elements of weather and climate weather vs. climate...
TRANSCRIPT
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Climate
Earth ScienceChapter 20
Pages 560-573
Elements of weather and climate• Temperature
– Range of temperature– Seasonal temperature pattern
• Rainfall– Overall rainfallOverall rainfall – Seasonal distribution of rainfall– Compared to evaporation potential
• Pressure– Predominant pressure– Seasonal fluctuation of pressure
Weather vs. Climate
• Climate is the weather you expect• Weather is what you get, whether you
expect it or not
• (Note: if you spell it ‘whether’ it has a different meaning)
Atmospheric Circulation Ocean circulation Jan and July temps
Values used for Koppen System
• Overall temperature• Evaporation compared to precipitation• Absolute rainfall• Rainfall distribution• Extreme temperature
World climate map Koppen Climate System
• A tropical: wet, monsoon, dry w/s• B dry: desert/steppe, low/mid latitude• C humid mid-latitude, mild winter:
t d ‘ t t’wet summer, dry summer ‘west coast’• D humid mid-latitude severe winter• E polar: tundra, ice cap• H highland: modified version of local
lowland area—cooler, moister
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Af Tropical rainforest A Tropical climates
• NEVER COLD• Rain forest—always wet• Monsoon—extreme seasonal rainfall• Savannah—very dry months
A Climatic diagrams
Monsoon Climate
http://www.freewebs.com/scienceandsociety/summermonsoonpdem2.gif
Tropical Monsoon
• Due to arrival of ITCZ in a local area at a certain season
• ITCZ migrates out of area, leaving a distinct dry seasondistinct dry season
• Southern Asia, Sothwestern Pacific islands, Western Equatorial Africa, Northeastern South America,
Aw Tropical Savannah
Tropical Savanna
• Never cold• Pronounced dry season: lasts longer than
wet seasonW t i ’t t• Wet season isn’t as wet as monsoon climate
Subtropical desert
http://www.gerber-travel.ch/Tours/libya_1999_5.htm
B Dry climates
• EVAPORATION POTENTIAL EXCEEDS PRECIPITATION
• Low latitude deserts always warmS bt i l hi h– Subtropical high pressure
– 20°-30° N and S of equator• Mid latitude deserts can be quite cold
– Further poleward than low latitude deserts– Rain shadow effect
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Cold desert
http://www.asphalto.org/?user_id=907&PHPSESSID=a55...
B Cilmate Diagrams Steppe Climate
• Transition from desert climate to another climate next to the desert
• Not as dry as desertD t h ti d t• Desert has more evaporation compared to rainfall than steppe
• Dessert: mmm….cake (Do you see they are spelled differently?)
Sub-tropical Steppe
http://os.inf.tu-dresden.de/~nf2/nz_farewell/
Mid latitude steppe
http://61966.rapidforum.com/topic=101082217975
Worldwide arid zones
C Mild mid-latitude climate
• Humid• MILD WINTER• Divisions:
– Hot summer: dry or wet– Warm summer: dry or wet– Marine west coastal climate
• unique subdivision of dry summer that extends far poleward of other mild climates
• Moderated by the ocean and the westerlies
Mild Humid wet all year
http://www.us-parks.com/images/everglades-national-park/plantlife-of-everglades-p-3629-m.jpg
Mild, Dry summer climate
http://usparks.about.com/od/nationalparksus/ig/santamonicaphotos/Scenery11.htm
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C Climate Diagrams Marine west coast
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/climate_systems/marine_west_coast.html
Coastal Alaska
• Northern mild climate due to incoming moist air from ocean by westerlies
http://thewondersofnature.com/bears/co_scenery_01.html
D Severe mid latitude
• SEVERE WINTERS• Humid continental
– Cold winterW t– Wet summer
– Hardwood forests• Subarctic
– Not warm in summer– Needle-leaf evergreens– ‘Taiga’
D Climate Diagrams Humid continental severe winter
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~glh/NATREGION/FRONTIMAGES/front6.jpg
Midlatitude humid continental
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/biogeography/biomes_midlatitude_forests_page_1.html
Midlatitude humid continental
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/biogeography/biomes_midlatitude_forests_page_1.html
Taiga
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E Polar climate
• TOO COLD FOR TREES• Tundra some month is above freezing• Ice cap no months are above freezing
Tundra E Climate Diagrams
Ice cap climate
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/climate_systems/icecap.html
World climate map Highland
• Modified version of local climate• Cooler, moister
Lowland adjacent to H Highland differenceH compared to
adjacent climate