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Climate Zones and Vegetation. Ch. 2, Sec. 3 Pp. 61-68. Tropical Climates. Area along equator from 23½° N to 23½° S 2 types – rainforest and savannah Rainforest receives 100 inches of rain per year Savannah has wet season and dry season. Tropical Rain Forest Climate.
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Climate Zones and Vegetation Ch. 2, Sec. 3 Pp. 61-68
Tropical Climates • Area along equator from 23½° N to 23½° S • 2 types – rainforest and savannah • Rainforest receives 100 inches of rain per year • Savannah has wet season and dry season
Tropical Rain Forest Climate • Year-round rain in some parts • Millions of kinds of plants and animals • Thick forest canopy means little sunlight reaches the forest floor • Largest rain forest is in the Amazon River basin
Tropical Savanna Climate • Southern India and eastern Africa • Rain only falls a few months each year (wet season) • Savannas are broad grasslands with few trees
Mid-Latitude Climates • Most of the world’s people live here • Variety of climates because of a mix of air masses (warm from the Tropics and cool from the polar region) • Temperatures change with the seasons
Marine West Coast Climate • Winters are rainy and mild, summers are cool • Deciduous (lose leaves in fall) and coniferous (evergreen with cones and needles) thrive here
Mediterranean Climate • Mild, rainy winter and hot, dry summers • Chaparral (scrubs) and short trees grow here
Humid Continental Climate • Inland North America, Europe, or Asia • Long, cold, and snowy winters • Short, very hot summers • Deciduous trees and vast grasslands
Humid Subtropical Climate • Rainfall throughout the year, but heaviest during hot, humid summer • Winters are short and mild • Oaks, magnolias, and palms grow here
High Latitude Climates • Mostly in high latitudes of each hemisphere • Generally cold, but some are more severely cold than others.
Subarctic Climates • Very few people live here • Very cold and bitter winters • Temperatures do rise above freezing during summer • Taiga (huge evergreen forests) grow here
Tundra Climates • Closer to the poles • Vast, treeless plains • Harsh and dry • Permafrost – permanently frozen ground • No trees, only sturdy grasses and low bushes
Ice Cap Climate • Antarctica and Greenland • Monthly temperatures average below freezing • No vegetation, but lichens (fungus-like plants and mosses) can live on rocks
Dry Climates • Receive little or no rainfall • Extremely hot during the day and very cold at night • Can be found at any latitude
Desert Climate • Receive less than 10 inches of rain per year • Scattered plants, like scrub and cacti
Steppe Climate • Dry grassland and prairies • Can surround deserts • Russian word meaning “treeless plain” • 10-20 inches of rain per year • Bushes and short grasses
Highland Climate • Cool to very cold, even on the equator • Timberline – last elevation where trees can grow