Climate Zones and Vegetation- Chapter 2, Section 3
Directions: In each of the three categories provided please do the following: in the first
column label each climate. In the second column, write the main characteristics of each
zone. In the third column, describe the conditions that cause this climate.
Climate
Main
Characteristics
Conditions that
Cause Climate
Marine West Coast
Rainy and mild winters
Cool summers
Heavy rain
Coastal areas that receive
moist ocean winds
Tropical Rain Forest
Year-round rains
Millions of plants and
animals
Dense Forests
Close to the equator
Thick canopy
Tropical Savanna
Hot and dry
Rain falls just a few
months a year
Few trees
Wet and dry seasons
Broad grasslands
Close to the equator
Few trees
Wet and dry seasons
Mediterranean
Mild, rainy winters
Hot, dry summers
Short trees
Close to the Tropic of
Cancer
Chapparral Trees
Humid Continental
Long, cold, snowy winters
Summers are short, but
very hot
Inland area
Humid Subtropical
Rain falls throughout year
Heavy rain fall in summer
Winters are short and mild
Mid-latitude regions close
to tropics
Subarctic
Very cold, bitter winters
Temperature rises just
above freezing in the
summer
High latitudes near midlatitudes
Tundra
Harsh and dry
Low layers stay frozencalled permafrost
Closer to poles than
subarctic zone
Ice Cap
Bitterly cold
Average temperature
below freezing
No vegetation grows there
Desert
Driest parts receive less
than 10 inches of rain per
year
Only scattered plants such
as shrubs and cacti
Regions called deserts
Steppe
Treeless plain
10-20 inches of rain per
year
Bushes and short grasses
Great Plains of United
States