World Geography 3202.....Chapter 5 notes Part 2
Temperate Mild Winter Climates
 many people prefer this type of climate
 found at middle latitudes on a sea or ocean coast
Sub regions are: Mediterranean; Subtropical; Marine West Coast
Mediterranean:
 Occurs around the Mediterranean Sea, small west-coast areas of California, Chile, South
Africa, and Australia.
 Summers are warm to hot, sunny and dry.
 Winters are mild with moderate precipitation.
 Temperatures are never cold.
 Snow rarely falls.
 Winter is moderated by warm air over the ocean blowing on the land by the westerlies.
 Fog and drizzle results when the two air masses meet over the land.
 Winds shift in summer because of the pressure belts moving For Example Europe and
California receive easterlies tropical winds in July while Chile, South Africa, and
Australia receive easterly trade winds in January. In both cases winds carry little or no
moisture so summer season is extremely dry.
Subtropical
 found on the east coasts
 Differs from the Mediterranean is that it has hotter summers & cooler winters & more
precipitation in summer and winter. Examples include American South East .....Florida
etc Southeast China, Southeast South America .....Argentina.
 Winter Precipitation is the result of tropical and polar air mixing
 Summer Precipitation is the result of convection currents (summer temperatures are high)
Marine and West Coast
 found on the west coast
 found at higher latitudes than the Mediterranean Climate
 Extends as far North as Alaska and Scandinavia
 Extends as far South as New Zealand, Southern tip of South America
 British Columbia also experiences this type of weather
 Although high in latitude these areas have mild winters - (warm ocean currents)
 winter fog and rain is more common than snow
 summers are cooler than locations inland
 Summer temperatures are kept down by the ocean waters.
Temperate Cold Winter Climates.
 These climates are farther north & Winters are colder
 Known as Continental .....[Continental warm summer / Continental cool summer]
 Found in; Southern Canada; American Midwest.... and all of New England; Northern
Asian and Central European Continents
 Continentality is the main factor determining colder temperatures.
 Continental Climates are in areas of large land masses occupying the Middle Latitudes.
Characteristics of Continental Regions
(1) Range between winter and summer temperatures get greater as you move inland (moving
away from the ocean).
(2) Summer days are extremely long in continental interiors.
(3) Summer temperatures decrease the farther North you go.
(4) Precipitation decreases as you move North
Summer is the season with the highest precipitation (tropical and polar air masses meet).
Subarctic Regions
 Exist between 50 degrees N and 70 degrees N
 Long summer days
 Winters are long and extremely cold.
 Conditions that cause precipitation are rarely present in high latitudes.
 Any snow that does fall stays on the ground through the winter.
Polar Climate
 Found in North America, Europe, Asia, Antarctica
 Summer season is extremely short
 Temperature never rises above 10 degrees C.
 Areas close to the ocean are less severe in temperature and is called the Tundra.
 Inland Subregions which are affected by continentality are called Icecap Climates.(colder
areas).
 Both regions have the Earth’s coldest, driest and darkest winters.
 The sun may not shine for months at a time.
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Highlands Climates
Cold conditions caused by high elevations (above 1000m)
Highland regions are also affected by latitude, distance from the sea and pressure
systems.
Different locations vary greatly when you look at temperature, precipitation, sun shine
and windiness.