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.
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Climograph – Af (Tropical Rainforest)
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Tropical Rainforest Map
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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.
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Tropical Monsoon Climate
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Climograph – Aw (tropical Savanna)
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Savanna Locations
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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
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Climograph – BW (Desert – Arid)
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Desert Locations
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Climagraph – Bs (Steppe or
Semiarid)
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Steppe (Semi-arid) Locations
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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.
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C Family of Climates
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Climagraph – Cfa (Humid
subtropical)
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St. Louis is near the northern border of Cfa
Climagraph – Cs (Mediterranean)
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Climagraph – Cfb (Marine West
Coast)
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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.
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D Family of Climates
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Climagraph – Dfa (Humid Continental
– hot summer)
St. Louis is near the southern border of Dfa
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Climograph – Dfb (Humid Continental
– cold winter)
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Dfc or Dfd -- Siberia
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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
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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.
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Climagraph – ET (Subarctic)
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Tundra Locations
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Permafrost
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EF - Permanent Ice and Snow
• Glacial areas such as mountain glaciers or
continental glaciers (Antarctica &
Greenland)
• No vegetation or permanent human
habitation.
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EF climate
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