Download Climate Regions - Burnet Middle School

Chapter 10, Section 2
(Pages 282–288)
Climate Regions
The physical environment affects how people live. As you read, complete
the chart below by listing and describing Europe’s main climate zones.
Climate Zone
Characteristics
Wind and Water
Climate Zones
Europe is farther north than much of the United States.
Because of this, you might expect its climate to be cold.
However, the North Atlantic Current carries warm water from
the Gulf of Mexico to Europe. Winds from the west, called westerlies, pass over this current and also carry warmth to Europe.
Other wind patterns affect regions in Europe. Winds blowing north from Africa warm southern Europe. In contrast, winter
winds from Asia can lower temperatures in eastern Europe.
The waters around Europe also influence its climate. Winds
blowing from the seas help cool the land in summer. In winter,
the same winds warm the cold land. Thus, coastal Europe has a
more moderate climate than inland areas.
(pages 284–288)
Europe has three main climate zones—marine west coast,
humid continental, and Mediterranean. Five additional climate
zones appear in small areas of Europe—subarctic, tundra, highland, steppe, and humid subtropical.
70
Chapter 10, Section 2
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
What is the main idea
of this subsection?
(page 283)
Climate Zones
(continued)
Marine West Coast
Underline the types
of vegetation for
each climate zone.
How do mountains
affect southern
Europe’s climate?
Much of northwestern and central Europe has a marine
west coast climate. This climate features mild temperatures and
much rain. The climate supports a long growing season. Rainfall
occurs mostly in the autumn and early winter. Forests flourish
in the marine west coast climate. Some forests have deciduous
trees, which lose their leaves in the fall. In cooler areas of the
zone, coniferous trees, also called evergreens, grow.
Humid Continental
The second main zone is the humid continental climate. It is
found in eastern Europe and parts of northern Europe. This zone
has cooler summers and colder winters than the marine west
coast zone. It also gets less rain and snow. The humid continental zone has mixed forests of deciduous and coniferous trees.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Mediterranean
Complete this
sentence.
winds are cold
and dry, and
winds are hot
and dry.
The Mediterranean zone is Europe’s third major climate zone,
and it includes much of southern Europe. Mediterranean summers are hot and dry, and winters are mild and wet. The Pyrenees
and Alps stop cold winds from blowing into southern Europe.
Southern France, however, experiences cold, dry, mistral winds
from the north.
Hot, dry winds from Africa, known as siroccos, pick
up moisture as they cross the Mediterranean Sea. They bring
humid weather to much of southern Europe. Vegetation in the
Mediterranean zone includes olive trees, grapes, and low-lying
shrubs—plants that do not need much water.
Subarctic and Tundra
The cold subarctic zone covers parts of Norway, Sweden,
and Finland. Evergreen trees grow in this zone. Even farther
north is the tundra zone, a frigid area of treeless plains. Only
low shrubs and mosses can grow in the tundra. During winter,
the sun’s rays reach this region for only four hours per day.
Highland
The highland climate zone is found in the high altitudes
of the Alps and Carpathian Mountains. This climate is generally
cool to cold. Temperature and rainfall vary in this zone, depending mainly on a place’s altitude, or elevation above sea level.
Evergreens grow part of the way up the mountains, stopping
at a point called the timberline. Only scrubby bushes and lowlying plants grow above the timberline.
Chapter 10, Section 2
71
Climate Zones
(continued)
Other Climate Zones
The southern part of Ukraine is a dry, treeless grassland
called a steppe. The climate—also called steppe—is dry too, but
not as dry as a desert. An area of land north of the Adriatic Sea
has a humid subtropical climate. Summers are hot and wet here,
and winters are mild and wet.
What are the five
smaller climate
zones in Europe?
1.
Climate Change
2.
Many European leaders are worried about global warming.
They fear that melting glaciers will cause ocean levels to rise,
flooding coastal areas of Europe. Millions of Europeans live on
or near the coasts. Officials are encouraging people to change
their patterns of energy use. Most European governments have
also signed the Kyoto Treaty, which limits the output of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
3.
4.
5.
Wrap -Up
Answer these questions to check your understanding of the entire
section.
1. Defining What are westerlies? How do they affect the climate
of Europe?
Descri pt
ptive
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Imagine that you live in the tundra climate zone. Write a paragraph
describing what a typical winter day might be like.
Chapter 10, Section 2
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2. Specifying In which of Europe’s climate zones do coniferous,
or evergreen, trees grow?