What is characteristic of a temperate belt? Its characteristics, features and varieties

A moderate belt is a natural zone covering a significant part of the Northern Hemisphere's land and extensive water areas of the Southern Hemisphere. These latitudes are considered to be the main climatic zone, and not a passing one, because their ranges are very extensive. In such areas there are sharp changes in temperature, pressure and humidity of air, and it does not matter, we are talking about land or a separate part of the water area. About what is characterized by a specific temperate belt, what kind of weather is inherent in it and what its features are, read below.

Short description

Moderate latitudes are the most extensive natural zone on our planet. They occupy 25 percent of the entire surface of the earth, which is several times larger than the area of any other climatic zone. In the Northern Hemisphere, the temperate climate belt is between the 40th and 65th degrees of the northern latitude. In the South it is located between the 42nd and 58th degrees of south latitude. In addition, it should be noted that in the north this natural zone extends mainly along the land. 55 percent of the territory is the continents, and the rest is the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific. In the Southern Hemisphere, the temperate belt occupies only 2 percent of the land, and the remaining 98 are the waters of the World Ocean.

Air temperature and vibration

The main feature of this zone is the sharp seasonal changes in the temperature regime. It is a very cold winter and a very hot summer, and between them there are two transitional seasons - spring and autumn, which occur only in these latitudes. The winter temperature in the temperate zone is always lowered below zero. The closer we are to one of the poles, the lower the thermometer gives us. On average, the air is cooled down to -10. In summer, on the contrary, the temperature does not drop below the +15 level in any regions (except for weather anomalies). Closer to the subtropics there are temperature peaks of +35 or more above zero. At the boundaries of the subpolar strip is always cool - no more than +20.

Humidity and its differences

The climate of the temperate belt depends largely on the air pressure, which is formed here due to cyclones coming from the land and waters of the World Ocean. The average annual rainfall, which is here, is 500 mm. In this case, it is worth highlighting individual zones - especially dry and especially wet. For example, the coasts of the seas and oceans form zones of dynamic minimum. Here the pressure is low, and the amount of precipitation reaches 2000 mm per year. In the depths of the continents (North America, Eurasia), most of the territories are prone to droughts. In summer there is always the heat, therefore the amount of precipitation, which falls here, is no more than 200 mm.

North hemisphere

As we have already explained, the northern temperate belt is 55% of the land and 45% of the water between the 40th and 65th degrees. But this does not mean at all that every geographical point falling into this range, according to its weather conditions, is exactly the same as all the others. Since the extent from north to south is very large, the weather at higher latitudes will be more severe than in those close to the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, the temperate zone is divided into 4 subspecies: marine climate, moderately continental, sharply continental and monsoonal. Now we will examine each of them in detail.

The sea climate

This subtype is located above the surface of the waters of the World Ocean, as well as in coastal areas (New York, London). This zone is characterized by the lowest amplitude of temperature fluctuations throughout the year. Winter here is abnormally warm: very rarely the thermometer's column falls below zero. Constant snow cover in the cold season also does not form: snow and frost are infrequent and stay on the ground for a long time. It should be noted that the summer is not hot at all. When in the more northern areas the temperature rises to the limit, tire of all the heat, it is relatively cool - no more than 22 degrees above zero. The annual rainfall is maximum - up to 2000 mm.

Moderately continental climate

This type of temperate belt, which is located in the depths of continents, away from the seas and oceans. It is characterized by a very hot summer - up to +28 and a frosty winter - more than 12 degrees below zero. It is always dry, the amount of precipitation is minimal - up to 300 mm. Most of the territories covered by this natural zone are steppes and semi-steppes in Eurasia and North America. Here during the winter a constant snow cover and frosts are formed. In summer there are weak winds, short rains and light clouds.

Sharply continental climate

In this subzone, the temperate climatic belt borders on the subarctic zone, which largely affects its weather conditions. In addition, another feature of it is that it is located far from the outside waters, because here it is extremely dry - no more than 200 mm per year. In the summer it is very cool and windy. The temperature rarely rises above the +19 level. Nevertheless, this is compensated by a large number of sunny days due to small clouds. The summer itself is short, the cold comes literally in the second half of August. In winter it is very cold, and throughout the season the earth is covered with snow. The temperature drops below -30, often over the terrain, snow clouds form.

Monsoon climate

In some regions, which are very insignificant in their parameters, a moderate belt intercepts monsoons. These are winds that form mainly in tropical zones and rarely reach such high latitudes. The temperature drops are small, but the humidity fluctuates very much. The main feature is that the summer is very wet, and in winter, not a single drop falls out of the sky. The type of weather is anticyclone, with a sudden change in pressure and wind direction.