2 - world’s major climate types

Question 1

what are the worlds major climatic zones

Answer 1

POLAR - very cold and dry all year
TEMPERATE - cold winters and mild summers
ARID - dry, hot all year
TROPICAL - hot and wet all year
MEDITERRANEAN - mild winters and dry, hot summers
MOUNTAINS (tundra) - very cold all year

Question 2

examples of climatic zones

Answer 2

POLAR = south pole, extreme northern latitudes, interior of greenland
ARID = deserts of n. africa, central asia, southwest us, inland australia
TEMPERATE = n. america, europe, parts of asia
TROPICAL = jungles of s. america, africa, southeast asia, islands of the pacific
MEDITERRANEAN= mediterranean sea, southern south america, southern california
TUNDRA/MOUNTAINS = n. america, asia, southern coast of greenland

Question 3

what occurs at the equator

Answer 3

at equator = sun always high = ground heats quickly

= creates area of low pressure in equatorial latitudes known as intertropical convergence zone, ITCZ

Question 4

how does the itcz contribute to the tri-cellular model

Answer 4

the concentration of insolation from an overhead sun at low latitudes leads to heating of air at the surface, causing it to rise and expand.

this draws in cooler air flowing across surface of hadley cell to replace rising air. air streams are drawn in from both the north and south of the equator

Question 5

what is a major influence on tropical climates

Answer 5

the position of the ITCZ influences the role of associated subtropical anticyclones

ITCZ occurs along a line where the NE trade winds in n hemisphere meet SE trade winds in the s hemisphere

intense heating in low latitudes causes air to rise giving heavy convection rainfall

Question 6

what does the ITCZ mark

Answer 6

• marks area of intense low pressure associated with area of precipitation that moves south and north of equator throughout the year
• ITCZ follows movement of the sun
• moves further north than expected during summer months, particularly asia
• during these months, may-august, it heats the land surface of the subcontinent

Question 7

causes of the summer monsoon

Answer 7

• during summer months, land is heated intensely and because solids have a greater capacity for heat transfer
• in june, ITCZ moves polewards and extends to 30’N over N. India
• area of low pressure develops due to intense heating
• winds blow towards this low pressure from a SW direction along pressure gradient
• low pressure draws in moist air from Indian ocean

Question 8

causes of summer monsoon 2

Answer 8

• it rises over land, due to lands temperature increasing because of migrating ITCZ, convection makes it unstable
• = heavy rain, instability and further uplift being caused by relief barrier of the Himalaya
• precipitation varies, where the wind blows over the bay of bengal rainfall is very high. Cherrapunji 13000mm, 2000mm in Delhi
• arrival is 10th May in Kerala, 5th July on Pakistan border

Question 9

causes of winter monsoon 3

Answer 9

• in jan, ITCZ moves over equator and south towards tropic of capricorn. area of low pressure develops from intense heating
• continental landmass of central asia experiences intense cooling due to low specific heat capacity of land
• winds move outwards from this high pressure towards the low
• air dry due to origins and sinking warm air causes decrease in humidity and drop in rainfall as it descends into Indo-Gangetic plain. Bombay receives less than 100mm during these 8 months
• winter monsoon retreats from northern india on 1st september and clears Kerala on 15th nov

Question 10

monsoon characteristics by month

Answer 10

MARCH-MAY = very hot/dry. temperatures rise to highest levels before ‘break’ of monsoon rains
JUNE-SEPTEMBER = hot/wet. over much of india 80% of annual precipitation falls during these 4 months. rarely is the rainfall continuous, but falls as series of heavy pulses
OCTOBER-FEBRUARY = warm/dry. once wet monsoon ends, rain falls occasionally. general clear skies allow warm temperatures at night, but nights can be cooler in mid-winter months

Question 11

what actually is a monsoon

Answer 11

refers to the large scale reversal in wind directions having an impact upon weather due to the different characteristics of the surfaces over which the wind blows

tropical monsoons are best illustrated through the indian subcontinent. the himalaya are an influence over this climate type. within india, wide variations in length, date and the amount of precipitation occur