Climate Zones

© The GlobalEd 2 Project Photo credit: Peel, M.C., Finlayson, B.L., & McMahon, T.A. University of Melbourne, Wikimedia

Essential Questions

1. What are climate zones?

2. How are climate zones useful?

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Enduring Understandings

1. One definition of time zones is that they are a series of zones that represent different climatic conditions in the United States and Canada, based on temperature.

2. Climate zones are useful to horticulturists for rating the hardiness of plants.

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Types of Climate Zones

1. The polar zone (E)2. The dry zone (B)3. The humid tropical zone (A)4. Moist-mid latitude (mild winters) zone (C)5. Moist-mid latitude (severe winters) zone

(D)

Source: http://www.csun.edu/~psk17793/ES9CP/ES9%20climate_zones.htm

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E:The Polar Zone: Sub-climates

• Tundra (always cold & dry with short cold summers)

• Ice-cap (freezing temperatures all year)

• Highland (temperatures vary widely with latitude, elevation and direction of exposed areas

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B:The Dry Zone: Sub-climates

• Desert (< 10 inches of rain per year with hot days.  Large temperature fluctuations between day and night).

• Semiarid (slightly more than 10 inches/year)

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A:The Humid-Tropical Zone: Sub-climates

• Tropical wet (hot & rainy throughout the year)

• Tropical wet & dry (hot with wet & dry seasons)

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C:Moist-mid latitude: Sub-climates

• Humid subtropical (hot humid summers and mild winters)

• Marine west coast (mild and rainy all year)

• Mediterranean (hot & dry summers and mild winters)

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D: Moist-mid latitude: Sub-climates

• Humid continental (warm summers and cold snowy winters)

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30°N

30°S30°S

30°N

60°S

60°N

60°S

60°N

TROPICAL

TEMPERATE

TEMPERATE

POLAR

POLAR

Summary

• Watch Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24jlwpSwox0

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