Climates

The Equatorial climate is found in the Amazon Basin (South America), the Congo Basin (Africa), Malaysia, Indonesia and some areas in northern Australia. It has average monthly temperatures of between 26ºC and 28ºC and high regular precipitation of about 2000mm a year. There´s no seasonal variation because throughout the year temperatures keep high. Every day is like the other: there´s high evaporation, clouds are formed and that causes heavy rains. According to Koppen’s Classification, Equatorial is a tropical moist climate.

The Monsoon climate is found in South and Central America, but there are also sections of South and Southeast Asia, Africa (mostly West and Central), the Caribbean, and North America that also have this climate. Its annual average temperature is 27ºC (temperatures are high all along the year) and it rains about 600mm per year. There are well-divided two seasons, a dry season in or after winter, and a wet season in the summer, both of them influenced by the variation of the winds. A major feature of monsoon climates is the Monsoon Tropical Forest, that is found in tropical areas with a distinct dry season. For the Koppen’s Classification, this climate is a tropical moist climate.

The Tropical Continental or Savannah climate is located 5º to 15º north and south of the Equator, in parts of Central Africa, northern Australia and some areas in South America. The daily range temperature is around 15ºC. A special feature of this type of climate is the fact that there are distinct wet and dry seasons. Most of the rainfall occurs during a particular period during the year (the wet season). The areas closer to the Equator have a larger wet season and 1000mm of precipitation per year, in exchange, areas away from the Equator have shorter wet seasons and 300mm of rainfall a year. According to the Koppen’s Classification, it is a dry climate.

Hot Deserts , like the Atacama, are found between 5º and 30º north and south of the Equator in South America, southern Africa, Mexico and Australia. During the day, temperatures can reach 50ºC, while at night they can fall to below 0ºC. Rainfalls are very low, as deserts have less than 250mm of precipitation per year. A major feature of this type of climate may be that temperatures have a huge change between day and night. This climate is classified by the Koppen’s Classification as a dry climate.

Cold climate is found in the polar circles at the poles (90 degrees north and south) and the zones of elevated altitude. They have very low temperatures (below 0ºC) and abundant precipitation, most of it in form of snow. There is no seasonal variation, as temperatures are very cold all along the year. Special features of this climate may be the very cold temperatures (under 0 degrees C) and the fact that, in the High Artic, the sun sets in October and doesn’t rise again until February. Taking into account the Koppen’s Classification, this climate is a polar climate.

The Tundra climate is located at latitudes 55° to 70° North, surrounding the North pole. Their average annual temperatures are -28°C and they have precipitation of around 350mm a year, most of them in as snow. As regards seasonal variation, Tundra presents long and cold winters and short but rich summers. A major feature of Tundra can be that it covers about 20% of the Earth's surface. Another important characteristic is that nights can last for weeks in winter and in summer sun rises almost 24 hours a day. The Koppen’s Classification ranks Tundra as a polar climate.