INTRODUCTION hen we picture a location its most dis tinguishing geographic and cultural landmarks the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel Tower for instance are frequently the first things to come to mind What may seem less appar ent is the climate although it is also indispensable to our understanding of a particular area Climate has played a large part in crafting the land and shaping the way life evolved in a place and it continues to shape our interactions with the landscape Visiting the pyramids of Giza to take just one example would be a vastly different experience without Egypt s arid desert climate as a backdrop This volume provides a thorough introduction to the climate regions of the world and examines what accounts for those global variations A region s climate is influenced by a number of factors and cannot simply be determined by glanc ing at the weather forecast on any given day Rather climate describes the aggregate weather of a place over a period of years and is governed by controls such as latitude land and water distribution atmo spheric pressure altitude and ocean currents to name a few The most common measures of climate include mean average values of temperature and precipitation such as rain and snow Comparing var ious locations using measures like these reveals the
INTRODUCTION This true color satellite image depicts land covered in vegetation in green arid areas in brown snow covered areas in white and water in blue The largely green central landmass representing the North American continent contrasts with the white landmasses representing Greenland and northern Canada demonstrating the varying climates affecting different regions of the world Planet Observer Universal Images Group Collection Mix Subjects Getty Images
INVESTIGATING THE GLOBAL CLIMATE incredible range of weather conditions that affect the planet This diversity is reflected in the vari ous systems for classifying climates While regions can be identified in many different ways dividing the world into climatic zones based on similarities in temperature precipi tation and vegetation helps reveal patterns between otherwise disparate areas The clas sification scheme used in this book takes all of these factors into account and illustrates how for example southern California south ern Europe and the southern coasts of Africa and Australia separated by thousands of miles of land and ocean can all share a Mediterranean climate The impact of climate on the natural world and human life is wide ranging and var ies from region to region Generally however climate most directly affects vegetation and soils This in turn can influence settlement patterns and other human activities such as agriculture which is fundamental to our survival Technological responses to climate such as central heating air conditioning and irrigation have been developed as adapta tions to extreme temperatures or aridity Such adaptations are inadequate however to deal with the climatic phenomenon known
INTRODUCTION as global warming Althoughclimate describes long term weather conditions it should not be viewed as static or constant While Earth's overall climate has remained stable enough over the course of its history to sup port life it has gone through periods of great change tor example alternating between ice ages and periods of warmth Global warm ing is the name given to the rapid rise of air temperatures near Earth's surface over the past century which scientists have attributed to human causes Global warming threatens many of the planet s ecosystems and must be managed at an international level through innovative strategies and policies While weather is frequently a topic of con versation it is only part of a larger discussion Understanding climate and the long term effects of weather conditions provides a unique perspective on the development of both the geographical and cultural landscapes of the world And as long as global warm ing continues to endanger the environment understanding climate and its effect on the planet will continue to be of vital importance 9
