Climate Pictures
Below are pictures representative of the various major climate
regions of the world. Climate regions have their own unique weather
patterns that produce unique plant and animal life. One can
frequently identify with pictures the climate of a region.
The first picture, the VERTICAL CLIMATE, is found in mountainous
areas and associated with major mountain ranges such as the
HIMALAYA RANGE IN ASIA, ANDES OF SOUTH AMERICER, ALPS OF EUROPE,
AND THE ROCKIES OF THE USA.
VERTICAL Climate (Switzerland)
The Vertical Climate features drastic changes in weather as the
altitude increases or decreases. Vertical Climate is unique in that
in mountain areas, various climate regions exist within close
proximity of each other. Low on the mountain may be a desert
climate. As the altitude increases, a forested region, seen above
in the foreground, is often seen marking a Taiga like climate.
Still higher, above the tree line, is an area of Tundra. At the
top, where there is almost always ice and snow, is the Ice Cap.
STEPPE Climate (Mongolia, South Dakota
The Steppe Climate is generally found at altitudes above 6,000
feet and are marked by a mixture of low and high growing grasses.
Rain is sparse in a Steppe Climate—enough for grasses but not
enough for trees.
HUMID CONTINENTAL Climate (Ohio/Wisconsin)
Humid Continental Climate is very similar to our climate in
Jackson—Humid Subtropical. The main difference is that winters are
longer and temperatures colder than in Humid Subtropical areas.
MEDITERRANEAN Climate, California
The Mediterranean Climate is found in the Temperate Zones and is
marked by a rainy season and a dry season. Normally, summers are
very dry but winters produce a moderate amount of precipitation.
Summer days get hot, but summer nights are usually cool. Winter
temperatures are cool but rarely cold.
TAIGA Climate Alaska
The Taiga Climate is found in sub-polar regions in both
hemispheres. Taiga Climate is marked by long, snowy, cold winters
and by the evergreen trees that help identify the Taiga Climate.
The Taiga is found just south of the Tundra regions that encircle
the Arctic.
TUNDRA Climate (Alaska)
The Tundra is the coldest climate region inhabited by humans.
Lapps in Europe and Native American Indians (sometimes called
Eskimos) are the primary inhabitants of this region. Here, summers
are short and cool. Winters are bitterly cold and feature little
sunlight.
DESERT Climate (N. Africa, West Texas)
The RED portion of the map below clearly shows the prevalence of
the hot desert climate in North Africa, the Middle East and
Australia. You will likewise the presence of desert climate in the
Southwestern United States.
The lighter shade of red depicts ‘cold deserts’. The most
notable ‘cold’ desert is a high and dry plateau located in Central
Asia and is called the Gobi Desert. The Gobi is cold because it is
located at a high altitude. It is dry because the high mountains
cast a RAIN SHADOW over the Gobi, where the mountains steal most of
the humidity and moisture as it blows north from the Indian
Ocean.
Technically, desert conditions exist where Evaporation exceeds
Condensation. Therefore, all deserts are very dry.
As you can see from the map, desert climate has claimed a huge
portion of Australia and much of North Africa. But check out
Europe—you don’t see any arid, dry desert climate on that
continent.
HUMID SUBTROPICAL Climate Map marked with green or yellow-green
colors.
Humid Subtropical Climate (Florida, Tennessee)