Chapter 25.2Chapter 25.2““Climate ZonesClimate Zones””

Modified from many sources & Prentice Hall & Holt CA Earth Scienceby L. Smith

Remember:Remember:

CLIMATE = WEATHER

CLIMATE = The AVERAGE weather conditions over a LONG period of time

Remember:Remember:CLIMATE = most often described by:

AVERAGE TEMPERATUREand

ANNUAL PRECIPITATION

Latitude influences angle of sunlight and therefore the temperature of an area.

This also influences the global wind

patterns and therefore precipitation.

Climate Zones

http://www.webquest.hawaii.edu/kahihi/sciencedictionary/images/degreemap.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~rhaberlin/images/emclim.gif

Tropical Zone

The tropical zone is between 23.5o north (the tropic of Cancer) and 23.5o south (the tropic of Capricorn) of the equator.

The sun’s rays are most intense and the temperatures are always warm.

http://www.touristmaker.com/images/tropical/wet-tropical-climate.jpg

http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/files/rainforest2.jpg

Temperate Zone

The temperate zones are between 23.5o and 66.5o north and between 23.5o and 66.5o south of the equator.

The sun’s rays strike Earth at a smaller angle than near the equator.

http://www.meteorologyclimate.com/temperate-ireland.jpg

http://www.touristmaker.com/images/temperate/autumn-temperate-climate-zone-new-zealand.jpg

Polar Zone

Polar zones are between 66.5o and 90o north and south latitudes and the poles.

The sun’s rays strike Earth at a very small angle in the polar zones.

Köppen Climate Classification System

The most widely used for classifying the world's climates.

Köppen divided the Earth's surface into climatic regions that generally coincided with world patterns of vegetation and soils.

The Köppen system recognizes five major climate types based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation. Each type is designated by a capital letter.

Further subgroups are designated by a second, lower case letter which distinguish specific seasonal characteristics of temperature and precipitation.

To further denote variations in climate, a third letter was added to the code

These letters usually correspond to information about certain months or about max and min temperature or rainfall.

Local ClimatesThe climate of a small area is called the microclimate.

Density of vegetation, elevation and proximity to large bodies of water greatly influence the local microclimate.

ElevationHigher elevations tend to have lower temperatures.

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Precipitation amounts are also influenced by the rain shadow effect.

Large Bodies of WaterWater absorbs and release heat slower than land does—moderating temperature variation.

Large bodies of water also typically lead to increased precipitation for a region.