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Climate Zones & Biomes

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The world's climate zones and biomes.

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What is climate?

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1What is climate?
The long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years
2What is the difference between climate and weather?
"Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get" — climate is long-term patterns, weather is short-term conditions
3What is the standard averaging period for climate?
30 years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
4What are the components of the climate system?
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and the interactions between them
5What meteorological variables are commonly measured for climate?
Temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, and precipitation
6What factors affect the climate of a location?
Latitude, longitude, terrain, altitude, land use, and nearby water bodies and their currents
7What is the most widely used climate classification scheme?
The Köppen climate classification
8When was the Köppen climate classification first developed?
First developed in 1899
9What is the Thornthwaite system?
A climate classification system in use since 1948 that incorporates evapotranspiration along with temperature and precipitation information
10What are the major classifications in Thornthwaite's climate classification?
Microthermal, mesothermal, and megathermal
11What do the Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic Classification systems focus on?
The origin of air masses that define the climate of a region
12What is paleoclimatology?
The study of ancient climates, seeking to explain climate variations for all parts of Earth during any given geologic period
13What are proxy variables in paleoclimatology?
Non-biotic evidence (sediments in lake beds, ice cores) and biotic evidence (tree rings, coral) used to infer paleoclimates
14What are climate models?
Mathematical models of past, present, and future climates that simulate interactions and transfer of radiative energy
15What is a climate normal?
A reference point used by climatologists to compare current climatological trends, defined as the arithmetic average of a climate element over a 30-year period
16When was the first reference time frame for climatological standard normals established?
In 1934, the thirty-year period from 1901 to 1930 was designated as the reference time frame
17What is the current baseline reference period for climate normals?
The 1961–1990 climate normals serve as the baseline reference period
18What factors determine climate over historical time spans?
Nearly constant variables: latitude, altitude, proportion of land to water, proximity to oceans and mountains
19What is the thermohaline circulation?
An ocean circulation pattern that leads to a 5°C warming of the northern Atlantic Ocean compared to other ocean basins
20How does vegetation affect climate?
The density and type of vegetation coverage affects solar heat absorption, water retention, and rainfall on a regional level
21What atmospheric gases determine the amount of solar energy retained by the planet?
Greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide and methane
22What is a biome?
A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, often corresponding to climate classifications
23How are climate classification methods broadly divided?
Into genetic methods (focus on causes of climate) and empiric methods (focus on effects of climate)
24What is climate variability?
Variations in the mean state and other characteristics of climate on all spatial and temporal scales beyond individual weather events
25What is random variability or noise in climate?
Variability that does not appear to be caused systematically and occurs at random times
26What are climate oscillations correlated with?
Astronomical factors (barycenter changes, solar variation, cosmic ray flux, cloud albedo feedback, Milankovic cycles)
27What is climate change?
The variation in global or regional climates over time, reflecting changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere
28What is global warming?
The rise in average surface temperature, a component of climate change primarily driven by human activities
29What are ice ages?
Periodic climate shifts consisting of glacial periods where conditions are colder than normal, separated by interglacial periods
30How many major ice ages has Earth undergone?
Four major ice ages