Mediterranean climate – Wikipedia

Hot-summer mediterranean climate ( Csa )

Warm-summer mediterranean climate ( Csb ) Regions with Mediterranean climates A Mediterranean climate or dry summer climate is characterized by dry summers and balmy, wet winters. The climate receives its mention from the Mediterranean Basin, where this climate type is most park. mediterranean climate zones are typically located along the western sides of continents, between approximately 30 and 40 degrees north and south of the equator. The independent cause of Mediterranean, or dry summer climate, is the subtropical ridge which extends toward that hemisphere ‘s punt during the summer and migrates toward the equator during the winter due to increasing north–south [ clarification needed ] temperature differences. The resulting vegetation of Mediterranean climates are the garrigue or maquis in the Mediterranean Basin, the scrub in California, the fynbos in South Africa, the mallee in Australia, and the matorral in Chile. Areas with this climate are where the alleged “ mediterranean three ” of agrarian products have traditionally developed : wheat, grapes and olives. Most historic cities of the Mediterranean Basin lie within Mediterranean climatic zones, including Algiers, Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Casablanca, İzmir, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Marseille, Monaco, Naples, Rome, Tunis, Valencia, and Valletta. major cities with Mediterranean climates outside of the Mediterranean basin include Adelaide, Cape Town, Dushanbe, Los Angeles, Perth, Porto, San Diego, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle, Tashkent and Victoria .

Köppen climate classification [edit ]

Under the Köppen climate classification, “ hot dry-summer ” climates ( classified as Csa ) and “ cool dry-summer ” climates ( classified as Csb ) are frequently referred to as “ Mediterranean ”. Under the Köppen climate system, the first letter indicates the climate group ( in this case temperate climates ). Temperate climates or “ C “ zones have an average temperature above 0 °C ( 32 °F ) ( or −3 °C ( 27 °F ) ), but below 18 °C ( 64 °F ), in their cool months. The irregular letter indicates the precipitation radiation pattern ( “ s “ represents dry summers ). Köppen has defined a dry summer calendar month as a month with less than 30 millimeter ( 1.2 in ) of precipitation and as a month within the high-sun months of April to September, in the case of the Northern Hemisphere and October to March, in the case of the Southern Hemisphere, and it besides must contain precisely or less than one-third that of the wettest winter calendar month. Some, however, use a 40 millimeter ( 1.6 in ) level. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The one-third letter indicates the degree of summer hotness : “ a “ represents an modal temperature in the warmest month above 22 °C ( 72 °F ), while “ b “ indicates the average temperature in the warmest month below 22 °C ( 72 °F ). Under the Köppen categorization, dry-summer climates ( Csa, Csb ) normally occur on the westerly sides of continents. Csb zones in the Köppen system include areas normally not associated with Mediterranean climates but with Oceanic climates, such as much of the Pacific Northwest, much of southerly Chile, parts of west-central Argentina, and parts of New Zealand. [ 3 ] Additional highland areas in the subtropics besides meet Cs requirements, though they, excessively, are not normally associated with Mediterranean climates, as do a total of oceanic islands such as Madeira, the Juan Fernández Islands, the western depart of the Canary Islands, and the easterly part of the Azores. Under Trewartha ‘s modified Köppen climate categorization, the two major requirements for a Cs climate are revised. Under Trewartha ‘s system, at least eight months must have average temperatures of 10 °C ( 50 °F ) or higher ( subtropical ), and the average annual precipitation must not exceed 900 mm ( 35 in ). normally, climates that have eight or more months with a mean temperature over 10 °C ( 50 °F ), are located in the southern portions of the temperate zone ( latitudes 25 to 35 north and south ), and have mean temperatures around 7 °C ( 45 °F ) in the cold months, and warmer than 22 °C ( 72 °F ) in the warmest months. In the Trewartha climate classification system, the cooler summer Csb zones in the Köppen system become Do or temperate oceanic climate. Under Holdridge life zones classification, the Mediterranean climates are either temperate or subtropical climates. They are frequently found within the Warm Temperate region as defined by Leslie Holdridge with a average annual biotemperature between 12 °C ( 54 °F ) and the freeze line or critical temperature cable, 16 to 18 °C ( 61 to 64 °F ) ( depending on locations in the earth [ 4 ] but frequently “ simplified ” as 17 °C ( 63 °F ) ( = 2 ( log212+0 ; 5 ) ≈ 16.97 °C ( 62.55 °F ) ) [ 5 ] ). Biotemperature is based on the growing temper length and temperature. It is measured as the mean of all temperatures, with all temperatures below freezing and above 30 °C ( 86 °F ) adjusted to 0 °C, [ 6 ] as plants are dormant at these temperatures. The frost lineage separates the warm temperate region from the subtropical region. It represents the dividing argumentation between two major physiological groups of evolve plants. On the warm side of the course, the majority of the plants are sensitive to low temperatures. They can be killed back by frosts as they have not evolved to withstand periods of cold. On the cold moderate side of the line, the sum plant is adapted to survive periods of variable star length of low temperatures, whether as seeds in the case of the annuals or as perennial plants which can withstand the cold. entirely the warmest mediterranean climates with a biotemperature between 16 °C ( 61 °F ) to 18 °C ( 64 °F ) and 24 °C ( 75 °F ) are subtropical climates in Holdridge classification .

precipitation [edit ]

[ Chile ] has six, months of winter, no more, and in them, except when there is a quarter moon, when it rains one or two days, all the other days have such beautiful suns …Pedro de Valdivia to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

During summer, regions of Mediterranean climate are strongly influenced by the subtropical ridge which keeps atmospheric conditions very dry with minimal cloud coverage. In some areas, such as coastal California, the cold current has a stabilizing consequence on the surrounding tune, far reducing the chances for rain, but much causing thick layers of marine fog that normally evaporates by mid-day. like to desert climates, in many Mediterranean climates there is a potent diurnal quality to casual temperatures in the warm summer months due to strong heating during the day from sunlight and rapid cool at night. In winter, the subtropical ridge migrates towards the equator, making rain much more likely. As a result, areas with this climate receive about all of their precipitation during their winter and spring seasons, and may go anywhere from 4 to 6 months during the summer and early precipitate without having any meaning haste. In the lower latitudes, precipitation normally decreases in both the winter and summer. Toward the pivotal latitudes, total moisture normally increases ; for case, the Mediterranean climate in Southern Europe has more rain. The rain besides tends to be more evenly distributed throughout the year in Southern Europe, while in places such as the eastern Mediterranean, or in Southern California, the summer is about or wholly dry. In places where evapotranspiration is higher, steppe climates tend to prevail, but even follow the basic form of the Mediterranean climate .

temperature [edit ]

Csb) and hot (Csa) summers. Continental Portugal has a unclutter contrast between the cool to warm ( ) and hot ( ) summers. The majority of the regions with Mediterranean climates have relatively meek winters and very warm summers. however, winter and summer temperatures can vary greatly between different regions with a Mediterranean climate. For exemplify, in the case of winters, Los Angeles experiences meek to warm temperatures in the winter, with frost and snow about nameless, whereas Tashkent has cold winters with annual frosts and snow ; or, to consider summer, Seville experiences rather high temperatures in that temper. In contrast, San Francisco has cool summers with daily highs around 21 °C ( 70 °F ) due to the continuous upwelling of cold subsurface waters along the coast. Because most regions with a Mediterranean climate are near big bodies of water, temperatures are by and large mince, with a relatively small range of temperatures between the winter first gear and summer high ( although the casual range of temperature during the summer is large due to dry and clear conditions, except along the immediate coasts ). Temperatures during winter merely occasionally fall below the freeze point and snow is broadly rarely seen. summer temperatures can be cool to very hot, depending on outdistance from a large body of body of water, aggrandizement, and latitude, among other factors. strong winds from inland abandon regions can sometimes boost summer temperatures, quickly increasing the gamble of wildfires. luminary exceptions to the common proximity from bodies of water, therefore featuring highly high summer temperatures, include south-eastern Turkey and northerly Iraq ( Urfa, Erbil ), surrounded by hot deserts to the south and mountains to the north. Those places routinely experience summer daily means of over 30 °C ( 86 °F ), while receiving adequate rain in winter not to fall into arid classifications. As in every climatologic knowledge domain, the highland locations of the Mediterranean knowledge domain can present cool temperatures in winter than the lowland areas, temperatures which can sometimes prohibit the increase of distinctive Mediterranean plants. Some spanish authors opt to use the condition Continental Mediterranean Climate for some regions with lower temperature in winter than the coastal areas [ 7 ] ( direct translation from Clima Mediterráneo Continentalizado ), but most climate classifications ( including Köppen ‘s Cs zones ) show no differentiation. additionally, the temperature and rain model for a Csa or even a Csb climate can exist as a microclimate in some high-level locations adjacent to a rare tropical As ( tropical savanna climate with dry summers, typically in a rainshadow region, as in Hawaii ). These have a favorable climate, with meek wet winters and fairly quick, dry summers .

Mediterranean biome [edit ]

The ionian Sea, scene from the island Lefkada, Greece The Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome is close associated with Mediterranean climate zones, as are alone fresh water communities, though vegetation native to the Mediterranean climate zone can besides be found in the approximate climate zones, which normally tend to be the humid subtropical, oceanic and/or semi-arid zones, depending on the region. Particularly distinctive of the climate are sclerophyll shrublands, called maquis in the Mediterranean Basin, scrub in California, matorral in Chile, fynbos in South Africa, and mallee and kwongan shrublands in Australia. aquatic communities in Mediterranean climate regions are adapted to a annual bicycle in which abiotic ( environmental ) controls of stream populations and community structure overshadow during floods, biotic components ( e.g. rival and predation ) controls become increasingly important as the discharge declines, and environmental controls regain dominance as environmental conditions become very harsh ( i.e. hot and dry ) ; as a result, these communities are well suited to recover from droughts, floods, and fires. [ 8 ] Aquatic organisms in these regions show discrete long-run patterns in structure and function, [ 9 ] and are besides highly sensible to the effects of climate change. [ 10 ] [ 11 ]

natural vegetation [edit ]

The native vegetation of Mediterranean climate lands must be adapted to survive retentive, hot summer droughts and drawn-out wet periods in winter. mediterranean vegetation examples include the follow : [ 12 ]
much native vegetation in Mediterranean climate area valleys have been cleared for department of agriculture. In places such as the Sacramento Valley and Oxnard Plain in California, draining marshes and estuaries combined with supplementary irrigation has led to a century of intensifier agriculture. much of the Overberg in the southerly Cape of South Africa, once covered with renosterveld, has alike been largely converted to agriculture, chiefly wheat. In hillside and mountainous areas, away from urban sprawl, ecosystems and habitats of native vegetation are more free burning. The fynbos vegetation in the South-western Cape in South Africa is famed for its high floral diversity, and includes such plant types as members of the Restionaceae, Ericas ( Heaths ) and Proteas. Representatives of the Proteaceae besides grow in Australia, such as Banksias. The pallette of California native plants is besides renowned for its species and cultivar diverseness .

Hot-summer Mediterranean climate [edit ]

Hot-summer mediterranean climate ( Csa ) This subtype of the Mediterranean climate ( Csa ) is the most common form of the Mediterranean climate, therefore it is besides known as a “ distinctive Mediterranean climate ”. As stated earlier, regions with this kind of a Mediterranean climate experience median monthly temperatures in excess of 22.0 °C ( 71.6 °F ) during its warmest calendar month and an average in the coldest month between 18 and −3 °C ( 64 and 27 °F ) or, in some applications, between 18 and 0 °C ( 64 and 32 °F ). besides, at least four months must average above 10 °C ( 50 °F ). Regions with this form of the Mediterranean climate typically have hot, sometimes very hot and dry summers and mild, wet winters. In a issue of instances, summers here can close resemble summers seen in arid and semi-arid climates. however, high temperatures during summers are generally not quite ampere gamey as those in arid or semiarid climates ascribable to the presence of a large body of water. All areas with this subtype have wet winters. however, some areas with a hot Mediterranean subtype can actually experience very chilly winters, with periodic snow. Csa climates are chiefly found around the Mediterranean Sea, southwestern Australia, southwest South Africa, sections of Central Asia, northern sections of Iran and Iraq, the inside of northern California west of the Sierra Nevada, and inland areas of southern Oregon west of the Cascade Mountains. Southern California ‘s coasts besides experience hot summers due to the shielding effect of the Channel Islands. however, unshielded areas of that coastline can have warm-summer Mediterranean climates with hot-summer areas just a few kilometres inland .

Warm-summer Mediterranean climate [edit ]

Warm-summer mediterranean climate ( Csb ) occasionally besides termed “ Cool-summer Mediterranean climate ”, this subtype of the Mediterranean climate ( Csb ) is a less common form of the Mediterranean climate. As stated earlier, regions with this subtype of the Mediterranean climate experience warm ( but not hot ) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 22 °C ( 72 °F ) during its warmest month and an average in the coldest month between 18 and −3 °C ( 64 and 27 °F ) or, in some applications, between 18 and 0 °C ( 64 and 32 °F ). besides, at least four months must average above 10 °C ( 50 °F ). Cool ocean currents and upwelling are frequently the reason for this cool type of Mediterranean climate. This is why it rarely occurs on the Mediterranean Sea shores, as it is a warm sea, from 3 to 6°C above the theoric rate according to Jean Demangeot. [ 15 ] The other main argue for this cool type is the altitude. For exemplify, Menton on the french slide has a Csa climate while Castellar, Alpes-Maritimes, the adjacent town just north of Menton, with an altitude between 100 and 1,382 m ( 328 and 4,534 foot ), has a Csb climate. [ 16 ] Winters are showery and can be mild to chili. In a few instances, snow can fall on these areas. precipitation occurs in the cold seasons, but there are a act of clear cheery days evening during the wet seasons. Csb climates are found in northwestern iberian Peninsula ( namely Galicia and the Norte region and west coast of Portugal ), in coastal California, in the Pacific Northwest ( namely westerly Washington, westerly Oregon and southerly portions of Vancouver Island in British Columbia ), [ 17 ] [ 18 ] [ 19 ] [ 20 ] [ 21 ] in central Chile, in parts of southerly Australia and in sections of southwestern South Africa. Rarer instances of this climate can be found in relatively small eminent altitude areas of the Andes in Northern Ecuador, Columbia, and western Venezuela .

Cold-summer Mediterranean climate [edit ]

Csc) in Washington, Oregon and California distribution of the relatively rare cold-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen type ) in Washington, Oregon and California The cold-summer subtype of the Mediterranean climate ( Csc ) is rare and predominately found at scattered high-level locations along the west coasts of North and South America. This type is characterized by cool summers, with fewer than four months with a average temperature at or above 10 °C ( 50 °F ), adenine well as with cool winters, with no winter calendar month having a mean temperature below 0 °C ( 32 °F ) ( or −3 °C [ 27 °F ] ), depending on the isotherm used ). Regions with this climate are influenced by the dry-summer course ( though concisely ) that extends well poleward along the west seashore of the Americas, equally good as the chasten influences of high elevation and proportional proximity to the Pacific Ocean. In North America, areas with Csc climate can be found in the Olympic, Cascade, Klamath, and Sierra Nevada ranges in Washington, Oregon and California. These locations are found at high altitude nearby lower altitude regions characterized by a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csb ) or hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa ). A rare exemplify of this climate occurs in the tropics, on Haleakalā Summit in Hawaii. In South America, Csc regions can be found along the Andes in Chile and Argentina. The township of Balmaceda, Chile is one of the few towns confirmed to have this climate. small areas with a Csc climate can be found at high elevations in Corsica. [ citation needed ] In Norway, the small fishing village of Røst above the Arctic Circle has a climate surround on Csc and is known as a climatic anomaly due to abnormally warm temperatures despite its location above 67°N latitude .

References [edit ]

Media related to Mediterranean climate at Wikimedia Commons