Climate Regions

tropical wet

always hot and humid ^

heavy rainfall year round

hawaii

tropical wet and dry

always hot

alt wet and dry seasons heavy rain
during the wet seasons

Subtopic

semiarid

it gets 25 to 50 centimeters

A steppe is still dry, but it gets enough rainfall for small vegetation to grow.

In the United States the Great Plains are considered a semi-arid climate.

Arid

A hot, sandy desert is what you typically think of when you think of an arid climate.

Deserts can also be rocky and cold.

An area is a desert if it receives less than 25 centimeters of rain a year. That is less than a foot.

Conclusion

Earth is made up of many different climates including tropical rainy, dry, temperate marine, temperate continental, polar, and highlands.

Tropical rainy climates are very wet and hot and are made up of rainforests and thick savannas.

Dry climates have higher evaporation rates than precipitation.

Highlands

Temperature falls as you increase is altitude and large areas above sea level can produce complete different climates than those found a few miles away.

Precipitation also increases with higher altitudes as air masses are pushed upward into cooler air.

For instance, even though the Himalayas are closer to the equator then the state of Florida their altitude makes the climate completely different.

Humid Continental

Tropical and polar air masses constantly make changes to humid continental climates.

In the winter polar air masses can bring weather that is below zero while in the summer the temperatures can be above 100 degrees Fahrenheit

Moderate amounts of precipitation occur in the spring and summer while less occur in the fall and winter.

Subarctic

North of the humid continental climates you will find the subarctic climate.

Summers are short and winters are very long with very low temperatures.

Large animals such as moose, deer, and bear thrive in this environment.

Ice Cap

Ice cap climates are found mainly in Antarctica and on the northern part of Greenland.

Average temperatures are always at or below freezing.

Very few plants and animals can survive in this climate.

Tundra

Tundra climate runs across Russia, Alaska, and Northern Canada.

Some layers of the tundra are always frozen due to the constant cold and the permanently frozen soil is known as permafrost.

Despite the low temperatures the summers can be full of life with insects hatching, flowers blooming, and birds raising their young.