Climate Family Climographs Locations Developed by Joe Naumann

Climate Family Climographs & Locations Developed by Joe Naumann

A family of climates - Tropical • Warm all months – Diurnal temperature range is usually greater than the range of average monthly temperatures. • Seasons based on precipitation, not on temperature. • Differences in typical vegetation is based on differences of available precipitation. 2

Climograph – Af (Tropical Rainforest) 3

Tropical Rainforest Map 4

Am – Tropical Monsoon • Not given on many maps – often combined with the tropical rainforest (Af) • Temperatures are very similar to Af • Precipitation differs: there is a short dry season that is long enough to allow some deciduous trees to be part of the forest. 5

Tropical Monsoon Climate 6

Climograph – Aw (tropical Savanna) 7

Savanna Locations 8

B Family – Dry Climates • The most important characteristic is the insufficiency of precipitation for any kind of continuous vegetation cover. • Precipitation is also usually unreliable. • Temperatures are usually not considered – High altitude & high latitude deserts (Bwk) – High altitude & high latitude steppe (Bsk) – Low latitude deserts (Bwh) – Low latitude steppe (Bsh) • Temperatures – k = cold & h = hot 9

Climograph – BW (Desert – Arid) 10

Desert Locations 11

Climagraph – Bs (Steppe or Semiarid) 12

Steppe (Semi-arid) Locations 13

C Family – 4 season temperate • All members have four distinct seasons based primarily on temperature differences • The receive enough precipitation to support some type of forest vegetation (Maquis of the Mediterranean is the result of human action of long ago – deforestation by the Romans) • Summers can be very hot, but winters are mild compared to those of the D climates. 14

C Family of Climates 15

Climagraph – Cfa (Humid subtropical) St. Louis is near the northern border of Cfa 16

Climagraph – Cs (Mediterranean) 17

Climagraph – Cfb (Marine West Coast) 18

D Family – Humid Continental • The continental influence results in seasonal temperature extremes • Four seasons, but the summer gets shorter and cooler as one progresses from Dfa to Dfd. • Found in the higher latitudes; therefore, there are none in the southern hemisphere. There are no huge continental landmasses in those latitudes in the southern hemisphere. • Sufficient precipitation to support some type of forest vegetation. 19

D Family of Climates 20

Climagraph – Dfa (Humid Continental – hot summer) St. Louis is near the southern border of Dfa 21

Climograph – Dfb (Humid Continental – cold winter) 22

Dfc or Dfd -- Siberia 23

Moving north into Canada colder D climates • Dfc • Dfd – coldest of the D family • D climates found in Asia, particularly Siberia (w stands for dry winter) – Dwa – Dwb – Dwc – Dwd 24

E Family – Polar climates • Here the temperatures do not get warm enough to provide a reasonable growing season. Available precipitation is insufficient to support any type of forest. • The ET climate (tundra) does support grasses, herbaceous plants, mosses, and lichens in the few months that might avearge above freezing. • The EF climates never have average temperatures above freezing, so there is no vegetation. 25

Climagraph – ET (Subarctic) 26

Tundra Locations 27

Permafrost 28

EF - Permanent Ice and Snow • Glacial areas such as mountain glaciers or continental glaciers (Antarctica & Greenland) • No vegetation or permanent human habitation. 29

EF climate 30