Download Climate Study Sheet - Moore Public Schools

Climate Study Sheet
Please study these climates and be able to identify them on the test.
TROPICAL CLIMATES - get their names from the Tropics from about
30’N to 30’S. Temperatures change very little.
1. Tropical Rain Forest:
Warm and wet all year. Up to 100 inches of rain. Largest
is Amazon. Covered in lush vegetation and dense forest.
2. Tropical Savanna
Warm rainy season and a hot, dry season. Few trees.
Mostly covered in broad grasslands called savanna.
MID-LATITUDE CLIMATES-found from 30’N to 60’N and 30’S to 60’S
Most of the world’s people live here. Temperatures change with
seasons. There are many varieties of climates due to the mix of warm air
from the tropics and cool air from the poles that meet here.
1. Marine West Coast
Coastal areas with wind blowing in from ocean.
Mild, rainy winter and cool summer.
2. Mediterranean
Similar to climate near Mediterranean Sea.
Mild, rainy winter and hot, dry summer.
3. Humid Continental
Inland areas far from coast. Harsher climates.
Long, cold, snowy winters and short, hot summers.
4. Humid Subtropical
Mid-latitude regions near tropics. Rain falls all year but
mostly in hot, humid summer. Short, mild winter.
HIGH LATITUDE CLIMATES- found mostly in the areas from 60’N to
the North Pole and from 60’S to the South Pole. Always cold.
1. Subarctic
Just below Arctic Circle. Huge evergreen forests grow
here. Severely cold winters and barely above freezing
summer.
2. Tundra
Vast rolling plain without trees. Only grasses, berries,
and wildflowers grow. Top inches of soil thaw in
summer while bottom layers are permafrost, or
permanently frozen.
3. Ice Cap
Antarctica, Greenland, and polar ice caps. No vegetation
grows. Average below freezing all year.
4. Highland
Mountains and high elevations. Cold or cool year round.
Thin air can’t hold heat as well as low elevations.
DRY CLIMATES - Areas that receive little or no rainfall. Temperatures
can be extremely hot in the day and cold at night. Can be found anywhere.
1. Desert
Found at any latitude. Less than 10 inches of rain a year.
Only plants, like cactus, with roots close to the surface
can survive.
2. Steppe
Partly dry grassland that surrounds desert. Only average
10 to 20 inches of rain a year. Bushes and short grasses.