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Climate Systems
- Wladimir Koppen created the Koppen climate classification, the most
widely used climate classification system
Tropical Rain Forest Climates
- Constantly moist and warm
- High rainfall sustains lush vegetation and broad leaf plants
- Energetic bacteria activity (rapid growth)
o Increases the breakdown of organic matter
- Leaching of minerals
- Found in equatorial region of the world
- Influenced by the ITCZ
o When the two air masses collide, the warm air mass rises and
condenses to form rain
o Zone that is characterized by heavy rainfall because it is moist and
warm
- Convectional rainfall (from lecture 2)
- Ex. Congo rainforest in Africa and the Amazon rainforest in Brazil
(accounts for about 30% of biodiversity in the world)
- Laterite soil is made of organic matter and sometimes has a large amount
of gravel (rough texture)
- Lowest is 15cm of rainfall, annual temperature ranges from 2-11 degrees
Celsius
Tropical Monsoon Climates
- Monsoon: Arabic word mausim (season)
- Dry season that lasts only 1 or more months
- Rainfall lasts between 6-12 months
- Variations in wind and precipitation
o Changes in wind direction in accordance with the season
- Affected by the ITCZ
- During the winter season, there is moisture leading air mass that blows
from the Indian Ocean onto the land, that result in high rainfall
- In the dry season, the ITCZ is right over it, that brings mild rainfall
- One of the unique characteristics of monsoon rainfall is that much of the
moisture leading air mass is intercepted by the Himalayas
- A lot of rainfall on the windward side of the mountains
- Indian sub continents are the predominant areas of this climate
- Rainfall patterns is continuous throughout the air expect one month, there
is 1 month of low rainfall
- As a result, there is constant flooding; crop fields are often submerged
- Coastal region receive 250cm of rainfall
- Often characterized by green vegetation
Tropical Savanna Climates
- Summer are wetter than winter because convectional rains accompany
the shifting ITCZ
- Two temperature maximum during the year
- Between the equator and the tropics of Cancer in Capricorn
- During the summer, the condition are characterized by low rainfall
- Often results in grassland vegetation (tall and short grass which are
interspersed by trees that are scattered all across)
- ITCZ reaches this climate for about 6 months or less of the year as it
migrates with the summer
- Near the transition to deserts
Humid Subtropical Climates
- Moist all year around or have pronounced winter-dry period
- Eastern and Southern Asia
- Nagasaki Japan – humid and hot summer
- Columbia and South Carolina
- Characterized by most conditions all year around with pronounced winter
dry periods
- Characterized by warm, moist, unstable air mass which produced
convectional rainfall
- During winter, fall and spring, there is the convergence of two air masses
of different temperatures (the Maritime tropical and the Continental Polar
air mass converge)
o Results in the development of cyclones
- Related to the winter dry seasonal pause of the monsoon type
Marine West Coast Climates
- Mild winters and cool summers
- Common in Europe and middle-high latitudes (e.g. USA)
- Portions of Appalachian highlands
- Region of Pacific Canada (coast of British Columbia) is affected by the
moist leading air mass from the ocean, which is intercepted by the
Cordillera
- British Columbia is the wettest part of Canada
- Characterized by over 400cm of rainfall
- Region is influenced by cold, moist, unstable air mass, which brings a lot
of rainfall
- The summers are characterized by cooler temperature
- Dominated by maritime polar air masses
- Weather can be unpredictable due to the movement of weather systems
forming along the polar front and maritime polar air masses
Mediterranean Dry-Summer Climates
- At least 70% of annual precipitation occurs during the winter months
- Located in the Arabian countries which are distant from the Mediterranean
Ocean
- Influenced by shifting of stable warm to hot and dry air mass over the
entire region
- Characterized by dry summers and wet winter patterns
- Other location affected by this climate is the Canary current (cold –
creates complications in the upper atmosphere)
Ozone Depletion
- UV can easily penetrate the atmosphere and enter Earth
- Causes global warming (caused by human activities)
o Pollution (release of harmful gases and chemicals)