform = high temperatures every month or seasonal = high or low temperatures for certain months of the year]

5. Precipitation Calculate the total annual precipitation Describe the distribution of precipitation [is it evenly distributed /seasonal, any distinct wet or dry months, what is the maximum precipitation and month, minimum precipitation and month] Temperature / PrecipitationHighModerateLow Mean Annual Temperature ( o C)> <10 Total Annual Precipitation (mm)> <250

6. Interpret the data by making general statements about the temperature and precipitation. e.g. Hot and wet throughout the year, seasonal patterns - cool and dry seasons, hot and dry, warm and wet, cold and dry based on the data analyzed.

Climate graphs of 2 cities

Locate on your map Moscow and Congo Tropic of Cancer Equator Tropic of Capricorn X Moscow X Congo

Comparing Climate Graphs Differences (Temperature) Congo (Lat - 0 o N)Moscow (Lat - 55 o N) Average Tempt = 25.4 o C5oC5oC Uniform annual temperatureSeasonal Summer (J, J, A) Max = 17 o C, Winter (D, J, F )Min = -9 o C Temperature Range small 2 o C36 o C HotCold Differences (Precipitation) Total Annual = 1804mm688mm Distribution = high rainfall throughout the year Has precipitation year round. Seasonal precipitation – higher rainfall in summer and lower precipitation in winter WetModerately wet

How to write a comparison statement Example of a Statement to highlight the differences in climate between Kisangani and Moscow: Kisangani has an mean annual temperature of 25.4 o C while Moscow has a low mean annual temperature of 5 o C. While Kisangani has a uniform high temperature throughout the year, Moscow experiences the 4 seasons, experiencing low temperatures of -9 o C in winter and 18 o C in summer.