Weather in various corners of our planet is always determined by the climatic zone. There are few of them, but in each hemisphere this or that natural area has its own characteristics. Now we will consider the main climatic zones of our planet and transitional ones, note their main features and position.
A few common words
Our planet, as you know, consists of land and water. In addition, these two components have a different structure (on land there can be mountains, lowlands, hills or deserts, the ocean can have a cold or warm stream). That is why the effect that the Sun has on the Earth with the same intensity is completely differently displayed in different areas. Such interaction has caused the formation of the main climatic zones of the world and transitional, which are located between them. The first have a large area, characterized by stable weather conditions. The second stretch in narrow stripes parallel to the equator, and the temperature in their various areas can be very diverse.
The main natural areas
For the first time, geographers identified the main climatic zones of the planet in the middle of the 19th century, and then they were mostly descriptive. From then until today, there were four of them: polar, temperate, tropical and equatorial. In addition, it is important to highlight that now scientists divide the polar climate into two different zones - the Arctic and Antarctic. The fact is that the poles of the Earth are not symmetrical, and therefore the weather in each of these areas is different. Strange as it may seem, the climate in the north is milder; vegetation is even found in the circumpolar regions, since snow cover is melting in summer. In the south, you will not encounter such phenomena, and seasonal fluctuations in temperature there are off scale at 60 degrees. Below is a map of the climatic zones of the world, looking at which you can quickly find their location.
Equatorial climate above land
The location of this natural zone is the northern part of South America; Central African countries and the Congo Basin, as well as Lake Victoria and the upper Nile; most of the Indonesian archipelago. Each of these places has a very humid climate. The annual rainfall here is 3000 mm or more. For this reason, many areas falling into the zone of equatorial cyclones are covered with swamps. Comparing all other climatic zones and regions of our world with the equator, we can state with full confidence that this is the wettest zone. It should be noted that in the summer it rains here more often than in winter. They fall in the form of short-term and very strong showers, the consequences of which dry out in minutes, and the sun warms the earth again. There are no seasonal temperature fluctuations here - throughout the year the thermometer is kept within 28-35 above zero.
Equatorial marine climate
The strip that stretches along the equator across the ocean is called the dynamic minimum zone. The pressure here is as low as above land, which provokes a huge amount of precipitation - more than 3500 mm per year. Among other things, so humid climatic zones and areas above the waters are characterized by clouds and fogs. Here very dense air masses are formed due to the fact that both air and, in fact, the water surface are filled with moisture. The currents are warm everywhere, so that the water evaporates very quickly and its natural circulation occurs constantly. The temperature regime is kept within +24 - +28 degrees without inter-season fluctuations.
Tropical zone over land
Just note that the main climatic zones of our world are very different from each other, and this does not depend on how close they are to each other. A vivid example of this is the tropics, which, in fact, are not so far from the equator. This natural zone is divided into two parts - North and South. In the first case, it occupies a significant part of Eurasia (Arabia, Southern Iran, the extreme points of Europe in the Mediterranean Sea), North Africa, as well as Central America (mainly Mexico). In the second, these are the territories of some states of South America, the Kalahari desert in Africa and the central part of mainland Australia. There is a dry and hot climate with very sharp changes in temperature. The amount of precipitation per year is 300 mm; cloud cover, fogs and rains are extremely rare. Summer is always very hot - over +35 degrees, and in winter the temperature drops to +18. The temperature also fluctuates sharply during the day - during the day it can be as much as +40, and at night it will be only +20. Very often monsoons fly over the tropics - strong winds that destroy rocks. That is why so many deserts formed in this zone.
Tropics over the oceans
The table of climatic zones of the world gives us the opportunity to understand that the tropics over the ocean have slightly different characteristics. It is more humid, but also cooler, it rains more often and winds blow more strongly. The amount of rainfall per year is 500 mm. The average summer temperature is +25 degrees, and the average winter temperature is +15. A feature of the oceanic tropical climate are considered currents. Cold waters pass along the western shores of America, Africa and Australia, therefore it is always cooler and drier here. And the eastern shores are washed by warm waters, and here there is more rain and the air temperature is much higher.
The largest natural area: the climate is temperate. Features over land
The main climatic zones of the planet can not be imagined without the temperate zone, which dominates most of Eurasia and North America. This area is characterized by season changes - winter, spring, summer, autumn, in which humidity and temperature fluctuate significantly. Conventionally, the continental zone is divided into two subtypes:
- The sea has a temperate climate. These are zones located in Western Europe and Western North America. Summer is cool here - no more than +23, and winter is warm - not lower than +7. The amount of precipitation can reach 2000 mm, while they fall evenly throughout the year. Fogs often happen.
- Continental temperate climate. Here the amount of precipitation decreases sharply - approximately 200-500 mm per year. Winter is very severe (–30 - 40 and more) with constant snow cover, and summers are hot and dry - up to +40, which is clearly shown by the table of climatic zones of the world. In addition, the farther a particular point is located from the sea, the drier it is, and the temperature drops there are more dramatic.
Polar regions of the earth
High pressure zones are located in the far North and the Far South of our planet. In the first case, this is the water area of the Arctic Ocean and all the islands there. In the second case, it is Antarctica. A map of the climatic zones of the world often shows us both zones as regions identical in their weather conditions. In fact, there is a difference between them. In the North, annual temperature fluctuations are approximately 40 degrees. In winter, the temperature drops to –50, and in summer it warms up to +5. In Antarctica, the temperature difference is already 60 degrees, in winter the frosts are extremely severe –70 and more, and in the summer the thermometer does not rise above zero. A characteristic phenomenon for both poles is the polar day and night. In the summer, the sun does not go beyond the horizon for several months, and in winter, accordingly, does not appear at all.
Transitional climatic zones of the planet
These natural areas are located between the main. Despite this, they have their own characteristics that distinguish them from the general background. As a rule, such transition zones are places where milder weather, normal humidity and moderate winds reign. Transitional climatic zones were discovered at the end of the 19th century, their classification remains unchanged to this day. Each student knows their names - subequatorial, subtropical and subpolar. Now we will consider each of them.
Brief Overview of Transitional Natural Zones
- Subequatorial climate. It is characterized by a seasonal change in weather. In winter, the direction of the wind brings tropical air masses here. Because precipitation is extremely small, the air becomes cooler, the clouds disperse. In summer, the direction of the wind changes, equatorial cyclones fall here. Due to this, a huge amount of precipitation falls - 3000 mm, it becomes very hot.
- Subtropical. It is located between the tropics and temperate latitudes. Here the situation is similar. In summer, winds blow from the tropics, due to which it becomes very hot and sunny. In winter, cyclones arrive from temperate latitudes, it becomes cold, sometimes it snows, but there is no permanent cover.
- Subpolar climate. The zone of the dynamic minimum with high humidity and very low temperatures is over –50. It is noteworthy that in the Northern Hemisphere the subpolar zone occupies mainly land, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is a continuous water area in the Antarctic region.
What are the climatic zones in Russia?
Our country is located in the Northern Hemisphere and at the same time in the Eastern. The climate here begins to form in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and ends on the shores of the Black Sea, in the Caucasus. Now we list all the names of the main climatic zones that are found in Russia: Arctic, subarctic, temperate, subtropical. Most of the country's territory is occupied by a temperate strip. It is conditionally divided into four types: moderately continental, continental, sharply continental and monsoon. Humidity and temperature changes depend on how deep the geographic feature is in the continent. In general, the state is characterized by the presence of all four seasons, hot and dry summers and cold winters, with constant snow cover.
Conclusion
The features of a particular climate on the planet in many respects depend on the relief over which it is located. The north of the Earth is mostly covered by land, therefore, a zone of the so-called dynamic maximum has formed here. There is always a small amount of precipitation, strong winds and large seasonal temperature fluctuations. The main climatic zones of the northern hemisphere are the polar zone, temperate, and tropical. In the south of the planet, most of the territory is water. The climate here is always more humid, the temperature drops less. Most of the countries here are located in subequatorial latitudes, tropics and subtropics. A moderate strip is only a small piece of land in South America. Also, a significant part of the land is occupied by the Antarctic zone, which is located above the mainland of the same name.