Climate = the weather over a long period of time
Climate is caused by: latitude (cold at the Poles and hot at the equator, wind and ocean
currents (i.e. The Gulf Stream keeps North Europe warm), mountains (The Rain Shadow
Effect – the mountains block the water cycle and a desert forms on one side)
Basic climate zones
Tropics – between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn – hot year round
Temperate – between the Tropics and the Antarctic Circle in the south and the Arctic
Circle in the North - 4 seasons
Frigid/ Polar – between the circles and the poles – cold year round
Climate/ Vegetation Zones
Polar :
Ice Cap (polar) – bitter cold with no vegetation
Tundra – harsh and dry, a vast rolling plain without trees in the Arctic, permafrost
Sub-arctic – Just below the Artic Circle; severely cold winters, evergreen forest (taiga)
Temperate:
Marine West Coast – coastal areas with rainy and mild winters and cool summers
Mediterranean – a coastal climate with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
Continental - inland areas with long, cold winters and short hot summers
Subtropical - heavier rain during hot, humid summers, and short, mild winters
Tropical:
Tropical Rainforest –lush vegetation and dense forest
Tropical Savanna - broad grasslands with few tress
Found in all climate zones:
Highland – a mountainous climate; the climate cools as you go up in elevation
Desert - very dry (arid) with little vegetation