Exam 17: Earths Changing Climate

In the tropical wet-and-dry climate (Aw), from September through November practically no rain falls.

Explain how the American climatologist, C. Warren Thornthwaite, devised a classification system to correct some of the deficiencies in the Köppen classification system.

In 1955, Thornthwaite revised his classification system to emphasize ____.

The climatologist, Glen Trewartha, modified the Köppen system by putting more emphasis on the ____.

Humid subtropical climates (Cfa)are found principally ____, roughly between 25 degrees and 40 degrees latitude.

In tropical regions, the trade winds converge along the ____, producing rising air, towering clouds, and heavy precipitation all year long.

The extreme summer aridity of the Mediterranean climate, which in California may exist for five months, is caused by the sinking air of the ____________________.

Explain how Köppen divided dry climates into categories, and characterize each of the primary dry categories.

The Köppen system implies that there is a gradual transition between climatic zones, when in reality there is a sharp boundary.

Which section of the United States is most likely to experience a persistent subsidence inversion during the summer?

When winters are severe and summers short and cool, with only one to three months having a mean temperature exceeding 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), the climate is described as _______.

A widely used classification of world climates based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation is called the ____________________ classification system.

During much of the year, ____ climates are characterized by low clouds, fog, and drizzle.

Provide a basic description of a steppe region based on vegetation, temperature, and precipitation. Also describe where this climatic region is found in North America.

The Köppen classification system, initially published in 1918, employs five major climatic types based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation.

When the average temperature for every month drops below freezing, plant growth is impossible, and the region is perpetually covered with snow and ice, the climate is classified as ____.

The D climates are found only in the ____.

Variations in temperature between summer and winter are greater over continental interiors than along the west coastal margins of continents because landmasses ____.

According to the ancient Greeks, a torrid zone is another name for a ____.

Precipitation is most abundant where the air rises; least abundant where it sinks.