World Climate Patterns
All About Climates
Climate Regions
Geographers often divide the earth into climate regions, tropical, dry, mid- latitude, high latitude, and highlands. Climates vary within these board regions. Each division has its own characteristic soils and natural vegetation- plant life that grows in an area where natural environment unchanged by human activity.
Tropical Climates
Tropicana environments are found near low latitudes- the tropics. Two most wide tropical regions are tropical rain forests and tropical savanna. there hot and cold through out the year, tropical rain forest climates average temperature of 80degrees. It rains a lot there, the tropical rain forests vegetation grows thickly in layers. other rain forest like this are, south america, caribbean area, and asia and africa.
Dry Climates
Geographers identified two types of dry climates, the vegetation in both desert and steppe climates occur in many parts of the world. yearly rain fall in deserts seldom exceeds 10inches (about 25cm), temperatures vary widely from he heat of day and the cool of night and season to season. the vegetation of deserts consists of scrub, cactus, plants that tolerate low humidity and wide temperature ranges.
Mid-Latitude Climates
the worlds mid- latitudes include 4 temperate climate regions. Mid-latitude climates experience variable weather patterns and seasonal changes that give rise to a variety of natural vegetation. Western coastlines, between latitudes of 30 and 60degrees north and south are regions with a marine west coast climate. Abundant rainfall supports growth of coniferous and deciduous trees. Coniferous trees such ass evergreens have cones, needle-shaped leaves, and keep their foliage through out the winter. Deciduous trees, such as oak, elm, and maple have broad leaves that change color and drop in autumn. Mixed forests have both kinds of trees. mediterranean sea have mid, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers. The vegetation includes chaparral ( sha-puh-ral), thickets of woody bushes and short trees.
High Latitude Climates
in high latitudes, freezing temperates are common throughout much of the year because of the lack of direct sunlight. just south of the arctic, the winters are bitterly cold. and summers are short and cool. subtract regions have the worlds widest temperature changes. varying from winter by as much as 120degrees. Closer to the poor regions, tundra climate regions are very cold. in tundra regions, most of which lie in the far north of the hemisphere, the layer of thawed soil is seven tenner than in the subarctic. Tundra vegetation is limited to low bushes, very short grasses, mosses, and lichens (LY-Kuhns).
Highlands Climates
elevation can determine a climate region, regardless of latitude. High mountain areas, even along the Equator, share some of the same characteristics of high latitude climates because of the thinning of the atmosphere at high latitudes. the higher the elevation the cooler the temp. The vegetation of high climates also varies with elevation. Mixed forests generally lie at the bases of mountain ranges. Higher up, meadows with small trees, shrubs, and wildflowers line the mountainside.
Climate Changes
Climates change gradually over time, although the cause of these changes are unclear. scientists study interrelationships among ocean temps, greenhouse gases, wind patterns, and cloud cover to get answers. On hypothesis, or scientific explanation, for these ice ages is that the earth absorbed less solar energy because of variations in the suns output of energy or because of variations in the earths orbit. Human interaction with the environment also affects climate. Burning fossil fuels releases gasses that mix water in air, forming acids that fall in rain and snow. (acid rain can destroy forests) fewer forest may result in climatic change the exhaust released in burning fossil fuels. the suns rays, forming smog, a visible chemical has in the atmosphere that endangers peoples health. These projects, intended to supply water to dry areas, may cause new areas to flood or to dry out and may affect climate over time.