WORLD HISTORY/ GEO
TH
NOVEMBER 4 2015
WARM UP:
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
WEATHER AND CLIMATE?
WEATHER VS CLIMATE
• Weather is defined as the state of the atmosphere
at some place and time, usually expressed in terms
of temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed
and direction, precipitation, and cloudiness.
• Meteorologists study weather.
• Climate is defined in terms of the average (mean)
of weather elements (such as temperature and
precipitation) over a specified period of time (30
years according to the World Meteorological
Organization).
THE KÖPPEN CLIMATE
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
• IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, A GERMAN SCIENTIST NAMED WLADIMIR KÖPPEN DEVELOPED
ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY USED CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS. THE KÖPPEN SYSTEM
CATEGORIZES CLIMATE INTO FIVE MAIN TYPES, WHICH CAN BE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO
SUBCATEGORIES.
TROPICAL CLIMATE
• LITTLE VARIATION IN TEMPERATURE OVER THE YEAR.
• IT IS ALWAYS HOT WITH A DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 80
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
• RAINS ON A DAILY BASIS AND YEARLY AVERAGE RAINFALL IS
USUALLY MORE THAN 80 INCHES.
• FOUND IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, AS WELL AS AFRICA
,SOUTH ASIA (INDIA), SOUTHEAST ASIA AND INDONESIA .
• ASSOCIATED WITH RAINFORESTS AND JUNGLES.
• FOUND ALONG THE EQUATOR OR AREAS CLOSE TO THE EQUATOR.
TROPICAL
WET & DRY
• THIS SUB REGION HAS A RAINY
SEASON IN THE SUMMER AND A DRY SEASON IN
WINTER.
• TEMPERATURES ARE COOLER IN THE DRY SEASON.
• YEARLY RAINFALL IS LESS THAN A TROPICAL HUMID
CLIMATE.
• TROPICAL WET & DRY CLIMATES ARE FOUND NEXT
TO TROPICAL HUMID CLIMATES IN AFRICA, SOUTH
& CENTRAL AMERICA, AND PARTS OF ASIA.
• THE SAVANNAH OF AFRICA IS A PRIME EXAMPLE.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM
LIVING IN A TROPICAL CLIMATE?
ARID(DESERT)
• DESERTS ARE CATEGORIZED BY THE AMOUNT ANNUAL RAINFALL RECEIVED.
• DESERTS RECEIVE LESS THAN 10 INCHES OF RAINFALL PER YEAR.
• HOT DESERTS (SAHARA) HAVE LOW HUMIDITY AND HIGH TEMPERATURES DURING THE DAY. AT
NIGHT THE TEMPERATURE FALLS BECAUSE THE DRY AIR CANNOT HOLD HEAT WELL.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM
LIVING IN A ARID CLIMATE?
SEMIARID
• THIS SUB-REGION DOES NOT RECEIVE MUCH
PRECIPITATION AT ALL – USUALLY ABOUT 16 INCHES
PER YEAR.
• SUMMERS ARE HOT AND WINTERS ARE MILD TO
COLD.
• THIS CLIMATE IS LOCATED IN THE INTERIOR OF
CONTINENTS, OR IN A ZONE AROUND DESERTS.
• MUCH OF THE AMERICAN WEST FALLS INTO THIS
CLIMATE TYPE.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM
LIVING IN A SEMIARID CLIMATE?
MEDITERRANEAN
• PRIMARILY FOUND SURROUNDING THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.
• SUMMERS ARE DRY AND HOT WHILE WINTERS ARE COOL AND RAINY.
• SUPPORTS A DENSE HUMAN POPULATION AND RICH AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY.
• MANY OF THE FIRST GREAT HUMAN CIVILIZATIONS THRIVED IN THIS CLIMATE.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM LIVING IN A
MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE?
HUMID SUBTROPICAL
• LONG PERIODS OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY CHARACTERIZE
THIS CLIMATE REGION.
• THESE AREAS ARE FOUND ON THE EAST COAST OF
CONTINENTS AND ARE OFTEN SUBJECT TO HURRICANES
IN LATE SUMMER AND AUTUMN.
• WINTERS ARE MILD TO COOL, DEPENDING ON
LATITUDE.
• VERY SUITABLE FOR RAISING CROPS, (RICE).
• PHILADELPHIA, PA & SOUTH
JERSEY
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM LIVING IN A
HUMID SUBTRPOICAL CLIMATE?
MARINE WEST COAST
• LOCATED CLOSE TO THE OCEANS AND IS FREQUENTLY
CLOUDY, FOGGY, AND DAMP.
• WARM OCEAN WATERS OFF THE COAST MODERATES AND
KEEPS TEMPERATURES RELATIVELY CONSTANT THROUGHOUT
THE YEAR.
• PRECIPITATION IS EVENLY DISTRIBUTED
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
• RAINS A LOT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
• SEATTLE, WA (PACIFIC NORTHWEST)
• LONDON, ENGLAND
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM LIVING IN A
MARINE WEST COAST CLIMATE?
HUMID
CONTINENTAL
• THIS CLIMATE REGION EXPERIENCES A VARIETY IN
TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION.
• MOSTLY FOUND IN MID-LATITUDE (40’S TO 50 DEGREES)
INTERIORS OF NORTHERN HEMISPHERE CONTINENTS.
• THESE REGIONS ALSO EXPERIENCE FOUR DISTINCT SEASONS.
• NEPA IS LOCATED IN THIS CLIMATE REGION.
• DECIDUOUS FORESTS THRIVE IN THIS CLIMATE.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM LIVING IN
A HUMID CONTINENTAL CLIMATE?
SUBARCTIC
• EVERGREEN FORESTS COVER THE LANDS IN THIS
CLIMATE REGION.
• HUGE TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS OCCUR BETWEEN
SUMMER AND WINTER.
• SUMMERS ARE SHORT AND COOL WHILE THE
WINTERS ARE LONG & EXTREMELY COLD.
• TEMPERATURES AT FREEZING
OR BELOW LAST FIVE TO EIGHT
MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM LIVING IN
A SUBARCTIC CLIMATE?
TUNDRA
• TUNDRA IS THE FLAT, TREELESS
LANDS FORMING A RING AROUND THE ARCTIC
OCEAN.
• ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN
HEMISPHERE
• VERY LITTLE RAINFALL – LESS THAN 15 INCHES/YEAR.
• PERMANENTLY FROZEN SUBSOIL CALLED
“PERMAFROST”
• SUMMER ONLY LASTS A FEW WEEKS WITH
TEMPERATURES AROUND 40 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM LIVING IN
A TUNDRA CLIMATE?
ICE CAP
• SNOW, ICE, AND PERMANENTLY FREEZING TEMPERATURES CHARACTERIZE THIS
REGION.
• SO COLD IT RARELY SNOWS.
• THIS REGION IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS A POLAR DESERT BECAUSE IT
RECEIVES LESS THAN 10 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION PER YEAR.
O
• COLDEST TEMPERATURE = -128.6 F (VOSTOK, ANTARCTICA)
HIGHLANDS
(ALPINE)
HIGHLAND CLIMATES VARY DEPENDING UPON FOUR
FACTORS:
1. LATITUDE
2. ELEVATION (ALTITUDE)
3. TOPOGRAPHY
4. CONTINENTAL LOCATION
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM LIVING IN
THESE CLIMATES?