World Climates

And Ecosystems
Year 5 – Geography & Economics
 66.5°N

23.5°N

0°

23.5°S

66.5°S

World Climates
Equatorial / tropical climate

 26-28°C
 > 2000mm of annual rainfall
 5° N and S of the equator
 NO SEASONS, but a distinct daily
pattern (Tageszeitenklima).
 Sun = high up in the sky
 12 hours of daylight, 12 hours of
darkness
Equatorial / tropical climate

 Daily pattern: after sunrise high temperatures 

convection currents and evapotranspiration from
swamps, rivers and the rain forest. Air cools in higher
altitudes, reaches the dew point (=Taupunkt), and large
cumulus clouds develop. By mid-afternoon black
cumulonimbus clouds  thunderstorms and heavy
downpours. Evenings calm, nights warm and very humid.
 Equatorial / tropical climate

Daily weather pattern with convectional rainfall

(Source: https://media.diercke.net/omeda/800/10142E_1_Sonnengang.jpg)
 Equatorial /
tropical climate

https://www.sustainablelearning.com/sites/default/files/resource_images/rainforest.jpg
Tropical continental climate (interior)

 25 – 33°C
 ~ 900 mm of annual precipitation
 Between 5° and 15° N and S
 2 seasons:
 Hot and wet (like equatorial /
tropical)
 Dry and slightly cooler

 Length of rainy season and amount

of rainfall unreliable (unsicher)
 Severe droughts (Dürren)
Tropical Continental climate (interior)

 Seasons caused by the apparent movement of the

overhead sun.
 The hot and wet season occurs in summer, when the sun
is overhead, creating a low pressure area.
 The dry and slightly cooler season occurs in winter,
when the sun is overhead in the opposite hemisphere
(area is then influenced by trade winds from the east,
which have shed all their moisture before they reach
these inland areas.
Tropical Continental climate (interior)
Movement of the overhead sun during the course of one year
Atlas p. 179 ?
 Tropical Continental climate (interior)

The savanna during wet season The savanna during dry season

https://www.geoforcxc.com/natural-systems/weather-and-climate/ecosystems/tropical-continental-climate/
Monsoon Climate
monsoon = a season
 24° - 30°C
 1000mm, up to 12,000mm of
annual precipitation
 India and SE-Asia
 2 seasons:
 SW monsoon (June-Oct.: hot
and wet)
 NE monsoon (Nov.-May: slightly
cooler and dry)
Monsoon Climate

 SW monsoon (June-Oct. - hot and wet):

In June, the sun appears overhead at the Tropic
of Cancer (N). Central Asia becomes hot  low
pressure develops  air is drawn northwards
from the Indian Ocean. Where the air is forced
to rise over mountains, there are large amounts
of relief rainfall.
 NE monsoon (Nov-May – slightly cooler and
dry):
In the Northern winter, the overhead sun moves
southwards. Central Asia now becomes very cold
 high pressure develops. Winds blow outwards,
they come from a dry area and are therefore
dry.
 NE monsoon (Nov-May –
slightly cooler and dry):

SW monsoon (June-
Atlas p. 179 ? Oct. - hot and wet):
Relief rainfall:

https://birdygeogblog.wordpress.com/tag/relief-rainfall/
Hot desert climate

 12° - 36°C
 < 250mm annual precipitation
 Between 5° and 30° N and S
 2 seasons:
 Hot and dry summers
 Warm and dry winters

 Big difference between day

and night and between
summer and winter
Hot desert climate

Reasons for the lack of rain:

1) Prevailing winds come from the dry
land
2) Prevailing winds cross mountain
barriers
3) Prevailing winds from the sea cross
cold ocean currents. Are cool 
cannot pick up moisture.
4) Air that rose as convection currents
at the equator sinks at these
latitudes warms  clear skies
Hot desert climate

Arches National Park, Utah, USA

https://traveldigg.com/arches-national-park-utah-usa/
Desert plants: cacti, shrubs
https://www.worldatlas.com/upload/2e/64/20/shutterstock-414202660.jpg
Cold Climate

 -25° / 16°C
 ~ 300mm of annual precipitation
 Poleward side of 60° N in Scandinavia,
Russia, Alaska, Canada
 Large annual range of temperatures
 Summers short but relatively warm
 Winters very long, dark and extremely
cold
 Precipitation is light throughout the
year
 Cold Climate

 Summers quite warm due to the long hours of daylight

and due to its continental location far from the
influence of the cold sea.
 Winters are dark and cold because in places within the
Arctic Circle, the sun doesn’t rise for a period of time
and also due to the distance from any moderating
influence from the sea. Winds increase the wind-chill-
factor and bring risk of frost-bite.
 Little rain because air is too cold and areas are too far
away from the sea.
https://images.emedicinehealth.com/images/emedicinehealth/illustrations/frostbite.jpg
https://cdn.britannica.com/16/101216-050-38AD1E70/Polar-bear-cubs.jpg
Mediterranean Climate

 13° - 27°C
 ~ 500mm of annual
precipitation
 Between 30° and 40° N and S,
on the West coasts of
continents (Mediterranean Sea,
California, Central Chile, Cape
Town, South Australia)
 Hot and dry summers
 Warm and wet winters
Mediterranean
Climate
 Summers are hot because the sun
is at a high angle in the sky (but it’s
not overhead)
and the wind blows from the warm
land
 Summers are dry because the
prevailing winds blow across a dry
land surface.
 Winters are warm because the sun
is lower in the sky
 Winters are wet because the
prevailing winds have reversed
direction and now blow from the
sea (coastal areas get lots of relief
rainfall over mountains)
https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc2MjY5MTE1MjYyNjQxMzI1/flowers-
and-vegetation-of-greece.jpg