The names of the main types of climate and their corresponding zones are well known to everyone. Few people do not know such words as equatorial, tropical, temperate and polar. And even to imagine, at least in a generalized way, the weather characteristic of them is quite simple. Also familiar to many are the terms denoting their transitional variants, distinguished by the prefix sub-. However, in addition to these names, one can find the use of the phrase humid and arid climate. What locality do they belong to? What usually happens in these zones? What conditions are their inhabitants accustomed to?
What is climate
The word "climate" refers to the average weather over many years. Moreover, the whole set of factors affecting it is taken into account - from the angle of incidence of the sun's rays, to the size and mass of the planet.
To characterize the climate, a lot of various indicators are used: atmospheric pressure and featuresmovements of air currents, humidity and cloudiness, the influence of astronomical bodies and the peculiarities of daylight hours, the specifics of the landscape and ocean currents, the types of soil and its covers - everything that can affect the constant manifestations of the weather.
It is the total impact of all components that determines the specificity and the possibility of the occurrence of certain phenomena for a particular area. What is habitual for one area of the Earth can never happen in another. And if this happens, you have to talk about anomalies on a planetary scale and look for their causes.
This aspect of the life of the Earth is studied by a separate branch of the science of meteorology - climatology.
Climate classifications
Different scientists are based on different criteria for assessing the terrain, to classify its climate as one type or another - these can be both atmospheric indicators and types of vegetation characteristic of a particular area of the globe in natural conditions.
There are several types of climate classification based on them. In Russia and the former Soviet republics, the system of Boris Pavlovich Alisov, a Soviet climate scientist, has been adopted. It takes into account the specifics of atmospheric phenomena.
The term "humid climate" was first used in the geomorphological climate studies of Albrecht Penk. This classification is based on the study of the formation of the earth's surface.
What is he - humidclimate?
The word humid comes from the Latin adjective humidus, which means "wet".
This type of climate is characterized by more precipitation than the soil can take in, and the surface of the earth can evaporate.
The result of this is the formation of a special hydrographic map of the area. Due to the large amount of surface wastewater, a certain relief is formed, reservoirs are formed and moisture-loving flora grows.
Humid climate is found in the temperate, subarctic and equatorial zones of the planet.
The whole group can be divided into two types.
Polar - zones with such a climate are located in the first two of the above climatic zones. Due to many years of deep freezing of the soil, its ability to take moisture into the soil is limited, which leads to the surface distribution of precipitation
Tropical (otherwise, this type of humid climate is called phreatic). Heavy rainfall leads to excessive humidity here. However, part of their soil can take in the deep layers of the soil
There are also smaller subgroups of humid climates in the Thornthwaite and Penk classifications. With a more detailed study of the issue, one can come across such terms as sub-humid, perhumid, semi- or semi-humid. These are climate subtypes, identified on the basis of the local humidity index.
The prefix per- means excess, sub- refers to the steppeareas where precipitation is abundant, and semi- characterizes, in this case, the transition to semi-arid climatic zones, in which arid and humid conditions border.
What is an arid climate
Speaking of the transition to arid climate zones, one cannot remain silent about its essence.
Characteristic features of the arid climate are poor precipitation and excessive aridity, active evaporation of moisture from the surface. The name comes from the Latin word aridus, which in translation will sound like "dry". This is the opposite of humid conditions - the moisture input to the soil is much less than its ability to evaporate.
Both arid and humid climates are found on the planet in both warm and cold versions.
