Download V. Types of Climates

V. Types of Climates
A. Shapers of Climate
•The main shapers of climate are temperature,
precipitation, and wind.
• These factors form global patterns
• Temperatures are warmest in and around the
tropics and coolest near the poles.
• Precipitation is greatest near the Equator.
B. Climate Regions
• These patterns of temperature and precipitation
create world climate regions.
•Climate regions- areas that share a similar climate
•Tropical Wet – climates combine hot
temperatures and heavy rainfall year round and
are clustered around the Equator.
• Tropical wet and dry – climates with wet season
in summer and dry season in winter
• Humid subtropical – climates have year-round
precipitation with mild winters and hot
•Mediterranean – climates that have hot, dry
weather in the summer and a rainy season in
the winter
• Maritime – climates are wet year-round,
with mild winters and cool summers. They
exist where moist winds blow onshore.
• Continental Warm Summer – have yearround precipitation, warm summers, and
cold, snowy winters.
• Continental Cool Summer – similar, but
have generally lower temperatures
Tundra – have cool summers and bitterly cold, dry
winters. Close to the poles, ice caps, or permanent
sheets of ice covering land or sea, have bitter cold and
dry climates year round.
Semiarid, or dry, and Arid, or very dry – occur where
there is steadily sinking air.
Subarctic – have limited precipitation, cool summers,
and very cold winters.