True deserts are very hot – 40 o C or more – during the day, but cold at night. They are very dry and what little rain there is falls is short sudden bursts and evaporates quickly. Few plants can grow in deserts but some animals manage to survive.
These areas are hot all year round. In some parts there is heavy rain all year round too, and that is where rainforest grow. Rainforest plants fruit and flower all year. In other tropical areas, such as savannas and scrubland, there are dry seasons and rainy seasons, when most of the year’s rain falls.
The climates of mountain areas vary according to altitude. The higher the mountain, the colder it is. At a certain point, called the tree line, trees can no longer grow. The climate in mountain areas is usually wetter than in the lowlands around them
The areas around the North and South pole are called the Arctic and Antarctic. Both have an average temperature of 0 o –10 o C in summer and as little as –50 o C in winter. Few plants can grow. The tundra is land surrounding the Arctic. In summer small plants grow here.
These areas have warm summers and cool winters. In the northern areas the winters can be vary cold. Rain falls all year round. Much of this area was once covered with forest.
These areas have mild winters and warm to hot summers. There is rain all year round, but there are plenty of sunny days. This is an ideal climate for growing crops such as citrus fruits, grapes and olives.
Climates have changed naturally throughout history. But scientists think that human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, are producing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, and these are causing global warming. The effects include ocean currents altering, ice sheets melting, sea levels rising and severe weather, such as cyclones and floods, becoming more common.
Weather and climate are not the same. Weather is how hot, cold or wet a place is at a particular time. Climate is the average weather of an area over time. Several things decide the climate of an area, including how far it is from the Equator, how far from the sea, its height above sea level and its wind systems. The position of a place on an area of land and the size of that land area also affects the climate. Scientists divide the world into different climate. Scientists divide the world into different climate regions: polar and tundra, temperature, tropical, desert and mountain.
