equatorial and hot desert climate

Question 1

how does latitude make climates vary across the worlds?

Answer 1

temperatures and sunshine hours decrease with distance from the equator because solar radiation is more dispersed at the poles and has to pass through more of the atmosphere

Question 2

how does altitude make climates vary across the worlds?

Answer 2

increases in altitude lead to decreases in temperature

Question 3

how does continentality make climates vary across the worlds?

Answer 3

locations further inland heat up more quickly in the summer and cool more quickly in the winter

Question 4

how do ocean currents make climates vary across the worlds?

Answer 4

warm and cold currents circulate in the oceans, either warming or cooling the adjacent land

Question 5

how does aspect make climates vary across the worlds?

Answer 5

in the northern hemisphere, slopes facing south are warmer

Question 6

how do prevailing winds latitude make climates vary across the worlds?

Answer 6

winds coming from warmer areas bring warm air, increasing temperatures

Question 7

how do pressure systems make climates vary across the worlds?

Answer 7

low pressure areas, like. the tropics have rising air, condensation and cloud formation which creates more precipitation

with high pressure, the air sinks, forming dry conditions

Question 8

equatorial climate characteristics

LOCATION, ANNUAL PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE RANGE

Answer 8

LOCATION
- low latitudes
- within the tropics, 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator
- amazon in south america, new guinea, south-east asia and Zaire Basin
ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
- over 2,000 mm
TEMPERATURE RANGE
- low range of mean monthly temps (26-28°C)
- constant high temperatures
- diurnal range is about 7°C

Question 9

equatorial climate characteristics

SEASONS, HUMIDITY AND PREVAILING WINDS

Answer 9

SEASONS
- no seasons - hot and wet all year round
HUMIDITY
- high, usually over 75-80%
PREVAILING WINDS
- winds blow into the equatorial region from high-pressure areas to the north and south
- the winds from the north blow from north-east and the winds from the south blow from the south-east
-winds are known as trade winds

Question 10

what factors influence the equatorial climate?

Answer 10

the midday sun is almost directly overhead all year, meaning there is maximum isolation

low pressure all year leads to rising air, condensation, cloud formation and high precipitation levels

dense vegetation cover leads to high levels of evaporation and transpiration

the warm air stores large amounts of water vapour until the temperature starts to cool in the late afternoon, which then leads to heavy, daily convectional rainfall

Question 11

hot desert climate characteristics

LOCATION, ANNUAL PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE RANGE

Answer 11

LOCATION
- 15° - 30° north and south of the equator (tropical and subtropical)
- north africa-sahara, southern africa, kalahari and namib, australia, middle east
ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
- below 250 mm
TEMPERATURE RANGE
- daytime temperatures can reach 50°C but average around 25°C
- night time temperatures below 0°C
- diurnal range is up to 45°C
- annual range is around 15°C