the global scope of climate Flashcards
the average weather of a region, but except where conditions change very little during the course of the year, such a broad definition can be misleadin
climate
s, it is preferable to define _______ in terms of both average conditions and the variability of those conditions based on long records of daily and seasonal weather patterns
climate
latitude: key to climate
Near the equator, temperatures are warm and the annual temperature range is low. Toward the poles, temperatures are colder and the annual range is greater. These effects are produced by the latitudinal variation in the annual cycle of insolation.
coastal continental location - key to climate
Coastal stations show a smaller annual range in temperature, while the range is larger at stations in continental interiors. This effect occurs because of different rates of heating and cooling on land surfaces and ocea
Air temperature also has an important effect on precipitation - Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air: This means that ______-
hat colder regions generally have lower precipitation than warmer regions. Also, precipitation tends to be greater during the warmer months of the temperature cyc
temperature regimes - keys to climate
—distinctive types of annual temperature cycles related to latitude and location. Each regime is labelled according to its latitude zone: equatorial, tropical, midlatitude, and subarctic. Some labels also describe the location of the weather station in terms of its position on a landmass — “continental” or “west coast.”
global precipitation - keys to climate
lobal precipitation patterns are largely determined by air masses and their movements, which in turn are produced by global air circulation patterns
five clases of annual precipitation
wet, humid, subhumid, semi arid, arid
isohyets
- lines joining places with the same precipitation.
Total annual precipitation is useful in establishing the general character of a climate, but variation from month to month through the annual cycle is also very important. Monthly precipitation patterns can be described by three general types:
niformly distributed precipitation; 2)a precipitation maximum during the high-sun season (summer) when insolation is at its peak; and 3)a precipitation maximum during the low-sun or cooler season (winter), when insolation is least
Three broad climate groups are recognize
low-latitude (Group I), midlatitude (Group II), and high-latitude (Group III). Within each of these three climate groups are a number of distinctive Climates — four low-latitude climates (Group I), six midlatitude climates (Group II), and three high-latitude climates (Group III) — giving a total of 13 climate types. The name of each climate describes its general nature and also suggests its global locati
climograph
climographcan readily portray climate information (the annual range in temperature and total annual precipitation are provided for a location). Some climographs also display the declimation of the sun and dominant weather features using picture symbols. A more comprehensive method of combining temperature and precipitation into a single diagram was devised by Walter and Leith.
dry climates
Dry climates are those in which total annual evaporation of moisture from the soil and transpiration from plants exceeds the annual precipitation. Dry climates generally do not support permanently flowing streams. The soil is dry much of the year, and the land surface is clothed either with sparse plant cover —scattered grasses, shrubs, or cacti — or is simply devoid of any plant
moist climates
Moist climates are those with sufficient precipitation to maintain the soil in a moist condition through much of the year and to sustain the year-round flow of rivers. Moist climates support forests and prairies
The wet-dry tropical and Mediterranean climate types ________
s alternate between a very wet season and a very dry season.
