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You are here: home > geotopics > weather and climate > climate zones
Weather Hazards
World Climate zones
What is the difference between a tornado and a
hurricane? Climatic Zones
Tropical Storms What factors affect climate?
Climate Graphs
Climatic Zones
The world has several climatic zones. These are summarised on the
map below.
(Image courtesy of the UK Meteorological Office)
Latitude
Altitude
Temperatures decrease with height. The air is less dense and cannot
hold heat as easily.
Winds
If winds are warm - they have been blown from a hot area - they will
raise temperatures. If winds have been blown from cold areas they will
lower temperatures.
Distance from the sea (continentality)
Land heats and cools faster than the sea. Therefore coastal areas have
a lower temperature range than those areas inland. On the coast
winters are mild and summers are cool. In inland areas temperatures
are high in the summer and cold in the winter.
Aspect
Slopes facing the sun are warmer than those that are not. Thus south
facing slopes in the northern hemisphere are usually warm. However,
slopes facing north in the southern hemisphere are warmest.
Climate Graphs
Climate can be displayed on a graph. A climate graph contains two
pieces of information. The amount of rainfall and the temperature of an
area. The temperature is shown as a line and the rainfall is displayed as
bars. The figures are usually calculated as an average over a number
of years. This reduces the impact of any anomalies in the weather
affecting the statistics.