Theory question 307
Climate(a) Define climate. (b) Draw the globe and show the three climatic belts of the Greek System of classification. (c) List three areas of hot desert climate. (d) Outline three characteristics' of hot deserts.
Show the model answer
(a) Climate is the average weather conditions of a place over a long period, usually about 35 years.
(b) Globe showing the torrid zone between the Tropics of Cancer (23½°N) and Capricorn (23½°S); the north and south temperate zones between the tropics and the Arctic/Antarctic Circles (66½°); the north and south frigid zones from the circles to the poles.
(c) Sahara; Kalahari and Namib; Arabian Desert; Thar Desert; Great Australian Desert; Atacama; Sonoran/Mojave.
(d) Very low and unreliable rainfall (under 250 mm); very high day temperatures and cold nights (large diurnal range); low humidity and clear skies; strong winds and dust storms; high evaporation; sparse xerophytic vegetation.
Mark latitudes on the globe.