Ch. 8 Science

Climograph

A chart showing the average monthly temperature and precipitation for a weather station.

General difference between a desert climate and steppe climate?

A desert is considered extremely arid while steppe is only considered semiarid.

Highland climate

A high-mountain climate where altitude is the dominant control; designated H in the Koppen system.

Ice cap climate

A polar climate characterized by temperatures below freezing throughout the year.

Describe the Major Climate Groups of the modified Koppen system (A,B,C,D,E,H)

A - TROPICAL HUMID CLIMATES: Occupy almost all of the land within the tropics, interrupted only here and there by mountains or small arid regions. Noted not so much for warmth as for lack of coldness. They do not experience the world's highest temperatures. These are winterless climates. Characterized by the presence of moisture. Although not universally rainy, the tropical humid zone is among the wettest in the world. Tropical wet (Af - wet all year), Tropical Savanna (Aw - Dry winter, wet summer), Tropical Monsoon (Am - Dry winter, very wet summer) B - DRY CLIMATES: Dry climates cover about thirty percent of the world's land area (more than any other climatic group). Develop as a result of the lack of air uplift necessary for cloud formation or the lack of moisture in the air. Hot regions can receive more precipitation than cool regions and be classified as dry due to evapotranspiration. Deserts are extremely arid, whereas steppes are semiarid. Subtropical desert (BWh - Hot desert), Subtropical Steppe (BSh - Hot semiarid), Midlatitude Desert (BWk - Cold desert), Midlatitude Steppe (BSk - Cold semiarid) C - MILD MIDLATITUDE CLIMATES: Constitute a transition between warmer tropical and colder severe midlatitude climates. This region creates atmospheric disturbances and weather variability. There is clearly a summer and a winter. Summers are long and sometimes hot, winters are short and relatively mild. These zones experience occasional winter frosts and therefore do not have a year-round growing season. Precipitation is highly variable. Mediterranean (Csa - Hot dry summer) (Csb - Warm dry summer), Humid Subtropical (Cfa - Wet all year, hot summer), (Cwa - Dry winter, hot summer), (Cwb - Dry winter, warm summer) D - SEVERE MIDLATITUDE CLIMATES Occur in the Northern Hemisphere only. Remoteness from oceans is a keynote of the D climate. Landmasses are broader at these latitudes than anywhere else. Have four clearly recognizable seasons: a long, cold, winter; a relatively short summer that varies from warm to hot; and trans ion periods in spring and fall. Annual temperature ranges are very large. Humid Continental (Dfa - Cold winter, wet all year, hot summer), (Dfb - Cold winter, wet all year, warm summer), (Dwa - Cold, dry winter, hot summer), (Dwb - Cold, dry winter, warm summer) Subarctic (Dfc - cold winter, no dry season, cool summer), (Dfd - very cold winter, no dry season), (Dwc - cold, dry winter, cool summer), (Dwd - very cold, dry winter) E - POLAR CLIMATES Receive too little insolation for significant warming. No month has an average temperature above (50 degrees F). Known for enduring cold, they have the coldest summers and the lowest annual and absolute temperatures. Also extraordinarily dry, but evaporation is so minuscule that it is classified as nonarid. Tundra (Et - polar tundra, no true summer) Ice Cap (Ef - Polar ice cap) F - HIGHLAND CLIMATES Not defined in the same sense as all the other groups. Climatic conditions in mountainous areas have almost infinite variations from place to place and many of the differences extend over very limited horizontal distances. Found in relatively high uplands having complex local climate variation in small areas. (H - high elevation climates)

Steppe Climate

Semarid, slightly less dry than a desert.

Desert

The climate, landscape, or biome associated with extremely arid conditions.

Paleoclimatology

The study of past climates.

Dendrochronology

The study of past events and past climate through the analysis of tree rings.

Oxygen Isotope analysis

Using the ratios of (oxygen 16) and (oxygen 18) isotopes in compounds such as water and calcium carbonate to infer temperature and other conditions in the past.

Kyoto Protocol

?

Tundra Climate

A polar climate in which no month of the year has an average temperature above 10 degrees C (50 degrees F)

Milankovitch Cycles

The long-term astronomical cycles involving Earth's inclination, precession, and eccentricity of orbit; in combination, believed to be at least partially responsible for major periods of glaciation and deglaciation. Named for Milutin Milankovitch, the astronomer who studied these cycles.

Koppen Climate Classification System

The most widely used climatic classification of the world, devised by Wladimir Koppen.