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Revision as of 16:52, 16 September 2011 by Van de Kemp(talk | contribs)(→Subtropical areas: The whole North Island does not have subtropical climates, only the northern part, the Northland Region has one.)
The subtropics are the geographical and climatical zone of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropical zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitudes 23.5°N and 23.5°S. The term "subtropical" describes the climaticregion found adjacent to the tropics, usually between 23.5 and 40 degrees of latitude in both hemispheres.
Definition
According to climatologistGlenn G. Trewartha, a subtropical region should have at least eight months with a mean temperature of 10 °C (50.0 °F) or above. His revision of Köppen climate classification assigns to such areas the letter C, while others zones encompassed in the original Köppen group C class would be considered part of group.
American climatologist John F. Griffiths in his book Applied climatology described the subtropical zone as having a coldest month of between 6 °C (42.8 °F) and 18 °C (64.4 °F) and assigning to this group the letter B, while the original B group of Köppen taxonomy would be spread over the various temperature-based groups.
German climatologists Carl Troll and Karlheinz Paffen defined warmgemäßigte Zonen ("Warm temperate zones") plain and hilly lands having an average temperature of the coldest month between 2 °C (35.6 °F) and 13 °C (55.4 °F) in Northern Hemisphere and between 6 °C (42.8 °F) and 13 °C (55.4 °F) in Southern Hemisphere, excluding oceanic and continental climates.
Characteristics
In subtropical climates the winters are relatively warm-mild, but not as hot as the summer season. These climates rarely—if ever—see frost or snow and plants such as palm, citrus and many broadleafevergreens flourish, in contrast to the hardier deciduous and coniferous trees which dominate midlatitude climates. As one moves toward the tropical side the slight winter cool season disappears altogether, while at the poleward threshold of the subtropics the winters become much cooler.
Rainfall patterns vary widely throughout the subtropics including hot deserts, savannas, monsoon forests, humid forests and the warmer parts of the Mediterranean climate zone. Subtropical regions include most of California and southern Europe (Mediterranean or dry-summer subtropical climate), the low deserts of the Southwest USA (hot arid type), the Gulf Coast and most of Florida (humid subtropical climate), northern India (monsoon), southeast China (humid), the middle part of South America (varied), much of Australia (varied) and coastal South Africa.
Varieties
Subtropical highland variety (Cwb)
The Subtropical Highland variety (Köppen climate classification: Cwb) of the oceanic climate exists in elevated portions of the world that are either within the tropics or subtropics, though it is typically found in mountainous locations in some tropical countries. Despite the latitude, due to the higher altitudes of these regions, it tends to share characteristics with oceanic climates, though it also tends to experience noticeably drier weather during the "low-sun" season.
In locations outside the tropics, other than the drying trend in the winter, Subtropical Highland climates tend to be essentially identical to an oceanic climate, complete with mild summers, noticeably cooler winters and in some instances, some snowfall. In the tropics, a Subtropical Highland climate tends to feature spring-like weather year-round. Temperatures here remain relatively constant throughout the year and snowfall is seldom seen. Areas with this climate feature monthly averages below 22 °C (72 °F) but above −3 °C (27 °F) (or 0 °C (32 °F) using American standards). At least one month's average temperature is below 18 °C (64 °F). Without the elevation, many of these regions would likely feature either tropical or humid subtropical climates. These regions usually carry a Cwb or Cfbdesignation. [citation needed].
This type of climate exists in parts of east, south and south-eastern Africa, some mountainous areas across southern Europe, sections of mountainous Latin America, some mountainous areas across Southeast Asia, higher elevations of the southern Appalachians, and parts of the Himalayas. It also occurs in a few areas of Australia, although average high temperatures during summers there tend to be higher and the climate drier than is typical of Subtropical Highland Climates, with maximums sometimes exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).[1]
The climate is characterized by warm to hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. Mediterranean climate zones are associated with the five large subtropical high pressure cells of the oceans, the Azores High, South Atlantic High, North Pacific High, South Pacific High, and the Indian Ocean High which cause the dry summers.
The humid subtropical climate is a subtropical climate type characterized by hot, humid summers and warm to cool winters. The average annual precipitation may either be evenly distributed throughout the year (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) or marked by a dry season or drying trend during winter (Köppen climate classification: Cwa).
Humid subtropical climates lie on the southeast side of all continents, generally between latitudes 25° and 40° north and south. However, in Europe, it extends above latitude 45° N, covering regions such as the Po Valley of Italy, which includes [[Venice, the Toulouse region of France, and along the Black Sea coast. In East Asia, the influence of the Siberian anticyclone depresses winter temperatures, pushing the southern boundary of this regime to around China's Hainan Island, at latitude 20° N.
In subtropical climates the winters are relatively warm-mild, but not hot as the summer season. These climates rarely—if ever—see frost or snow. As one moves toward the tropical side the slight winter cool season disappears altogether, while at the poleward threshold of the subtropics the winters become much cooler.
Savannah, Georgia: Live oak with spanish moss. This is a typical scene in the subtropical region of the eastern and southern United States as far west as eastern Texas.
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Savannah, Georgia: Live oak with spanish moss. This is a typical scene in the subtropical region of the eastern and southern United States as far west as eastern Texas.
Curitiba: Live oak with araucarias. This is a typical scene in the subtropical region of southern Brazil.
A field of flowers in the West Coast National Park, South Africa
