World Climatic Patterns -

Part I

By Sudarshan Gurjar
Check out Previous Years Prelims Questions
Trends- World Climate Patterns
 The graph given below shows the mean average monthly temperatures (in ºC) and mean monthly
rainfall (in cms) of a place: [1995]

This graph is indicative of which one of the climatic

zones of the world?
(a) Wet and dry tropical
(b) Rainy tropical
(c) Semi-arid tropical
(d) Temperate marine
"Each day is more or less the same, the morning is clear and bright with a sea breeze; as the Sun
climbs high in the sky, heat mounts up, dark clouds form, then rain comes with thunder and lightning.
But rain is soon over." Which of the following regions is described in the above passage? [2015 - I]

(a) Savannah (b) Equatorial

(c) Monsoon (d) Mediterranean
Willy Willy is: [1995]

(a) a type of tree grown in temperate regions

(b) a wind that blows in a desert
(c) a tropical cyclone of the north-west Australia
(d) a kind of common fish found near Laccadives Islands
Which one of the following is the continent with the highest mean elevation in the world? [1995]

(a) Antarctica (b) North America

(c) Asia (d) South America
Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R) :
[1996]

Assertion (A) : Mangroves are very specialised forest eco-systems of tropical and sub-tropical regions
bordering certain sea coasts.
Reason (R) : They stabilise the shoreline and act as bulwark against encroachments by the sea.
In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
Consider the map given below: [1997]

Of the four shaded areas in the map, which is

characterised by hot dry summers, mild and moist
winters and seasonal reversal of winds.

(a) 1 (b) 2
(c) 3 (d) 4
Physical regions marked as 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the given map are respectively: [1999]

(a) Andes, Brazilian Shield, Guyana Highlands and Amazon Basin

(b) Andes, Guyana Highlands, Brazilian Shield and Amazon Basin
(c) Amazon Basin, Guyana Highlands, Brazilians Shield and Andes
(d) Guyana Highlands, Brazilian Shield Andes and Amazon Basin
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: [1999]

List-I (Timber) List-II (Country)

A. Cedar 1. Myanmar
B. Douglas Fir 2. Canada
C. Mahogany 3. Mexico
D. Teak 4. Honduras

Codes:
(a) A - 3; B- 2; C- 1; D-4
(b) A - 3; B- 2; C- 4; D-1
(c) A - 2; B- 3; C- 4; D-1
(d) A - 2; B- 3; C- 1; D-4
Consider the following statements: [2002]

1. In equatorial regions, the year is divided into four main seasons

2. In Mediterranean region, summer months receives more rain.
3. In China type climate; rainfall occurs throughout the year
4. Tropical highlands exhibit vertical zonation of different climates

Which of these statements are correct?

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 (b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 1, 2 and 4 (d) 3 and 4
Consider the following ecosystems: [2002]

1. Taiga 2. Tropical Evergreen

3. Tropical Deciduous 4. Tundra

The correct sequence in decreasing order of the Albedo values of these ecosystems is :
(a) 1, 4, 3, 2 (b) 4, 1, 3, 2
(c) 4, 1, 2, 3 (d) 1, .4, 2, 3
Assertion (A) : Unlike temperate forests, the tropical rain forests, if cleared, can yield productive
farmland that can support intensive agriculture for several years even without chemical fertilizers.
Reason (R) : The primary productivity of the tropical rain forest is very high when compared to that of
temperate forests. [2003]

(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
Assertion (A) : Areas lying within five to eight degrees latitude on either side of the equator receive
rainfall throughout the year.
Reason (R) : High temperatures and high humidity cause convectional rain to fall mostly in the
afternoons near the equator.

(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
Which one among the following covers the highest percentage of forest area in the world? [2003]

(a) Temperate coniferous forests

(b) Temperate deciduous forests
(c) Tropical monsoon forests
(d) Tropical rain forests
Consider the following statements: [2007]

1. Either of the two belts over the oceans at about 30° to 35° N and S Latitudes is known as Horse
latitude.
2. Horse latitudes are low pressure belts.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
A geographic region has the following distinct characteristics: [2010]

1. Warm and dry climate

2. Mild and wet winter
3. Evergreen Oak trees

The above features are distinct characteristics of which one of the following regions?
(a) Mediterranean
(b) Eastern China
(c) Central Asia
(d) Atlantic coast of North America
If a tropical rain forest is removed, it does not regenerate quickly as compared to a tropical deciduous
forest. This is because [2011 - I]

(a) the soil of rain forest is deficient in nutrients

(b) propagules of the trees in a rain forest have poor viability
(c) the rain forest species are slow-growing
(d) exotic species invade the fertile soil of rain forest.
“Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.” [2013 - I]

The above statement best describes which of the following regions?

(a) African Savannah
(b) Central Asian Steppe
(c) North American Prairie
(d) Siberian Tundra
 Koeppen’s scheme Of Classification
Of Climate
• The most widely used classification of climate is the empirical climate
classification scheme developed by V. Koeppen.
• Koeppen identified a close relationship between the distribution of
vegetation and climate.
• He selected certain values of temperature and precipitation and related
them to the distribution of vegetation and used these values for
classifying the climates.
• Koeppen recognized five major climatic groups four of them are based on
temperature and one on precipitation.
• The capital letters : A, C, D and E delineate humid climates and B dry
climates.
• The climatic groups are subdivided into types, designated by small letters,
based on seasonality of precipitation and temperature characteristics.
• The seasons of dryness are indicated by the small letters : f, m, w and s,
where f corresponds to no dry season, m – monsoon climate, w – winter
dry season and s – summer dry season.
• The small letters a, b, c and d refer to the degree of severity of
temperature.
• The B – Dry Climates are subdivided using the capital letters S for steppe or
semi-arid and W for deserts.
 Climatic Groups According to Koeppen
Group Characteristics
A - Tropical Average temperature of the coldest month is 18° C or higher
B - Dry Climates Potential evaporation exceeds precipitation
C - Warm The average temperature of the coldest month of the(Mid-Latitude)
Temperate climates years is higher than (minus) -3° C but below 18° C

D - Cold Snow The average temperature of the coldest month is -3° C or below
Forest Climates

E - Cold Climates Average Temperature for all months is below 10° C

H - High Land Cold due to elevation
 Tropical Humid Climates
• Tropical humid climates exist between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of
Capricorn.
• The sun being overhead throughout the year and the presence of Inter
Tropical Convergence Zone (INTCZ) make the climate hot and humid.
• Annual range of temperature is very low and annual rainfall is high.
• The tropical group is divided into three types, namely
• Af – Tropical wet climate;
• Am – Tropical monsoon climate;
• Aw – Tropical wet and dry climate.
 Tropical Wet Climate
• Also known as ‘The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate’, ‘Equatorial Rainforest
Climate’.
• The regions are generally referred as ‘Equatorial Rainforests’, ‘Equatorial
Evergreen Forests’, ‘Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest’, ‘Lowland
Equatorial Evergreen Rainforest’.
• Distribution
• Mostly between 5° N and S of Equator. Its greatest extent is found in
the lowlands of the Amazon, the Congo, Malaysia and the East Indies.
• Equatorial Climate
• Dominated by Maritime Tropical air masses.
• Temperature
• Temperature is uniform throughout the year.
• The mean monthly temperatures are always around 27° C with very little
variation.
• There is no winter
• Cloudiness and heavy precipitation moderate the daily temperature.
• Regular land and sea breezes assist in maintaining a truly equable climate.
• The diurnal range of temperature is small, and so is the annual range.
• Precipitation
• Precipitation is heavy and well distributed throughout the year.
• Annual average is always above 150 cm.
• In some regions the annual average may be as high as 250 – 300 cm.
• There is no month without rain (distinct dry season is absent).
• The monthly average is above 6 cm most of the times.
• Equatorial Vegetation
• High temperature and abundant rainfall support a luxuriant tropical rain
forest.
• In the Amazon lowlands, the forest is so dense that it is called ‘selvas’.
• Unlike the temperate regions, the growing season here is all the year
round-seeding, flowering, fruiting and decaying do not take place in a
seasonal pattern.
• The equatorial vegetation comprises a multitude of evergreen trees that
yield tropical hardwood, e.g. mahogany, ebony, dyewoods etc.
• In the coastal areas and brackish swamps, mangrove forests thrive.
• Canopy
• From the air, the tropical rain forest appears like a thick canopy of foliage,
broken only where it is crossed by large rivers or cleared for cultivation.
• All plants struggle upwards (most ephiphytes) for sunlight resulting in a
peculiar layer arrangement.
• Epiphyte: An epiphyte is a plant that grows harmlessly upon another
plant (such as a tree) and derives its moisture and nutrients from the
air, rain, and sometimes from debris accumulating around it.
• The tallest trees attain a height close to 50 m.
• The smaller trees beneath form the next layer.
• Because the trees cut out most of the sunlight the undergrowth is
not dense.
 Life and Economy
• Agriculture
• The forests are sparsely populated.
• In the forests most primitive people live as hunter gatherers and the more
advanced ones practice shifting cultivation.
• Food is abundantly available. People generally don’t stock food for the next
day.
 Life and Economy
• Commercial
• In the Amazon basin the Indian tribes collect wild rubber,
• in the Congo Basin the Pygmies gather nuts and
• in the jungles of Malaysia the Orang Asli make all sorts of cane products
and sell them to people in villages and towns. [The names of the tribes come
under Social Geography – Prelims]
 Plantations Regions

Palm Malaysia, Indonesia

Sugarcane Brazil

Coffee Brazil

Rubber Malaysia, Indonesia

Cocoa Ghana, Nigeria

• Distribution of Tropical Monsoon Climate
• Occur within 5° to 30° N and S of the equator.
• On-shore [sea to land] tropical monsoons occur in the summer and
off-shore [land to sea] dry monsoons in the winter.
• They are best developed in the Indian sub-continent, Burma,
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, parts of Vietnam and south China and
northern Australia.
 Climate
• In the summer, when the sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, a low
pressure is created in Central Asia.
• The seas, which warm up much slower, remain comparatively at high pressure.
• At the same time, the southern hemisphere experiences winter, and a region
of high pressure is set up in the continental interior of Australia.
• Winds blow outwards as the South-East Monsoon, to Java, and after
crossing the equator are drawn towards the continental low pressure area
reaching the Indian sub-continent as the South-West Monsoon (Coriolis
force).
• In the winter, conditions are reversed.
• Temperature
• Monthly mean temperatures above 18 °C.
• Temperatures range from 30-45° C in summer. Mean summer temperature
is about 30°C.
• In winters, temperature range is 15-30° C with mean temperature around
20-25° C.
• Precipitation
• Annual mean rainfall ranges from 200-250 cm. In some regions it is around
350 cm.
• Places like Cherrapunji & Mawsynram receive an annual rainfallof
about 1000 cm.
• They lie on the windward side of the Meghalaya hills, so the resulting
orographic lift (orographic rainfall) enhances precipitation.
• The Retreating Monsoon
• The amount and frequency of rain decreases towards the end of the rainy
season.
• It retreats gradually southwards after mid-September until it leaves the
continent altogether.
• The skies are clear again and the cool, dry season returns in October, with
the out blowing North-East Monsoon.
• The role of monsoons in India is vital for its economy.
 Tropical Monsoon Forests
• Drought-deciduous forest, dry forest, dry-deciduous forest, tropical
deciduous forest.
• Broad-leaved hardwood trees. Well developed in southeast Asia.
• Trees are normally deciduous, because of the marked dry period, during
which they shed their leaves to withstand the drought [They shed their
leaves to prevent loss water through transpiration].
• The forests are more open and less luxuriant than the equatorial jungleand
there are far fewer species.
 Shifting Cultivation
• This most primitive form of farming is widely practiced.
• Instead of rotating the crops in the same field to preserve fertility, the
tribesmen move to a new clearing when their first field is exhausted.
• Maize, dry padi, sweet potatoes and some beans are the most common
crops.
• Farming is entirely for subsistence i.e. everything is consumed bythe
farmer’s family it is not traded or sold.
• As tropical soils are rapidly leached and easily exhausted, the first crop
may be bountiful but the subsequent harvests deteriorate.
• Shifting cultivation is so widely practiced amongst indigenous peoples that
different local names are used in different countries.
Region Name of Shifting
Cultivation

Malaysia Lacking

Burma Taungya
Thailand Tamrai
Philippines Caingin

Java Humah
Sri Lanka Chena
Africa and Central Milpa
America
North-east India Jhum
 Savanna Climate or Tropical Wet and Dry
Climate or Sudan Climate
• This type of climate has alternate wet and dry seasons similar to
monsoon climate but has considerably less annual rainfall.
• Also there is no distinct rainy season like in monsoon climate.
• [Only two seasons – winter and summer Rains occur in summer].
• Floods and droughts are common.
• Vegetation, wildlife and human life are quite different from
monsoon climate regions.
 Distribution of Savanna Climate
• It is confined within the tropics and is best developed in Sudan, hence its
name the Sudan Climate.
• It is a transitional type of climate found between the equatorial
rainforests and hot deserts.
• African Savanna
• The belt includes West African Sudan, and then curves southwards into
East Africa and southern Africa north of the Tropic of Capricorn.
• South American Savanna
• There are two distinct regions namely the llanos of the Orinoco basin [north
of equator] and the compos of the Brazilian Highlands [South of equator].
• Australian savanna
• The Australian savanna is located south of the monsoon strip (northern
Australia) running from west to east north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

• Indian Savanna
• Certain parts across Northern Karnataka, Southern Maharashtra and
Telangana exhibit characteristics of both semi-arid and savanna climate.
• Due to irrigation and cultivation, this region is different from other
savanna regions.
 Savanna Climate
• Rainfall
• Mean annual rainfall ranges from 80 – 160 cm [Rainfall decreases with
distance from equator].
• In the northern hemisphere, the rainy season begins in May and lasts till
September.
• In the southern hemisphere, the rainy season is from October to March.
• Temperature
• Mean annual temperature is greater than 18° C.
• The monthly temperature hovers between 20° C and 32° C for lowland
stations.
• Highest temperatures do not coincide with the period of the highest
sun (e.g. June in the northern hemisphere) but occur just before the onset
of the rainy season i.e. April in Northern Hemisphere and October in
Southern Hemisphere.
• Days are hot and nights are cold.
• This extreme diurnal range of temperature is another characteristic
feature of the Sudan type of climate.
• Winds
• The prevailing winds of the region are the Trade Winds, which bring rain to
the coastal districts.
• They are strongest in the summer [favorable position of ITCZ] but are
relatively dry by the time they reach the continental interiors or the
western coasts [Trade winds are easterlies – flow from east to west. So
rainfall decreases from east to west here].
• In West Africa, the North-East Trades, in fact, blow off-shore [continent
to sea] from the Sahara Desert and reach the Guinea coast as a dry, dust-
laden winds.
• What is the reason for alternating wet and dry seasons in Savanna type
climate?
• On shore winds is summer bring rains.
• Off-shore winds in winter keep the climate dry.
 Natural Vegetation of Savanna Climate
• The savanna landscape is typified by tall grass and short trees.
• The grasslands are also called as ‘bush-veld’.
• The trees are deciduous, shedding their leaves in the cool, dry season to
prevent excessive loss of water through transpiration, e.g. acacias.
• Trees usually have broad trunks, with water-storing devices to survive
through the prolonged drought..
• In true savanna lands, the grass is tall and coarse, growing 6 to 12 feet
high. The elephant grass may attain a height of even 15 feet.
.
 Life and Economy in the Savanna
• Many tribes live in savanna region.
• Tribes like the Masai tribes of the East African plateau are pastoralists
whereas Hausa of northern Nigeria are settled cultivators.
• The old grazing grounds of Masai tribes in the Kenyan Highlands were taken
over by the immigrant white settlers for plantation agriculture (coffee, tea,
cotton) and dairy farming.
• The cattle kept by the Masai are kept entirely for the supply of milk. They
don’t slaughter cattle for meat. Agriculture is barely practiced.
• The Hausa are a tribe of settled cultivators who inhabit the savanna lands
of the Nigeria. They are more advanced in their civilization.
• They do not practice shifting cultivation. Instead, they clear a piece of land
and use it for several years.
 Desert Climate
• Deserts are regions where evaporation exceeds precipitation.
• There are mainly two types – hot like the hot deserts of the Saharan type
and temperate as are the mid-latitude deserts like the Gobi.
 Hot Desert Climate
• The aridity of the hot deserts is mainly due to the effects of off-shore
Trade Winds, hence they are also called Trade Wind Deserts.
• The major hot deserts of the world are located on the western coasts of
continents between latitudes 15° and 30°N. and S
• They include the biggest Sahara Desert, Great Australian Desert,
Arabian Desert, Iranian Desert, Thar Desert, Kalahari andNamib
Deserts.
• In North America, the desert extends from Mexico into U.S.A. and is called
by different names at different places e.g. the Mohave, Sonoran,
Californian and Mexican Deserts.
• In South America, the Atacama or Peruvian Desert (rain shadow
effect and off-shore trade winds) is the driest of all deserts with less
than 2 cm of rainfall annually.
 Mid-Latitude Desert Climate
• The temperate deserts are rainless because of either continentiality or
rain-shadow effect. [Gobi desert is formed due to continentiality and
Patagonian desert due to rain-shadow effect]
• Amongst the mid-latitude deserts, many are found on plateau and are at a
considerable distance from the sea.
• These are Ladakh, The Kyzyl Kum, Turkestan, Taklimakan and Gobi
deserts of Central Asia, drier portions of the Great Basin Desert of
the western United States and Patagonian Deserts of Argentina etc..
• The Patagonian Desert is more due to its rain-shadow position on the
leeward side of the lofty Andes than to continentiality.
 Desert Climate
• Rainfall (Both Hot and Cold deserts)
• Deserts, whether hot or mid-latitude have an annual precipitation of less
than 25 cm.
• Atacama (driest place on earth) has practically no rain at all.
• Rain normally occurs as violent thunderstorms of the convectional type.
• It ‘bursts’ suddenly and pours continuously for a few hours over small areas.
• Major hot deserts in northern hemisphere are located between 20-30
degree north and on the western side of the continents. Why?
• The hot deserts lie along the Horse Latitudes or the Sub-Tropical High
Pressure Belts where the air is descending, a condition least favorable for
precipitation of any kind to take place.
• The rain-bearing Trade Winds blow off-shore and the Westerlies that are
on-shore blow outside the desert limits.
• Whatever winds reach the deserts blow from cooler to warmer regions, and
their relative humidity is lowered, making condensation almost impossible.
• On the western coasts, the presence of cold currents gives rise to mists and
fogs by chilling the on-coming air. This air is later warmed by contact with
the hot land, and little rain falls. T
• he desiccating effect of the cold Peruvian Current along the Chilean coast is
so pronounced that the mean annual rainfall for the Atacama Desert is not
more than 1.3 cm.
 Temperature of Hot deserts
• There is no cold season in the hot deserts and the average summer
temperature is high around 30°C.
• The highest temperature recorded is 57.77° C in 1922 at A1 Azizia,
Libya.
 Desert Vegetation
• The predominant vegetation of both hot and mid-latitude deserts is
xerophytic or drought-resistant.
• This includes the cacti, thorny bushes, long-rooted wiry grasses and
scattered dwarf acacias.
• Trees are rare except where there is abundant ground water to support
clusters of date palms.
• Along the western coastal deserts washed by cold currents as in the
Atacama Desert, support a thin cover of vegetation..
 Desert Vegetation
• Most desert shrubs have long roots and are well spaced out to gather
moisture, and search for ground water. Plants have few or no leaves and the
foliage is either waxy, leathery, hairy or needle-shaped to reduce the loss
of water through transpiration.
 Life in the Deserts
• Despite its inhospitality, the desert has always been peopled by different groups of inhabitants.

Tribe Desert Occupation

Bedouin Arabs Arabia nomadic herdsmen

Tuaregs Sahara nomadic herdsmen

Gobi Mongols Gobi nomadic herdsmen

Bushmen Kalahari primitive hunters and collectors.

Bindibu Australia primitive hunters and collectors.

 Steppe Climate or Temperate Continental
Climate or Temperate Grassland Climate
• Distribution
• They lie in the interiors of the continents.
• Lie in the Westerly wind belt [mid-latitudes or temperate region].
• Grasslands are practically treeless due to continentiality [deep within the
interiors of the continents where rain bearing winds don’t reach].
• In Eurasia, they are called the Steppes, and stretch eastwards from the
shores of the Black Sea to the foothills of the Altai Mountains. [2,000 miles
long belt].
Name ofthe
Region
Temperate
Grassland
Pustaz Hungary and surrounding regions

North America [between the foothills of the

Prairies
Rockies and the Great Lakes]

Pampas Argentina and Uruguay [Rain-shadow effect]

Bush-veld (more Northern South Africa

tropical)
High Veld (more Southern South Africa
temperate)
Australia: Murray-Darling basin of southern
Downs
Australia

Canterbury New Zealand

 Steppe Climate
• Temperature
• Temperatures vary greatly between summer and winter.
• The summers are hot and the winters are cold.
• Summers are very warm, over 18 – 20° C.
• The steppe type of climate in the southern hemisphere is never severe.
• Precipitation
• The average rainfall may be taken as about 45 cm, but this varies according
to location from 25 cm to 75 cm.
• The heaviest rain comes in June and July (late spring and early summer).
• Most of the winter months have about an 2.5 cm of precipitation, brought
by the occasional depressions of the Westerlies and coming in the form of
snow.
• The maritime influence in the southern hemisphere causes more rainfall.
 Natural Vegetation of Steppe Climate
• Grasses
• Greatest difference from the tropical savanna is that steppes are
practically treeless and the grasses are much shorter.
• Grasses are tall, fresh and nutritious. This is typical of the grass of the
wheat-lands in North America, the rich black earth or chernozem areas
of Russian Ukraine and the better watered areas of the Asiatic Steppes.
• Where the rainfall is light or unreliable, or the soil is poor, as in the
continental interiors of Asia the short steppe type of grass prevails.
• Trees
• Polewards, an increase in precipitation gives rise to a transitional zone of
wooded steppes where some conifers gradually appear.
• In recent years, the grasslands have been ploughed up for extensive,
mechanized wheat cultivation and are now the ‘granaries of the world’
[Prairies].
• The tufted grasses have been replaced by the more nutritious Lucerne or
alfalfa grass for cattle and sheep rearing.
• In the cultivated regions, such as the wheat farms of the Prairies, double
rows of trees are planted around the house to shield the occupants from the
strong wind.
• Animals
• Does not have much animal diversity.
• Horses are common in Asian Steppes.
• Nomadic herding in Asian Steppes

• This type of migratory animal grazing has almost disappeared from the
major grasslands.
• The herders were wandering tribes e.g. the Kirghiz, and the Kazakhs.
• Extensive mechanized wheat cultivation
• The temperate grasslands are ideal for extensive wheat cultivation.
• The level ness of the Steppes and other temperate grasslands all over the
world makes ploughing and harvesting a comparatively easy job.
• In the Prairies, the Argentinian Pampas, the Ukrainian Steppes and
the Downs of Australia, agriculture is completely mechanized.
• Pastoral farming
• The natural conditions suit animal farming.
• With the development of refrigerated ships in the late nineteenth century,
the temperate grasslands became major pastoral regions, exporting large
quantities of beef, mutton, wool, hides.
• Milk, butter, cheese and other dairy products are also important in some
parts of the North American grasslands.
 Grassland Major Economic Activity

Wheat Granaries
Prairies
Extensive Ranching

Rich black soil

Abundant wheat production
Pustaz Sugar from Sugar beet [Beta vulgaris,is a plant whose root contains a high
concentration of sucrose]
Countries like Hungary, Ukraine, Romania etc.

Alfalfa: nutrient rich grass.

Ranching, cattle rearing; Dairy products
Pampas
Extensive wheat producing region
Economy depends on wheat and beef export
 Grassland Major Economic Activity

Downs and Sheep and Cattle rearing,

Canterbury Merino sheep: wool production

Maize farms
Veldts
Sheep and Cattle rearing
Mediterranean Climate or Warm Temperate Western
Margin Climate
• Distribution
• Entirely confined to the western portion of continental masses between 30°
and 45° north and south of the equator.
• The basic cause of this type of climate is the shifting of the wind belts.
• Mediterranean Sea has the greatest extent of this type of ‘winter rain
climate’ and gives rise to the name Mediterranean Climate.
• The best developed form of this climatic type is found in central Chile.
• Other Mediterranean regions include California (around San Francisco) the
south-western tip of Africa (around Cape Town), southern Australia, and
south-west Australia .
 Mediterranean Climate
• Clear skies and high temperatures; hot, dry summers and cool, wet
winters.
• In summer when the sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, the belt of
influence of the Westerlies is shifted a little pole wards.
• Rain bearing winds are therefore not likely to reach the Mediterranean
lands.
• The prevailing Trade Winds [tropical easterlies] are off-shore and there
is practically no rain.
• Strong winds from inland desert regions pose the risk of wildfires.
• Rainfall in winter with on-shore Westerlies

• The Mediterranean lands receive most of their precipitation in winter when

the Westerlies shift equator wards.
• In the northern hemisphere, the prevailing on-shore Westerlies bring much
cyclonic rain from the Atlantic
 Natural Vegetation in the Mediterranean Climate
• Trees with small broad leaves are widely spaced and never very tall.
• The absence of shade is a distinct feature of Mediterranean lands.
• Plants are in a continuous struggle against heat, dry air, excessive
evaporation and prolonged droughts.
• They are, in short xerophytic [drought tolerant], a word used to describe
the drought-resistant plants in an environment deficient in moisture.
 Mediterranean evergreen forests
• These are open woodlands with evergreen oaks.
• They are found only in the climatically most favored regions.
• The trees are normally low, even stunted, with massive trunks, small
leathery leaves and a wide-spreading root system in search of water.
• The cork oaks are specially valued for their thick barks, used for
making wine-bottle corks and for export around the world.
• Evergreen coniferous trees
• These include the various kinds of pines, firs, cedars and cypresses
which have evergreen, needle-shaped leaves and tall, straight trunks.
• Mediterranean bushes and shrubs
• This is perhaps the most predominant type of Mediterranean vegetation.
• Grass
• Conditions in the Mediterranean do not suit grass, because most of the
rain comes in the cool season when growth is slow.
 Agriculture in the Mediterranean Climate
• Orchard farming
• The Mediterranean lands are also known as the world’s orchard lands.
• A wide range of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, citrons and
grapefruit are grown.
• The fruit trees have long roots to draw water from considerable depths
during the long summer drought.
• The Mediterranean lands account for 70 per cent of the world’s exports of
citrus fruits.
• many nut trees like chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds are grown and
the nuts picked as fruits or for the chocolate industry.
• Wine production
• Viticulture is by tradition a Mediterranean occupation.
• Regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea account for three-quarters of the
world’s production of wine.
• Some 85 per cent of grapes produced, go into wine.
• The long, sunny summer allows the grapes to ripen.
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By Sudarshan Gurjar
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 Warm Temperate Eastern Margin Climate
• Different variants of Warm Temperate Eastern Margin Climate include the
• Temperate monsoon Climate or China Type Climate,
• Gulf Type Climate and
• Natal Type Climate.
• Found between 20° and 35° N and S latitude (warm temperate latitudes
just outside the tropics); on the east coast in both hemispheres.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• China Type Climate
• Temperate Monsoon or China Type climate is observed in most parts of China.
The climate is also observed in southern parts of Japan.
• Gulf Type Climate
• Found in south-eastern U.S.A., bordering the Gulf of Mexico where
continental heating in summer induces an inflow of air from the cooler
Atlantic Ocean.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• Natal Type Climate
• Found in in New South Wales (Australia), Natal (South Africa), Parana-
Paraguay-Uruguay basin (South America).
• Natal type is different from temperate monsoon or China type as it receives
rainfall from on-shore Trade Winds all the year round.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Precipitation
• Rainfall is more than moderate, anything from 60 cm to 150 cm.
• This is adequate for all agricultural purposes and hence supports a wide
range of crops.
• Areas which experience this climate are very densely populated.
• There is the fairly uniform distribution of rainfall throughout the year.
• Rain comes either from convectional sources or as orographic rain in summer,
or from depressions in prolonged showers in winter.
• Local storms, e.g. typhoons (tropical cyclones) and hurricanes, also occur.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 China type climate
• Summer
• Intense heating within interiors (Tibet, desert region) sets up a region of low
pressure in summer attracting tropical Pacific air stream (South-East
Monsoon).
• Monsoon does not ‘burst’ as suddenly, nor ‘pour’ as heavily as in India.
• Typhoons form mostly in late summer, from July to September.
• Winter
• There is little rain but considerable snow on the windward slopes.
• Another climatic feature associated with the China type of climate in
southern China is the occurrence of typhoons.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Natural Vegetation
• Supports a luxuriant vegetation.
• The lowlands carry both evergreen broad-leaved forests and deciduous
trees [hardwood].
• On the highlands, are various species of conifers such as pines and
cypresses which are important softwoods.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 British Type Climate
• Westerlies come all the year round.
• There is a tendency towards an autumn or winter maximum of rainfall.
• Light snow falls in winter.
• Ports are never frozen but frosts do occur on cold nights.
• The seasons are very distinct .
• And the climate is very favorable for maximum human output.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• British Type Climate or Cool Temperate Western Margin Climate or
North-West European Maritime Climate.
• The cool temperate western margins are under the influence of the
Westerlies all-round the year.
• They are the regions of frontal cyclonic activity [Temperate Cyclones].
• This type of climate is typical to Britain, hence the name ‘British Type’.
• Also called as North-West European Maritime Climate due to greater
oceanic influence.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
Distribution of British Type Climate

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Europe
• Climatic belt stretches far inland into the lowlands of North-West Europe
(northern and western France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, western
Norway and also north-western Iberia).
• North America
• Confined mainly to the coastlands of British Columbia. [high Rockies prevent
the on-shore Westerlies from penetrating far inland]
• Southern Hemisphere
• The climate is experienced in southern Chile, Southern Australia,
Tasmania and most parts of New Zealand.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Precipitation
• The British type of climate has adequate rainfall throughout the year with
a tendency towards a slight winter maximum (due to frontal cyclones).
• Western margins have the heaviest rainfall due to westerlies.
• This is particularly significant in New Zealand where the western margins
are subjected to heavy orographic rainfall whereas the eastern Canterbury
plains receive comparatively less rainfall due to rain-shadow effect.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Natural Vegetation in British Type Climate
• The natural vegetation of this climatic type is deciduous forest.
• The trees shed their leaves in the cold season.
• This is an adaptation for protecting themselves against the winter snow and
frost.
• Shedding begins in autumn, the ‘fall’ season.
• Some of the common species include oak, elm, ash, birch, beech, and poplar.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Taiga Climate or Boreal Climate
• Boreal Climate OR Taiga Climate OR Siberian Climate OR Cool
Temperate Continental Climate OR Continental Sub-Polar Climate.
• Found only in the northern hemisphere [due to great east-west extent.
Absent in the southern hemisphere because of the narrowness in the high
latitudes].
• Experienced in the regions just below Arctic circle.
• On its poleward side, it merges into the Arctic tundra.
• The climate fades into the temperate Steppe climate.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
By Sudarshan Gurjar
• Distribution
• It stretches along a continuous belt across central Canada, some parts
of Scandinavian Europe and most of central and southern Russian. [50° to
70° N]
• Absent in Southern Hemisphere
• Narrowness of the southern continents in the high latitudes is the main
reason.
• Coniferous forests are found only on the mountainous uplands of southern
Chile, New Zealand, Tasmania and south-east Australia.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
Taiga Climate

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• Precipitation
• Maritime influence in the interiors is absent.
• Frontal disturbances might occur in winter.
• Typical annual precipitation ranges from 38 cm to 63 cm.
• It is quite well distributed throughout the year, with a summer
maxima [convectional rain in mid-summer – 15 °C to 24 °C]
• In winter the precipitation is in the form of snow, as mean temperatures are
well below freezing all the time.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Natural Vegetation of Taiga Climate
• The predominant vegetation is evergreen coniferous forest.
• The conifers, which require little moisture are best suited to this type of
sub-Arctic climate.
• The greatest single band of the coniferous forest is the taiga (a Russian
word for coniferous forest) in Siberia.
• In Europe the countries that have a similar type of climate and forests are
Sweden and Finland.
• There are small amounts of natural coniferous forest in Germany, Poland,
Switzerland, Austria and other parts of Europe.
• In North America, the belt stretches from Alaska across Canada into
Labrador.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Lumbering
• This is the most important occupation of the Siberian type of climate.
• The vast reserves of coniferous forests provide the basis for the lumbering
industry.
• Lumberjacks: Contract laborers called lumber jacks used to temporarily
move to the forest regions to fell the trees. Now felling is done by
machines.
• Paper and pulp industry: Timber is pulped by both chemical and mechanical
means to make wood pulp. Wood pulp is the raw material for paper-making
and newsprint.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Laurentian Climate or Cool Temperate
Eastern Marine Climate
• Intermediate type of climate between the British Type Climate
(moderate) and the Taiga Type Climate (extreme) of climate.
• It has features of both the maritime and the continental climates.

• Distribution of Laurentian Climate

• Laurentian type of climate is found only in two regions and that too only in the
northern hemisphere.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
By Sudarshan Gurjar
• North American region
• North-eastern North America, including eastern Canada, north-east
U.S.A., and Newfoundland.
• This may be referred to as the North American region.
• Asiatic region
• Eastern coastlands of Asia including eastern Siberia, North China,
Manchuria, Korea and northern Japan.
• Absent in Southern Hemisphere

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Laurentian Climate
• Precipitation
• Rainfall occurs throughout the year with summer maxima [easterly winds
from the oceans bring rains]
• Annual rainfall ranges from 75 to 150 cm [two – thirds of rainfall occurs in
the summer].
• Dry Westerlies that blow from continental interiors dominate winters.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 The Asiatic region
Japan
• The climate of Japan is modified by the meeting of warm and cold ocean
currents.
• It receives adequate rainfall from both the South-East Monsoon in summer
and the North- West Monsoon in winter (western coasts of Japan)
• The warm Kuroshio makes the climate of Japan less extreme.
• The meeting zone between warm Kuroshio from south and cold Oyashio from
the north produce fog and mist, making north Japan a ‘second
Newfoundland’.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
Economic Development – Laurentian Climate
• Lumbering and its associated timber, paper and pulp industries are the
most important economic undertaking.
• Agriculture is less important because of long and severe winters.
• In the North American region, farmers are engaged in dairy farming.
• The Annapolis valley in Nova Scotia is the world’s most renowned region for
apples.
• Fishing is, however, the most outstanding economic activity.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Fishing off Newfoundland
• Regions around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland are the world’s largest
fishing grounds.
• Mixing of warm Gulf Stream and cold Labrador currents make the region
the most productive fishing ground on earth.
• Fish feed on minute marine organisms called plankton. Plankton is
abundantly available in shallow waters [continental shelves] where they
have access to both sunlight as well as nutrients.
• Also, cold and warm water mixing creates upwelling of cold nutrient rich
water to the surface.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• The gently sloping continental shelves stretch for over 200 miles south-east
of Newfoundland, and off the coasts of the Maritime Provinces and New
England.
• Hence microscopic plankton are abundant [Continental Shelf + Mixing of
Warm and Cold Ocean Currents].
• Fish of all types and sizes feed and breed here and support a thriving
fishing industry.
• Along with Canada and U.S.A., countries like Norway, France, Britain,
Portugal, Denmark, Russia and Japan, also send fishing fleets to the Grand
Banks.
• In Newfoundland, fishing provides employment for almost the entire
population.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• Further inland, in lakes and rivers, such as the St. Lawrence and the Great
Lakes, freshwater fish, e.g. salmon etc. are caught.
• All the fishing activities are carried out by highly mechanized trawlers
which can store fish in refrigerated chambers for months.
• St. John’s, chief port of Newfoundland is the headquarters of the Grand
Banks fishing industries.
• All processing activities like cutting, cleaning, packing for disposal are done
at the ports itself.
• Over-fishing is a growing problem.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
Tundra Climate or Polar Climate or
Arctic Climate

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• Distribution
• Found in regions north of the Arctic Circle and south of Antarctic Circle.
• The ice-caps are confined to highlands and high latitude regions of
Greenland and Antarctica.
• In the southern hemisphere, Antarctica is the greatest single stretch of
ice-cap (10,000 feet thick).
• The lowlands – coastal strip of Greenland, the barren grounds of northern
Canada and Alaska and the Arctic seaboard of Eurasia, have tundra climate.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Tundra Climate
• Temperature
• The tundra climate is characterized by a very low mean annual
temperature.
• In mid-winter temperatures are as low as 40 – 50 °C below freezing.
• Within the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, there are weeks of continuous
darkness (Rotation and Revolution).
• The ground remains solidly frozen and is inaccessible to plants.
• Frost occurs at any time and blizzards, reaching a velocity of 130 miles an
hour are not infrequent.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
• Precipitation
• Precipitation is mainly in the form of snow and sleet.
• Convectional rainfall is generally absent.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Natural Vegetation – Tundra Climate
• There are no trees in the tundra.
• Lowest form of vegetation like mosses, lichens etc. are found here and
there.
• Mammals like the wolves, foxes, musk-ox, Arctic hare and lemmings also live
in tundra regions.
• Penguins live only in Antarctic regions.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Human Activities
• Human activities of the tundra are largely confined to the coast.
• In Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska live the Eskimos.
• During winter they live in compact igloos.

By Sudarshan Gurjar
 Recent Development of the Arctic Region
• New settlements have sprung up because of the discovery of minerals.
• Gold is mined in Alaska, petroleum in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska; and copper
at the Rankin Inlet, Canada.
• With the declining reserves of iron ore around the Great Lakes, iron ore
deposits in Labrador are gaining importance. New railway lines have been
constructed to bring the ores to the St. Lawrence River.

By Sudarshan Gurjar