temperature; precipitation
___ and ___ patterns provide key to climate classification
classification
process of ordering or grouping data or phenomena into related classes
genetic classification
a climate classification based on causative factors - for example, the interaction of air masses
empirical classification
a climate classification based on statistics or other data determined by measurement of observed effects - for example, climate classification based on temperature and precipitation
tropical, mesothermal, microthermal, polar, highland, dry
six basic climate catergories
rain forest, monsoon, savanna
tropical climate (tropical latitudes)
humid subtropical, marine west coast, mediterranean
mesothermal climate (midlatitude, mild winters)
humid continental, subarctic
microthermal (mid and high latitudes, cold winters)
tundra, ice caps, ice sheets, polar marine
polar (high latitude and polar regions)
highland
high elevations at all latitudes
arid desert, semiarid steppe
dry (permanent moisture deficit)
climograph
a graphical representation of the climate of a region
tropical rain forest
constantly moist and warm
tropical monsoon
feature a dry season that last 1 or more months (occurs when the convergence zone is not overhead); rainfall is 6 to 12 months
tropical savanna
exist poleward of the tropical rain forest climates; rainfall for about 6 months or less
humid subtropical hot summer
either are moist all year or have a pronounce winter-dry period, as occurs in eastern and southern Asia
humid subtropical winter dry
related to the winter-dry, seasonal pulse of the monsoons; extend poleward from tropical savanna climates and have summer month that receive 10 times more precipitation than their driest winter month
marine west coast
features mild winters and cool summer, dominate middle to high latitude west coasts; dominated by maritime polar (mP) air masses
Mediterranean dry summer
at least 70% of annual precipitation occurs during the winter months; brings summer water-balance deficits
humid continental hot summer
differentiated by their annual precipitation distribution
humid continental mild summer
soils are thinner and less fertile in the cooler microthermal climates, yet agricultural activity is important and includes dairy, poultry, flax, sunflower, sugar beet, wheat, and potato production
subarctic cold summer
average monthly temperatures below freezing around 7 months of the year, during which time light snow cover and frozen ground persist; high pressure dominates during its cold winter - this is the source region for the continental polar air mass
extreme subarctic cold winter
occur only in Russia; difficult to comprehend; has had probably to world's greatest annual temperature range from winter to summer (63 C�)
tundra
land is under continuous snow cover for 8-10 months, with the warmest month above 0 C�, yet never warming above 10 C�
ice sheet
cover the Antarctic continent and most of the island of Greenland, as does North Pole, with all months averaging below freezing
ice caps
smaller in extent than ice sheets, yet they completely bury the landscape like an ice sheet
polar marine
more moderate than other polar climates in winter, with no month below -7�C, yet they are not as warm as tundra climates; annual temperature ranges are low
dry
permanent moisture deficits; Subtropical high-pressure cell predominate, with subsiding, stable air and low relative humidity;Subdivided into deserts and steppes
steppe
regional term referring to the vast semiarid grassland biome of Eastern Europe and Asia; Too dry to support forest, but too moist to be a desert
Tropical (subtropical; low latitude) hot desert
Earth's true tropical(subtropical) deserts and feature annual average temperatures above 18�C; Some regions can get no rainfall and some can get up to 35 cm
Midlatitude cold desert
cover only a small area; Rainfall must be low because of lower temperatures and lower moisture-demand values
Tropical, (subtropical; low latitude) hot steppe
generally exist around the periphery of hot deserts, where shifting subtropical high-pressure cells create a distinct summer-dry and winter-wet pattern; Average annual precipitation is usually below 60 cm
Midlatitude cold steppe
occurs poleward of about 30� latitude and the midlatitude cold desert climates; Not generally found in the Southern hemisphere; rainfall is widely variable (20-40 cm)