Tropical climates: the ITCZ, Equatorial climate, Tropical wet and dry climate, tropical monsoon climate

tropical rainy climate

Equatorial climate: the equatorial climate is sometimes referred to as the ................

pressure gradients gentle

Equatorial climate: Close to the equator ............... are small and therefore winds are ..........

the position of the ITCZ

Equatorial climate: Convection uplift is related to what?

12 hours small 3 degrees Celsius

Equatorial climate: Day and night are both around .. hours and the annual temperature range is .........., normally as low as ...

- in locations far from the ocean, such as the eastern Amazon basin, where some parts of the year are drier than average

Equatorial climate: How can rainfall patterns vary?

- Morning = hazy - as this clears, convection currents develop and form cumulus clouds - these build up and intensify during the afternoon heat to form cumulonimbus clouds - heavy rainfall develops in the late afternoon or early evening

Equatorial climate: How does rainfall change throughout the day?

26-28 degrees Celsius

Equatorial climate: Mean monthly temperatures are .........

18 degrees Celsius 35 degrees Celsius

Equatorial climate: Night time temperatures rarely fall below .... and daytime temperatures may rise to ....

because this is where the trade winds converge

Equatorial climate: On the equator there is lack of wind. Why?

breeze

Equatorial climate: On the forest floor there is little ........

high 2,000 mm

Equatorial climate: Rainfall is ......, at over .............. per year

diurnal temperature

Equatorial climate: The .............. range is greater than the annual range

the convergence of tropical air masses in these latitudes results in low pressure throughout the year

Equatorial climate: The constant uplift of warm, unstable air is caused by what? What does this result in throughout the year?

lowland areas 5-10 degrees

Equatorial climate: The equatorial climate occurs in .......... areas within ......... latitude of the equator

Because the sun is never far from its zenith

Equatorial climate: There is little variation in the length of daylight hours throughout the year. Why?

Spring and autumn equinox

Equatorial climate: When is the sun directly over head?

there is high humidity and constant temperatures

Equatorial climate: Why can this climate be oppressive?

repetitive predictable

Equatorial climate: the daily pattern of rainfall is ........... and ..............

rainfall totals double the normal maximum

Equatorial climate: what can happen to rainfall totals when the sun is directly overhead at the spring and autumn equinox?

a term that covers hurricanes, tropical cyclones, typhoons and willy-willies. These intense low-pressure weather systems are associated with catastrophic wind seeds and torrential rainfall

Key definitions: Define tropical revolving storm

a natural event brought about by weather or climate that threatens life and property

Key definitions: define climatic hazard

when the lower air in the atmosphere is heated by the ground it expands and rises. This leads to instability within the atmosphere ad formation of cumulonimbus clouds.

Key definitions: define convection

the seasonal reversal or pressure and wind direction, commonly associated with heavy precipitation, experienced when winds blow in from the ocean in southeast Asia during the months May to October

Key definitions: define monsoon

- position - the role of associated subtropical anticyclones

The ITCZ: A major influence on all tropical climates is the ........... of the ITCZ and what else?

intense heating - rise - divergence

The ITCZ: At the point of convergence where the trade winds meet, combined with .......... in the low latitudes, this causes air to .... and this in turn is helped by ............ aloft

land in the northern hemisphere is heated intensely

The ITCZ: During the summer months, what happens to the land in the northern hemisphere?

An area of precipitation that moves north and south of the equator throughout the year, following the movement of the sun.

The ITCZ: The ITCZ is associated with an area of what?

intense low pressure

The ITCZ: The ITCZ marks an area of ...............

greatest on the western sides of the oceans - storms

The ITCZ: The tendency for air to be lifted by convergence is greatest where? This increases the frequency of what?

during the summer months - over the great continental landmass of Asia

The ITCZ: When does the sun move further away from the equator in the northern hemisphere than may be expected? Where in particular?

occurs at the point where the trade winds meet

The ITCZ: Where does convergence occur?

occurs along a line where the north east trade winds blowing away from the subtropical high-pressure cell in the northern hemisphere meet the southeast trade winds blowing in a similar fashion from the subtropical high in the southern hemisphere.

The ITCZ: Where does the ITCZ occur?

- its location in the mid-latitudes - close to the Atlantic Ocean

The climate of the British Isles is influenced by what?

- diurnal - annual

Tropical wet and dry climate: The .......... range of temperatures is greater than the ....... in the dry season

marked by a distinct wet and dry seasons

Tropical monsoon climate: A monsoon climate is marked by what?

continental landmass at the centre of Asia

Tropical monsoon climate: At the same time, what area experiences intense cooling and a large area of high pressure?

skies are clear associated with continued high pressure and sinking air (allows more intense heating than in the wet season when low pressure generates clouds that absorb and reflect some incoming radiation)

Tropical monsoon climate: At this time of year, what are skies like and associated with?

serious flooding in some years

Tropical monsoon climate: Excessive rains may cause what?

- derived from the Arabic for season - in meteorology it is associated with the seasonal reversal in wind direction seen particularly in the Indian subcontinent and other parts of southeast Asia

Tropical monsoon climate: Explain the meaning of the word 'monsoon'

- prolonged drought

Tropical monsoon climate: Failure of the monsoon may result in what?

19 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius

Tropical monsoon climate: From November to February, what is the mean monthly temperature range?

both move south over the equator towards the Tropic of Capricorn

Tropical monsoon climate: In January, what happens the ITCZ and the subtropical jet stream?

- moves polewards towards the Tropic of Cancer - it extends further north than might be expected (as far as 30 degrees north) over northern India

Tropical monsoon climate: In June how does the ITCZ move?

Parts of southeast Asia

Tropical monsoon climate: Large parts of what area experience what is known as a monsoon climate?

much greater variation

Tropical monsoon climate: Over the large continental land mass that is Asia, what is the temperature variation like?

further increased by the uplift of air over the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, and by intense convection

Tropical monsoon climate: Rainfall totals are further increased by what?

draws in moist unstable air from the Indian Ocean - brings heavy rain

Tropical monsoon climate: The low pressure draws in what from the Indian Ocean? What does this bring?

- violent winds - torrential rainfall - thunderstorms

Tropical monsoon climate: These intense low-pressure systems bring what?

the seasonal shifts are relatively small

Tropical monsoon climate: What are the seasonal shifts of heat and pressure zones like over the oceans when water both heats up and cools down relatively slowly?

- Tropical revolving storm (called cyclones in this region) - up to 2,500mm of rain falls

Tropical monsoon climate: What can occur during the rainy season? How much rain falls?

- The Himalayas - the high mountains interfere with the general circulation of the atmosphere

Tropical monsoon climate: What is a major influence on this climate type and why?

maximum = up to 30 degrees Celsius - before the monsoon 'bursts' into May (slightly later in some parts of southeast Asia)

Tropical monsoon climate: When does the mean monthly temperature rise to its annual maximum? (what is the maximum?)

- eastern coast of India - Sri Lanka - Bay of Bengal

Tropical monsoon climate: Which areas may receive some rain from this monsoon as winds pass over the .................

Solids have a greater capacity for heat transfer

Tropical monsoon climate: Why are temperatures much higher over the land than over the oceans when the land is heated intensely during the summer months?

due to the differential heating capacity of solids and liquids

Tropical monsoon climate: Why do seasonal contrasts in temperature occur between the land masses and the oceans?

Due to the intense heating that takes place there

Tropical monsoon climate: Why does the ITCZ move further north than might be expected?

because upper atmospheric conditions have to be correct to allow the winds to come from the south

Tropical monsoon climate: Why is the timing of the arrival of the monsoon not always reliable?

northeast high pressure cell - brings dry conditions

Tropical monsoon climate: Winds blow from ................ away from what? What conditions does this bring to most of the Indian subcontinent?

southwesterly direction Coriolis effect

Tropical monsoon climate: Winds blow from a ............... deflected by the .......... as the Earth spins

coincides with the sun being directly overhead. corresponds to a period when offshore trade winds blow across the area from a dry interior source

Tropical wet and dry climate: A double peak in temperatures coincides with what? This corresponds with what?

the length of the dry season

Tropical wet and dry climate: As latitude increases so does what?

cloudless 40 degrees Celsius

Tropical wet and dry climate: During the dry season the sun shines in .......... skies and temperatures can reach ..... or more

dry season high pressure

Tropical wet and dry climate: For the rest of the year there is a hot ... season when ............ dominates

- polewards - 5-15 degrees north and south - central

Tropical wet and dry climate: It is found ................ of the equatorial climate, generally between latitudes ........... of the equator within the ............. parts of large continents.

500mm

Tropical wet and dry climate: Rainfall totals are greater nearer to the equator (around ........mm) but can be as little as ..... mm on the borders of this climate regime

the tropical continental climate

Tropical wet and dry climate: The tropical wet and dry climate is also known as what?

gradual

Tropical wet and dry climate: There is a .................. transition from the equatorial climate to the tropical wet and dry climate.

- wet - 26 degrees Celsius - convectional

Tropical wet and dry climate: There is a hot .... season with temperatures above .... and heavy ........... rain

- steady and strong - towards the low pressure around the ITCZ

Tropical wet and dry climate: Trade winds are ......... and .......... and are created as air is pulled towards what?

occurs when the ITCZ moves polewards with the overhead sun, causing low pressure to develop and producing strong convectional and heavy rainfall.

Tropical wet and dry climate: When does the hot wet season occur?

escapes - 10 degrees Celsius

Tropical wet and dry climate: at night heat .......... rapidly in the clear skies and temperatures can drop below .....

- latitude - pressure systems - winds - continentality or distance from the sea - ocean currents - mountain ranges

Variations in climate types in the tropics Is influenced by what factors? (6)

- equatorial climate - tropical wet and dry climate - tropical monsoon climate

What are the three tropical climate types?

climate types

Within the tropics, as in the temperate latitudes, there are variations in what?