Getting to Know Climate Regions When viewed from space Earth appears as a round mass with land water and swirling clouds From that distance you cannot tell that so much variety exists on the planet All kinds of landforms and a multitude of organisms interact in ecosystems that vary widely The ongoing balance of each ecosystem is dependent on the weather patterns of the region Weather patterns over time describe a regionrsquos climate Climate regions vary as well from warm and humid to dry and cold These conditions affect the organisms that live there and also play a part in shaping landforms

From space the different regions on Earth all appear similar

What determines the climate of a region

A regionrsquos climate is determined by the average temperatures and precipitation amounts that occur over long periods of time Meteorologists measure

and record weather information daily then calculate averages over time to measure the normal conditions for a region For example the average January temperature in Florida over the past 110 years has been about 145deg C and the average January temperature in Washington over the same period has been about ndash1deg C

Temperature and precipitation vary at different locations on Earth for several reasons You know that Earth rotates on a tilted axis and that this tilting affects the amount of the Sunrsquos energy that reaches parts of the planet during winter and summer This helps determine a regionrsquos temperature The equator receives the same amount of energy all year long so its temperatures remain warm The North and South poles however receive less energy and remain cold

Variations in precipitation also occur based on an arearsquos location Regions near a large water source such as an ocean or the Great Lakes experience high humidity as water evaporates from those bodies into the surrounding atmosphere Other areas receive more precipitation because wind and ocean currents often send rain clouds there Precipitation can occur as rain or snow depending on the temperature

What are the climate regions found on Earth Earthrsquos climate regions include the cold dry polar regions where temperatures are consistently cold and little precipitation falls and the warm humid tropical regions near the equator where the weather is always warm and the rainfall amounts are high In cold regions summers are cool and winters are freezing such as in much of Alaska The central area of North America lies in a temperate region where summers are warm and winters can be quite cold Desert regions are very dry For example parts of the Sahara Desert average less than 15 cm of rain per year and any rainfall that occurs quickly evaporates

Concept Climate Regions Getting to Know wwwdiscoveryeducationcom

1 copy Discovery Education All rights reserved

Discovery Education is a subsidiary of Discovery Communications LLC

Earthrsquos many climate regions are one reason for the diversity of life on this planet Organisms in each climate region have adaptations that help them live there Polar bears survive in cold climates because of their body structures and hunting habits Trout thrive in the rivers

of temperate regions because they can survive the seasonal temperature extremes There are far fewer species that live in the polar regions because it is difficult to survive the bitter cold In tropical regions the diversity of life is much greater Thousands of different kinds of plants and animals thrive in tropical regions because of the water and variety of food resources available there

Polar bears and rainbow trout have adaptations that allow them to survive in their own climates

Misconception 1 Deserts are always hot right

Actually deserts may be hot or cold In fact deserts that are very hot during the day are often very cold at night because there is little water vapor in the air to hold heat close to Earthrsquos surface High-latitude deserts can be cold all winter as the desert areas of Antarctica are The characteristic that defines a desert is a low amount of precipitation not temperature

Misconception 2 In polar regions it is winter all year

Polar regions do have very low average temperatures but that doesnrsquot mean they donrsquot have seasons At the South Pole summer temperatures average around ndash20deg C which is very cold In the winter however temperatures averages around ndash80deg C which is much colder Also while itrsquos true that in polar regions the Sun doesnrsquot rise for 6 months of the year for the other 6 months the Sun never sets

Which climate region is best to live in

Imagine yourself traveling to each of the climate regions as we learn about them and take note of the organisms that live in each You will be amazed at the variation

Concept Climate Regions Getting to Know wwwdiscoveryeducationcom

2 copy Discovery Education All rights reserved

Discovery Education is a subsidiary of Discovery Communications LLC