Our planet has a geoid geometric shape, so the sun's rays on its surface fall at different angles. This fact leads to the fact that different zones of the globe receive different amounts of solar radiation, and therefore both cold and warm climatic zones exist on Earth. The article reveals the question of which line separates the cold belt from the moderate one.
Climatic zones of planet Earth
Before answering the question, which line separates the cold belt from the moderate one, you should understand the concept of "climatic zone". In geography, this phrase means an area of ​​our planet that has certain latitudinal limits and is characterized by appropriate climatic conditions (air temperature, rainfall).
The division of the Earth into latitudinal climatic zones is based on the fact of different average angles of incidence of sunlight on the planet's surface at different latitudes. For example, near the equator, this angle is close to 90 o , when moving to the poles of the planet, it gradually decreases, and at the poles themselves it becomes close to 0 o (a situation where the Sun barely rises from the horizon).
There are only three climatic zones (in the 7th grade of a comprehensive school, this topic is covered):
- Tropical: This is the hottest belt on the planet. It is conventionally believed that it is located between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively.
- Moderate: it is characterized by annual temperature fluctuations within a few tens of degrees. This belt is located between the tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle in the northern hemisphere and the tropic of Capricorn and the southern polar circle in the southern hemisphere.
- Cold: the Earth’s cold belts are located within the polar circles of the Earth’s geoid. Since the sun's rays fall into these zones at very small angles, the temperatures here are quite low throughout the year.
Tropical belt
As was said, it is located between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, that is, between the parallels 23 o 26 'in the southern and northern hemispheres. This belt is characterized by high temperatures and high rainfall. The main landscapes of the tropics are the selva and savannah, which have rich flora and fauna.
In addition, in this zone there are very dry and hot territories, which are called deserts. On the border between the tropical and temperate zones, steppes are located.
Temperate zone
Answering the question which line separates the cold belt from the moderate one, it should be said that moderate latitudes are conventionally located between the corresponding tropic (latitude 23 o 26 ') and the corresponding polar circle (latitude 66 o 33'). Temperatures in temperate or mid-latitudes are not too low, as in the region of the poles, but are not too high, as in areas of a dry tropical climate.
The climate of the temperate climate zone is usually divided into the following types:
- The Mediterranean is a hot climate with little rainfall, poor soils and shrubbery.
- Sea or oceanic - characterized by hot and dry summers and high rainfall and average temperatures in winter.
- Prairies, meadows and plains are the most populated part of the planet, because here are the most optimal conditions for human life. It should be noted in this subzone of the temperate zone the presence of fertile land and a sufficient amount of vegetation (grass, shrubs and forests).
Earth's Cold Belt
This belt is located within the southern and northern polar circles, that is, above the parallel 66 o 33 '. The main features of its climate are low average annual temperatures, as well as the presence of phenomena such as polar night and polar day in latitudes close to the poles.
As a rule, it is customary to distinguish taiga, tundra and glacier zones within the cold climate zone:
- The glacier zone is considered the coldest territory on the planet, where snow lies all year round. There is practically no rainfall.
- The tundra zone is characterized by long cold winters and short cool summers. Features of the climate lead to the presence in the tundra of only dwarf trees, mosses and lichens.
- Taiga is characterized by large areas of forests, consisting mainly of tall conifers, and marshy soils.
Which line separates the cold belt from the moderate?
The answer to this question has already been implicitly given above. This is the line of the Arctic Circle, which is located at a latitude of 66 o 33 ', both in the northern and southern hemispheres.
Note that the division into climatic zones is conditional, since the sun's rays change their angle of incidence on the surface of the planet gradually. This means that on the border of climatic zones one can meet climatic zones from both colder and warmer zones.
We emphasize that when they answer the question of which line separates the cold belt from the moderate one, they most often speak of the Arctic Circle, since this line crosses the entire North American continent and Eurasia. The line of the southern polar circle crosses the oceans of our planet.