Theory question 207
ClimateUse the climatic data in the table below to answer the following questions.
Table II - Climatic data for Station X
Month: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec
Rainfall in mm: 18, 17, 20, 39, 48, 90, 112, 90, 56, 47, 3?, 25
Temp in °C: 21, 21, 20, 17, 15, 12, 12, 13, 14, 18, 18, 20
(a) Plot a combined rainfall and temperature graph for Station X (b) Calculate the (i) annual temperature range (ii) mean annual temperature for the station (c) What climatic type does the station represent?
Show the model answer
(a) Bars for monthly rainfall and a line graph for temperature on the same axes (rainfall scale on one side, temperature on the other), months along the base, title and key.
(b)(i) 21 − 12 = 9°C. (ii) Sum = 201; 201 ÷ 12 = 16.75°C (about 16.8°C).
(c) Mediterranean (warm temperate western margin) climate of the southern hemisphere: warm summers (Dec-Feb) and mild winters; most rain in winter (June-August); dry summers; e.g. Cape Town or Perth.
The coolest months are June-July, so the station is in the southern hemisphere.