Question

Create a web chart
Tropical regions

Answer 1

Answer:

The areas within the tropics which have all 12 months of the year with temperatures above 18 °C. The three types of tropical climate are classified as Tropical Rainforest or Equatorial (Af), Tropical Monsoon (Am) and Tropical Wet and Dry or Savannah (Aw). As can be observed in the map these three tropical climates are confined to a global band known as the Tropics which falls between the northern latitude of Tropic of Cancer and the sourther latitude, Tropic of Capricorn. The general pattern of the tropical climate is warm temperatures. Depending on the type of tropical climate, humidity is variable with Equatorial climates experiencing large quantities of precipitation all year round and Tropical Wet and Dry and Tropical Monsoon climates expereincing seasonal shifts in rain patterns.

The most important climate control in regard to the tropical climate types relates to the position of the Inter Tropical Convergent Zone or ITCZ. The ITCZ is an area of low pressure and marks the point of trade wind convergence. These two roles make it an important ingredient in atmospheric circulation and give it a critical role in the formation of the Hadley cell.

The ITCZ's location varies throughout the year and while it remains near the equator, the ITCZ over land drifts farther north or south than the ITCZ over oceans. This is due to greater variation of land temperatures. The location of the ITCZ can vary as much as 40° to 45° of latitude north or south of the equator based on the pattern of land and ocean. Despite these variations the ITCZ relates closely to the altitude of the sun and marks the point where the sun is highest in the sky. In temperate latitudes relative migration of the sun between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn is responsible for creating the seasons but in tropical latitudes it is responsible for the migration of low pressure and the resullting shifts in seasonal tropical rains. The ITCZ and converging trade winds can be seen in the graphic below. The animation shows the shifting seasonal rains follow the the movement of the ITCZ.

In addition to the ITCZ there are a number of other climate controles that influence the types of climate in the tropics. The influence of land and sea has a critical affect on the migration of the ITCZ. Due to the heat retention and stability of temperature within the ocean the ITCZ remains more anchored to one position over oceans. In contrast land temperature vary over the year and temperature is also influenced by altitude and relief. These factors create greater ITCZ migration and climatic variation north and south over continents. In Tropical Monsoon Climates the ITCZ can interact with other climatic patterns such as offshore winds that form as a result of deep lows over land. In combination with the ITCZ this helps produce enormous seasonal rains.

The second distinctive climate feature of tropical regions is the dry season. As you can see from the diagram to the right of the Hadley circulation air rises above the ITCZ to create a low pressure zone, characterised by high humidity and rainfall. Further north and south of this zone air begins to sink. As air sinks it becomes warmer. Remember warm air can hold much more water vapour than cold air. As a result of its warming its relative humidity falls and moisture gets locked inside the warm air. The air continue to sink warming further. The resulting atmospheric conditions are hot, dry, calm and clear skies with high pressure, called Tropical Anticyclones.Theoretically there is more moisture in the air at these latitudes than above the British Isles but you just can't see it. Over time the ITCZ migrates north and south and with it we see the migration of the warm dry highs.

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