1. Climates of
the Earth

2. Climograph
Graph that indicates average temperature and precipitation for a place.
Line Graph shows temperature
Bar Graph shows precipitation
If the line graph goes up in the middle – it is showing a place in the northern hemisphere.
If the line graph goes down in the middle – it is showing a place in the southern hemisphere.
If the line is fairly straight – it is showing a place that is near or on the Equator.

3. Low Latitude Climates "The Tropics" 0 - 23.5 N & S
1. Tropical Rainforest
2. Tropical Savanna

4. Tropical Rainforest Amazon River Basin Congo River Basin Indonesia
Description – hot and wet throughout the year.
Precipitation Wet – 80 + inches a year - Rains daily
Temperatures about 80 all year
vegetation - Lush and diverse – 6% of earth, but more than half the plant and animal species. Canopy – layers of broadleaf evergreen trees Leaching – continuous rain pulls the nutrients out of the soil (not arable)
Amazon River Basin
Congo River Basin
Indonesia

5. Hot and wet throughout the year
Rio
Temperatures are about even so it must be near the Equator.
Belem
Tons of precipitation every month.
Hot and wet throughout the year

6. Tropical Rainforest

7. Tropical Savanna
Description – grassland with distinct dry and wet seasons. Winter is dry.
Summers have 20 – 100 inches of precipitation a year. Winter is dry. Dry season is dramatic.
High year round temperatures around 80.
Vegetation – clumps of coarse grass and few trees.
Llanos of Venezuela
Caribbean Islands
Serengeti of Tanzania

8. Very obvious dry season in winter
COLD
COLD
DRY
DRY
Darwin
Dakar
Near the Equator
Very obvious dry season in winter

9. Tropical Savanna

10. Dry and Semi-Arid Climates
low and mid-latitudes
N & S
1. Steppe
2. Desert

11. Central Asia Western US Mountains Sahel - South of Sahara Steppe
Description – dry, largely treeless grassland.
Location – Low & mid latitudes. Border deserts & interior of continents (leeward side)
Precipitation 10 – 20 inches a year
Vegetation - Grassland with few trees or cactus. Desertification - spread of desert-like conditions to semi-arid areas is a serious problem in the Steppe
Central Asia
Western US Mountains
Sahel - South of Sahara

12. add up the precipitation - 10 - 20 inches
Alice Spring
Northern Southern
Hemisphere Hemisphere
add up the precipitation inches

13. Steppe Semi arid

14. Desert Sahara Great Basin Gobi
Description – dry area with sparse plant life that covers about 1/3 of the world’s land. There are two types of terrain: reg – desert pavement (gravel, rocks, and sand) and erg – dunes
Precipitation – 10 in. or less a year
Temperatures: Desert does not mean hot – it means dry!!! Day and night temperatures vary drastically.
Vegetation - scrub and cactus Oasis is an area in the desert where water is available.
Desert
Sahara
Great Basin
Gobi

15. Cairo
Tehran
Desert
does not
mean
hot
less
than
10 inches
a year
Lima

16. Deserts Arid

17. Middle Latitude Climates
"Temperate Zone"
23.5 to 66.5 N & S
1. Marine
2. Mediterranean
3. Humid Subtropical
4. Humid Continental

18. Coastal Oregon to Southern Alaska Ireland Southeastern New Zealand
Marine
(Marine West Coast)
Description – ocean winds bring cool summers and damp winters.
Location – 30-60º on the west coast in N. Hemisphere and east coast in S. Hemisphere. Located on Westerlies.
Precipitation: Ocean air brings abundant rainfall.
Vegetation: large coniferous – evergreen forests called temperate rainforests and mixed forests - both coniferous and deciduous trees.
Coastal Oregon to Southern Alaska
Ireland
Southeastern New Zealand

19. Abundant rainfall all year. High around 70. Low around 40.
London
Vancouver
Sydney
Abundant rainfall all year. High around 70. Low around 40.

20. Marine

21. Mediterranean Mediterranean Southern California Southern Australia
Description – mild, rainy winter and hot sunny summers.
Precipitation: 15 – 30 in (mostly in the winter)
Vegetation - Chaparral – underbrush, woody bushes and short trees – cork, olives, grapes, etc. Leathery leaves hold moisture
Mediterranean
Southern California
Southern Australia

22. Precipitation in winter months
COLD
COLD
WET
WET
Perth
Precipitation in winter months
Athens
Jordan
Santiago
COLD
COLD
WET
WET

23. Mediterranean

24. Humid Subtropical Southeastern China Southeastern USA
Description – short, mild winters and nearly year round rainfall. hurricanes & typhoons.
HOUSTON is in HST
Precipitation: year round
Vegetation – fruits, rice, vegetables, inland grasslands, and mixed forests - deciduous and coniferous trees.
Southeastern China
Southeastern USA
Tip of South Africa

25. rainfall all year (more in summer) Temps - 80 high / around 45 low
Buenos Aires
Shanghai
Southern hemisphere
Northern hemisphere
rainfall all year (more in summer)
Temps - 80 high / around 45 low

26. Humid Subtropical

27. Humid Continental S. Canada & N. US Western Russia NE China
Description - 4 distinct seasons. Storms and continentality - far in the interior of continents influence climate.
Location - interior mid-latitude in N. Hemisphere
Temperatures: winters longer as you travel north and inland.
Vegetation: Agriculture has replaced natural prairie grass, and short coniferous forests.
S. Canada & N. US
Western Russia
NE China

28. precipitation all year
Moscow
Helsinki
Northern Hemisphere
precipitation all year
60 high. 20 low.

29. Humid Continental

30. High Latitude Climates
"Polar Climates"
N & S
Subarctic
Tundra
Icecap

31. Subarctic Siberia Inland Canada Northern Scandinavia
Description – bitterly cold winter and short, cool summers.
Temperatures: Widest temperature range between summers and winters.
Vegetation: Taiga (Russian word for forest) a boreal forest – needled evergreens.
Permafrost – only a small layer of the ground thaws.
Siberia
Inland Canada
Northern Scandinavia

32. a little precipitation all year 70 high. Some months below freezing.
Omsk
Saskatoon
Northern Hemisphere
a little precipitation all year
70 high. Some months below freezing.
widest temperature range.

33. Subarctic

34. Peninsular Antarctica
Tundra
Description – very cold with polar night for ½ of the year.
Location – far north in the northern hemisphere
Temperature: Cold: rarely above 50° - at least 9 months below freezing – some below 0º
Vegetation: Short bushes, short grass, mosses, and lichen. permafrost bogs in summer.
Coastal Greenland
Peninsular Antarctica
Arctic border lands

35. very little precipitation all year
Freezing
Freezing
Northern Hemisphere
very little precipitation all year
High around 50. Many months below freezing.

36. Tundra

37. Icecap Interior Greenland Arctic Ocean Antarctica
Description – snow and ice cover this area up to 2 miles thick
Polar night – 6 months a year the sun does not rise above the horizon (24 hours dark)
Polar desert – moisture in the air does not reach the dew point, so it does not precipitate. Far away from Equator (dry & cold as move away)
Temperature: Below freezing all year - Many months below zero.
Vegetation: Possibly lichen and moss
Icecap
Interior Greenland
Arctic Ocean
Antarctica

38. Dry. No months above freezing.
Thuls Air Force Base
Northern Southern
Hemisphere Hemisphere
Dry. No months above freezing.

39. Icecap

40. Highland Climates Himalaya Mts. Andes Mts. Zagros Mts.+
Located in mountain systems throughout the world
Precipitation – affected by the Orographic Effect. Leeward is dry – windward is wet.
Temperature – varies with elevation – for every 1,000 feet increase in elevation the temperature decreases 3.5
Vegetation – usually mixed forests at the base. Meadows with small trees, shrubs, and wildflowers line the mountainsides.
Himalaya Mts.
Andes Mts.
Zagros Mts.+

41. All of these locations are over 4,000 ft. Northern Hemisphere
Near Equator
Near Equator
All of these locations
are over 4,000 ft.
Mexico City

42. Vertical Climate
of Latin America
Tierra Caliente
Tierra Templada
Tierra Fria
Paramo
Tierra Helada

43. Highlands

44. Tierra Caliente Hot land. 0 - 2,500 ft. 68-91ºF.
Grow: rice, Banana, sugar cane, cacao, pineapple
Forests: Sea level – swamps up to dry forests around 2,000 feet
Tierra Caliente

45. Tierra Templada Temperate land. 2,500 – 6,500 ft. 60-70ºF.
Grow coffee, cotton, tobacco, citrus fruit, squash, beans, and corn
Forests: Wet forest
Tierra Templada

46. Tierra Fria Cold land. 6,500 – 10,000 ft. Less than 60 degrees.
Grow grains such as wheat, oats, rye, and barley, apples, and also potatoes.
Forests: Cloud forests

47. Paramo Most above the tree line. 10,000 – 14,000 feet
temperatures: 20 – 55º
Grow: Grassland and hardy shrubs.
Elfin forest at lowest elevations
Grazing of sheep, alpacas, and llamas.

48. Tierra Helada Snow line and above. Above 14,000 feet Below 20º.
Nothing grows here except maybe a few moss and lichen in summer.
Tierra Helada