World Climates
Tropical Wet
• Characteristics
– Always hot
– rains daily
Tropical Wet and Dry
• Characteristics
– Rainy
– warm summers
– dry, cool winters
Semiarid
• Characteristics
– Little precipitation
– mild to cold winters (can
snow)
– interior of continents
Desert
• Characteristics
– Less than 10 inches per
year of precipitation
Mediterranean
• Characteristics
– Dry, hot summers
– cool, rainy winters…
– usually around Med Sea
Marine West Coast
• Characteristics
– Cloudy
– Damp
– precipitation pretty
much year round
Humid Subtropical
• Characteristics
– Long summers- heat and
humidity
– prone to hurricanes
– mild to cool winters
Humid Continental
• Characteristics
– Great variety in
temperature and
precipitation
– all four seasons
Subarctic
• Characteristics
– Huge temperature
variations
– short, cool summers
– very cold winters
– taiga forests
Tundra
• Characteristics
– Little precipitation
– permafrost (perm frozen
ground)
– cold summer
Ice Cap
• Characteristics
– Permanently freezing
temperatures, so cold it
rarely snows
– polar desert
Highlands
• Characteristics
– Varies due to all factors
– Cold as elevation
increases
D
Tropical Wet
Belem, Brazil
Elev: 42 ft Lat: 01 o 27' S
Long: 48 o 29'W
• LACEMOPS
– Latitude
– warm ocean currents
– winds moving air
masses
C
Tropical Wet & Dry
Mexico City, Mexico
o
Elev: 7340 ft Lat: 19 26' N
Long: 99 o 04'W
• LACEMOPS
– Latitude
– warm ocean currents
– winds moving air
masses
K
Semiarid
Phoenix, Az.
Elev: 1107 ft
Lat: 33oN Long: 112oW
• LACEMOPS
– Continentality
– winds moving apart
at horse latitudes
– cold ocean currents
– mountain barriers
H
Desert
• LACEMOPS
Cairo, Egypt
Elev: 381 ft Lat: 29
Long: 31 oE
oN
– Continentality
– winds moving apart
at horse latitudes
– cold ocean currents
– mountain barriers
E
Mediterranean
Athens, Greece
Elev: 351 ft Lat: 37 o N
Long: 23 o E
• LACEMOPS
– Latitude
– ocean currents
– air masses
F
Marine West Coast
London, England
Elev: 149 ft Lat: 51 oN
Long: 00 o
• LACEMOPS
– Warm winds
– cold ocean currents
(storms)
– Continentality
(moderates)
L
Humid Subtropical
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Elev: 89 ft Lat: 34 o 33' S
Long: 58 o 29'W
• LACEMOPS
– Latitude
– warm ocean
currents meet
high pressure
with heavy cold
air (storms)
J
Humid Continental
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Elev: 686 ft Lat: 45 oN
Long: 93 oW
• LACEMOPS
– Latitude,
– continentality (farther
away from water)
– air masses chilled by
Arctic ice and snow
collide with tropical air
masses (storms, tornadoes)
B
Subarctic
Arkhangelsk, Russia
Elev: 13 ft Lat: 65° N,
Long: 41° W
• LACEMOPS
– Latitude
– polar winds and cold
air masses
– Continentality,
(extreme coldness b/c
no water to moderate)
A
Tundra
Barrow, Alaska
Elev: 10 ft
Lat: 71° N, Long: 157° W
• LACEMOPS
– Latitude
– polar air masses
– cold ocean currents
(dry, little
precipitation)
I
Ice Cap
• LACEMOPS
Scott Base, Antarctica
Elev: 52 ft Lat: 77
Long: 166 oE
oS
– Latitude
– polar air masses
– cold ocean currents
(dry, little
precipitation)
G
Highlands
La Paz, Bolivia
Elev: 11,975 ft
Lat: 17oS Long: 68oW
• LACEMOPS
– Elevation
– Latitude
– Winds
– ocean currents
(dry or wet)