University of Colorado Boulder Climate Data Classification and Interpretation Questions

Geography 1001 – Climate & Vegetation Continuing Education Name___________________ Exercise 7 Climate Data Classification and Interpretation When considering climate, an emphasis is usually placed upon temperature and precipitation. Although wind direction, solar radiation, air pressure, and other climatological parameters are important for certain specific applications, temperature and precipitation are the two most important for both natural and human-influenced concerns. In this context, the following terms are often used: • • • • • • • mean daily temperature – the average of the day’s maximum and minimum temperatures. mean monthly temperature – the average of the average daily temperatures in the month. mean annual temperature – the average of the 12 average monthly temperatures daily (or diurnal) temperature range – the difference between the day’s maximum and minimum temperatures annual temperature range – the difference between the warmest mean monthly temperature and the coolest mean monthly temperature in the year monthly precipitation – the total precipitation falling during the month annual precipitation – the total precipitation falling during the entire year When generalizing the temperature and precipitation data to describe the climate for a location, longterm (30 or more years) means of the monthly and annual temperature and monthly and annual precipitation values are used. These are called “normal” temperature and precipitation values for a given location. One form of presenting climatic data is by a table such as the data for Washington D.C. presented below, where normal values of mean monthly temperature and monthly precipitation are presented. For each station in the table, the first 12 numbers represent the mean monthly temperature and monthly precipitation values beginning in January. The final number is the mean annual temperature and precipitation total. These same monthly values can be plotted on a diagram called a climograph. On a climograph, temperature values are expressed as a smooth line graph while monthly precipitation totals are expressed using a bar graph. See examples of climographs in Chapter 9 of your text. T(°C) P(mm) 3 77 3 63 Washington D.C. 39°N, 77°W; 20m (elevation) 7 13 19 23 26 25 21 15 9 82 80 105 82 105 124 97 78 72 1 3 71 14 1036 Average monthly and annual temperature values for seven locations are tabulated below. Plot these temperature data on the graphs given on the following page. PLOT THE DATA AS A LINE GRAPH, USING THE CENTER OF EACH MONTHLY SQUARE AS THE REFERENCE POINT. (If you would prefer to enter the data into a spreadsheet program such as Excel and graph them using that program that is ok as well. Just be sure to label each curve clearly. Please standardize the temperature scale (y-axis) for all graphs. Temperatures (°C) Site Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year 1 9 12 16 22 28 32 35 34 31 25 17 11 23 2 29 28 28 29 27 26 25 26 28 29 30 29 28 3 6 6 8 10 13 16 19 19 16 13 9 7 12 4 21 21 20 17 15 13 13 13 14 16 18 20 17 5 -10 -9 -4 5 12 16 19 17 11 4 -2 -8 4 6 -4 -9 -16 -23 -24 -24 -26 -26 -24 -19 -10 -4 -17 7 26 27 27 27 28 28 27 27 27 27 27 26 27 8 13 13 14 16 17 18 20 21 20 18 16 13 17 1. Based on your graphs, which of these sites are clearly in the Southern Hemisphere? How does the shape of the graphed line indicate southern hemisphere sites? 2. Sites 1 and 8 are at similar latitudes. Which is the more continental? Why? 3. Using your knowledge of the effects of latitude and land/ocean effects on annual temperature ranges, match the eight temperature graphs with the locations listed below. The latitude (minus S or N) for each location is given in parentheses. (PLACE THE LOCATION NAME ABOVE THE APPROPRIATE GRAPH ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES). London, England (51°) Darwin, Australia (12°) Baghdad, Iraq (33°) Moscow, Russia (56°) McMurdo Station, Antarctica (78°) Singapore, Rep. of Singapore (1°) Cape Town, S. Africa (33°) San Diego, CA, USA (33°) 2 3 4 Monthly and annual total precipitation values for six Northern Hemisphere locations are tabulated below. PLOT THESE PRECIPITATION DATA AS BAR GRAPHS ON THE CHARTS PROVIDED ON THE FOLLOWNG PAGES. Again, feel free to use Excel to plot them if you wish, keeping the y-axis scale constant) Site Jan Feb Mar Apr May 1 260 195 250 270 305 2 8 5 6 17 260 3 10 10 13 13 20 4 83 73 52 50 48 5 154 123 114 84 68 6 47 41 70 77 95 Precipitation (mm) Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year 235 225 185 130 175 185 265 2675 524 492 574 398 208 34 3 2530 15 30 32 23 18 10 13 207 18 9 18 70 110 113 105 749 55 40 39 54 113 181 176 1201 103 86 80 69 71 56 48 843 Site 1 is “tropical wet all year.” There is considerable precipitation in all months and no significant dry season. The very high annual total implies a tropical location where high potential and actual evapotranspiration occurs. Site 2 represents a “monsoon” or distinct “tropical wet and dry season” precipitation regime where the dry season is very dry yet the annual total may be similar to the tropical wet all year. Site 3 is a dry climate all year (“desert” for very dry; “steppe” for not quite as dry). Site 4 is a “Mediterranean” precipitation regime with distinct dry summer and wet winter seasons. This occurs at latitudes where the subtropical high pressure dominates in summer while midlatitude cyclones associated with the westerlies are prevalent in winter. Site 5 is a “marine” precipitation regime occurring in the midlatitude westerlies zone with considerable precipitation year round. Commonly the peak is in winter when cyclonic storms are more frequent. Site 6 represents a “midlatitude continental” precipitation regime, where there is much more precipitation than that for a dry climate. Most often, there will be a summer maximum due to convectional precipitation associated with intense summertime surface heating that occurs in continental locations. This precipitation supplements the cyclonic or frontal precipitation that occurs much of the year in the midlatitudes. 1. With these descriptions in mind, match the six locations below with the precipitation graphs you drew. PLACE THE LOCATION NAME ABOVE THE GRAPH. Albuquerque, New Mexico (35°N) Chicago, Illinois (42°N) Yangon, Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma) (17°N) Vancouver, Canada (49°N) Rome, Italy (42°N) Uaupes, Brazil (0º) 5 6 7 The following is a list of the fifteen main global climatic regions using the Köppen classification as discussed in lecture and the text: Köppen Symbols Af Am Aw BWh BSh BWk BSk Cfa Csa, Csb Cwa, Cwb Cfb, Cfc Dfa, Dfb, Dwa, Dwb Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, Dwd ET EF Descriptive Climate Name Tropical Rainforest Tropical Monsoon Tropical Savanna Tropical (hot) Desert Tropical (hot) Steppe Midlatitude (cold) Desert Midlatitude (cold) Steppe Humid Subtropical Mediterranean Subtropical Monsoon Marine (Marine West Coast) Humid Continental Subarctic Tundra Ice The global distribution of these climates is shown in Appendix B of your textbook. There is another useful climate maps in Chapter 9 (section 2). Use your lecture notes and lecture slides along with your text to answer the questions below. The questions will examine the general temperature and precipitation characteristics associated with each of these climate types, the global distribution of each climate and the basic climatic controls operating in each case. Representative climographs are presented for each climate in your textbook. 1. Examples of locations having A climates are presented in your textbook. One example is presented for each of the Tropical Rainforest (Af), Tropical Monsoon (Am), and Tropical Savanna (Aw) type climates. a. Briefly describe the annual temperature range for the Tropical Rainforest (Af) climate type. b. How do the precipitation characteristics of the Tropical Rainforest (Af) climate differ from the Savanna (Aw) climate? c. Name the three main regions of the world (not individual station locations) where the Tropical Rainforest (Af) climate occurs: 8 d. What climatic control is largely responsible for the “wet all year” precipitation regime of the Af climate? e. Describe the climatic control operating to produce the distinct wet and dry season for the Aw climate. f. What are the two main types of Monsoon (Am) climate? Provide a location example for each. 2. Climographs for the B (dry) climates are provided in your textbook. These include: Hot LowLatitude Desert (BWh), Hot Low-Latitude Steppe (BSh), Cold Midlatitude Desert (BWk), and Cold Midlatitude Steppe (BSk). The Low-Latitude B climates are sometimes referred to as “subtropical” because they often occur in latitudes corresponding to the subtropical high pressure zones. a. Using the examples given in your text, compare and contrast the temperature characteristics for the low latitude desert climates (BWh) to those of the midlatitude desert climates (BWk). b. The Sahara Desert in northern Africa is the largest region in the world having the BWh climate. Name another desert in each of the northern and southern hemispheres having the BWh climate. 9 Southern Hemisphere: Northern Hemisphere: c. What is the principle climatic control responsible for BWh climates? d. What are the two climatic controls mainly responsible for causing midlatitude B climates? (these should differ from your answer in the previous question) e. Albuquerque, New Mexico and Yuma, Arizona both have inland desert climates and are located at similar latitudes. However, Albuquerque is much cooler than Yuma. If latitude and proximity to water are not the reason for this difference, what climatic control most likely accounts for the much cooler temperatures at Albuquerque? f. Where is the major region of Midlatitude Steppe (BSk) climate in North America: 3. Mesothermal (Midlatitude Mild) climates are shown on climographs in your textbook. These include Humid Subtropical (Cfa, Cwa), Mediterranean (Csa, Csb), and Marine (Cfb, Cfc) a. Describe the annual temperature characteristics for the Humid Subtropical (Cfa) climate? b. What genetic type of precipitation (i.e., convectional, frontal, or orographic) is most prominent for the Cfa climate In summer? ____________ In winter?__________ c. Which continental coast is the Cfa climate generally located, east or west? 10 d. What control explains the distinct wet winters and dry summers found in Mediterranean climates (briefly describe how this control operates). e. The Marine (Cfb, Cfc) climate is often located poleward from the Mediterranean climate on the west coast of continents. As a result, it is often called the “Marine West Coast” climate. Unlike the Mediterranean climate, places having Marine climates experience precipitation year-round. What causes the year-round precipitation? f. Why does the Marine climate region in Europe extend so much further inland than the Cfb, Cfc region in North America? 4. Examples of locations having D (Microthermal) climates are presented in the climographs shown in your textbook. These include Humid Continental—hot summer (Dfa, Dwa); Humid Continental— mild summer (Dfb, Dwb); and Subarctic (Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, Dwd). a. Aside from mountain areas, there are no D climates in the southern hemisphere. Why not? b. The Humid Continental climates are usually found poleward of the Humid Subtropical (Cfa) climate or inland from the Marine (Cfb, Cfc) climate at latitudes corresponding to those for the Marine climates. Where do the humid continental climates occur in North America (provide a region, not a city)? c. Although the Humid Continental and Marine climates are at similar latitudes, they have very different annual temperature ranges. What factor is responsible this difference? 11 d. Subarctic (Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, Dwd) climates are found poleward of the Humid Continental climates and therefore have much shorter and cooler summers. This climate is where the northern coniferous or “Boreal” forest (sometimes called Taiga) exists. Where in North America does this climate exist (a region, not a city): 5. Examples of E (polar) climates are discussed in your text; they include Tundra (ET) and Ice Sheet (EF) climate. a. Where are the Tundra (ET) climates found in (region, not city): North America: Europe/Asia: b. Even though the world’s Tundra climates are further poleward than the Subarctic climatic regions, the annual temperature ranges for Tundra locations are often smaller than the Subarctic climate zone. What factor accounts for this situation? c. Ice Sheet (EF) climates are colder than ET climates with no average monthly temperatures above 0ºC, implying no growing season. According to the map in Appendix B of your textbook, where are EF climates found in the Northern Hemisphere? 12

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