characteristics of the world climates

1. WORLD CLIMATES

2. WEATHER AND CLIMATE
• Weather is the atmospheric conditions
here and now.
• Climate is an average of conditions in a
particular place over time

3. A COUNTRY’S CLIMATE DEPENDS ON
FOUR MAIN FACTORS
• Latitude is the distance of a location from the equator. The hottest
temperatures are found at the equator. As you move further away from the
equator towards the polar regions, less and less sun is received during the
year and the climates become colder and colder.
Altitude is the height above sea level or the height above the earth's
surface. The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature will be. On
average for every 1,000 metres higher you go the temperature will fall about
6.5 °C.
Proximity to the sea affects the temperature of a place because the sea
temperature changes slower than land temperature. So the sea will keep
coastal areas warmer than inland area during the winter and cooler than
inland areas during the summer.
• Currents exist in all the oceans. Currents that move water from tropical
areas towards the poles (North Atlantic Drift starts in the Gulf of Mexico) are
known as warm currents. Those currents moving from northern (or
southern) colder seas, nearer the poles towards the equator are known as
cool currents, an example is the Canaries current

4. CLIMATE ELEMENTS
• Temperature is how
hot or cold the
atmosphere is - ie,
how many degrees
Celsius (centigrade) it
is above or below
freezing (0°C)
• farenheit and celsius scale

5. • Precipitation is the
term given to
moisture that falls
from the air to the
ground
• pluviometer

6. • Atmospheric pressure (or air pressure)
is the weight of air resting on the earth's
surface. Pressure is shown on a weather
map, often called a synoptic map, with
lines called isobars.
• Low pressure occurs when air becomes warmer. The
air molecules expand, become lighter and it rises.
• High pressure occurs when air becomes colder. The air
molecules contract, become denser, heavier and sink
towards the earth.

7. barometer

8. • Wind is the
movement of air
masses from high
pressure areas (high)
to low pressure areas
(low). The effect of
this movement of air
is to rebalance the
pressure in the
atmosphere.

9. MAIN CLIMATIC ZONES

10. WORLD CLIMATE ZONES
AND BIOMES

11. World climates
Koeppen’s classification

12. TROPICAL ZONE

13. EQUATORIAL CLIMATE
• Characteristics
• Constant high
temperatures.
• Lowest annual
temperature range of
any climate.
• Evenly distributed,
heavy precipitation.
• Lots of cloud cover
and high humidity

14. Rainforest Biome
• Biome: A biome is a
large geographical
area of distinctive
plant and animal
groups, which are
adapted to that
particular
environment

15. Tropical dry-wet
• Characteristics
• wet season in
summer,dry periods
in winter.
• Rainfall less than
equatorial and
monsoon.
• Highest temperature
ranges of low latitude
wet climates

16. Savanna Biome

17. Monsoon
• Characteristics
• Heavy rain season;
short dry season.
• Highest temperature
just before rainy
period.

18. Desert
• Characteristics
• Among the driest places on
earth
• Low relative humidity
• Irregular rainfall
• Highest percentage of
sunshine of any climate
• Large daytime temperature
range
• Highest daytime temperature
of any climate
• Annual precipitation less than
250 mm

19. Desert Biome

20. TEMPERATE ZONE

21. Humid subtropical
• Characteristics
• High humidity; summers
like humid tropics.
• Frost with polar air
masses in winter.
• 1000 to 2000 mm of year
precipitation, decreasing
inland.
• Monsoon influence in
Asia

22. Mediterranean
• Characteristics
• Mild, moist winters,
• Dry summers
• High percentage of
sunshine

23. Chaparral biome

24. Humid continental
• Characteristics
• Warm Summer Subtype:
• Hot humid summers; occasional
winter cold waves.
• Large annual temperature ranges.
Ie. Chicago
• Cool Summer Subtype:
• Moderate summers; long cold
winters.
• Large annual temperature ranges.
• Less precipitation than warm
summer subtype
• Ie. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

25. Deciduous forest biome

26. Marine west coast
• Characteristics
• Mild winters, mild
summers.
• Low annual
temperature range.
• Heavy cloud cover;
high humidity.

27. Biome: deciduous forest

28. Dry midlatitude climate
• These dry climates
are limited to the
interiors of North
America and Eurasia.
• Cold winters and
warm or hot
summers. A small
amount of rain falls
during this season.
• Annual temperatures
range widely.
Reno, Nevada, USA
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
J F M A M J JL A S O N D
months
rainfall(mm)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
temperature(degreesC)

29. Grassland biome

30. POLAR ZONE

31. Subartic climate
• Characteristics
• Brief, cool summers;
long, hard cold
winters.
• Largest annual
temperature ranges.
• Lowest temperatures
outside of Antarctica.

32. Biome: Taiga

33. Tundra
• Characteristics
• At least 9 months
average below
freezing.
• Low evaporation;
precipitation usually
below 300 mm.

34. Biome: Tundra

35. World biomes
Tundra
Deciduous Forest
Savanna
Taiga
Chaparral
Rainforest
Grasslands
Desert
Alpine
Desert-scrub

36. CLIMATE AND HUMAN
ACTIVITIES

37. POPULATION

38. CLIMATE AND FARMING

39. TROPICAL CLIMATES
BURNING RAINFOREST
TOBACCO PLANTATION

40. MONSOON CLIMATE

41. TEMPERATE CLIMATES
WEST COAST VINEYARDS CALIFORNIA

42. HUMID CONTINENTAL CLIMATE
GRASSLAND AREA