TYPES OF CLIMATE
The climates of Asia can be divided into eight different types:
Monsoon Equatorial Highland
Tundra Taiga Temperate Desert Mediterranean
cool temperate cold desert
warm temperate hot desert
The characteristics of each type of climate and its correlated vegetation are explained in the
tabular form.
Climate type Characteristics Vegetation Distribution
Tundra (also Long and freezing winterss Growth only during summers Regions comprising
known as the recording as low as-50°C the northernnost
polar or frigid Comprises of sparse and areas of the Siberian
Short and cool summers treeless regions
climate) Plains in Russia
Annual precipitation is Examples: moss, heath, lichen and
around 20-25 cm, mostly in flowering plants
small
the form of snow
Taiga Long and severely cold Comprises of coniferous forests Region stretching as
winters characterised by tall, conical a wide belt across the
and evergreen trees adapted to Siberian Plains; these
Short and cool summers
water-scare conditions are covered by one
Little rainfall in summer of the world's largest
They grow on mountain slopes
Most of the forests
precipitation
They have downward sloping
is in the form of snow in
branches with long and needle-
winter
shaped leaves, and bear woody
cones
Examples: pine, spruce, fir and
cedar
Also known
as steppes
Found in a
Temperate
Short and hot
summers
Marked by vast treeless plains
belt from thenarrow
(also known
Long and cold
winters in the
west to Ukrain
as continental Receives scanty rainfall
Excellent pasturelands
Balkh and Lake
E
climate because
it records a large
occurring in summer
due to|
continentality (the distance
Deforested in large areas for
practising wheat cultivation
Mongolia in theEasteasem
diurnal range of
from the sea. Examples: short grasses,
thorny
temperature) bushes and shrubs
Comprises a mixture of coniferous Regions c
Cool Temperate Short and warm summers
the latter ering the
plains of Manchuria,
and deciduous trees;
(also known
Long and cold
winters
are
broad-leaved and shed their which lie in the
as Manchurian
type climate
Receives rainfall in
summer leaves in the autumn season north-eastem parts
of China and the
and snowfall in winter Mostly deforested for carrying
as it is mainly
experienced in out agriculture
Hokkaido Island
of Japan
the Plains of coniferous trees such as
Examples:
Manchuria in deciduous
larch, birch, pine and fir;
China) trees such as maple, oak, elm,
chestnut, cherry blossom and ash
Warm Warm and wet summers Also known as the sub-tropical Regions covering
mixed forest as it lies in the central and easten
Temperate (also . Cool and relatively drier
known as China
subtropical latitudinal belt China, southern
winters
type climate Amixture of deciduous forestsJapan and Korea
Receives rainfall mostly
as it is mainly and grasslands; also comprises
in summer caused by the
experienced in vast marshlands and swamps
Southeast Monsoon and
China)
snowfall in winter Examples: oak, camphor, magnolia,
camellia, bamboo and mulberry
Cold Desert Records a large diurnal Comprises of sparse and Region covering the
range of temperature treeless regions cold deserts, such
as
Characterised by very hot Examples: moss, heath, lichen and the Gobi, Kashgar
and Takla Makan
summers and extremely small flowering plants
cold winters
Receives scanty
precipitation caused by the
South westerlies
Hot Desert Records a large diurnal The Arabian Desert
range of temperature due to Comprises of scanty vegetation Arabia
and
in Saudia
absence of clouds Characterised by plants in
havingthe Desert
Thar D
the Thar
large and deep roots, leathery India and Pakistan
Characterised by extremely
hot summers and leaves, thorny stems and leaves
very cold modified as stems
winters
Examples:
precipitation | cactus and thorny
Receives scanty shrubs, bushes,
in the form of date palm
fog
Climate type Characteristics
Medilerranean Characterised by hot and Vegetation Distribution
dry summers, and cool and Comprises of scrublands Regions in Eurasia
wet winters
Characteriscd by drought- lying along the
Receives rainfall in winters resistant and evergreen Mediterranean coast,
caused by the South shrubs which have Cspecially Syria, Israel,|
long
westerlies roots, spongy barks and Turkey and Lebanon
waxy leaves
Examples: cork, oak, olive,
laurel, acacia, myrtle and
citrusfruits
Monsoon
Hot summers and cool dry In areas
winters of heavier
rain, the Regions covering
broadleaved deciduous forests South Asia, South-East
Distinct rainy season are denser
Asia and the Indian
during June to September A distinct leaf subcontinent
on account of
Southwest
shedding
period before the dry season
monsoons
begins
Receives rainfall caused by
Comprises trees characterised
the Southwest Monsoon
by tall, large and evergreen
in summers and the
growth; have broad leaves
Northeast monsoon in and wide trunks; large span of
winters branches
Receives mostly Examples: teak, bamboo, sal,
moderate to heavyy rosewood, deodar and banyan
rainfall which is orographic
or relief rain
Equatorial Records smalldiurnal Comprises of dense tropical1 Regions covering
rangeof temperature deciduous forests South Asia, more
throughout the year so
Marked by three-tier vegetation: Specifically Southeast
practically no seasons with from top to bottom, it includes Asia and the
very low annual range of tall trees, small trees and dense archipelagos of Asia
temperature undergrowth; world's tallest
trees comprise the forest canopy
High temperature
throughout the year with Characterised by evergreen
heavy rainfall trees having buttress roots and
Receives heavy andd broad leaves
convectional rainfall
Examples: ebony, mahogany and
Occurring mostly around rosewood
2-4 p.m. and is accompanied
by thunderstorms
(Continued)
changes based Reo
temperature
Type ofvegetation
elevation
Regions comprisng
of the. mountains the Central
Records fallin on the
vice-
Highland
as
altitude
rises and
Comprises
of deciduous and Mountain Bet
versa coniferous
forests along the
Characterised by mild
lower and higher slopes,
winters southern
and cold on the
s u m m e r s respectively
Receives rainfall along sideof the Himalayas
side of desert
the rain-bearing Comprises of cold
the the highest slopes
the southerm slope of vegetation
on
the
caused by mountains
Himalayas of all the
Southwest monsoon
exists above the
No vegetation
timberline
treeline or
cedar and deodar
Examples: oak,
and vegetation
between temperature
Co-relationship TROPICAL CLIMATE:
FOLIAGE
THICK
DECIDUOUS TREES; 3.
LEAVES; 2.
1. BROAD
Leaves have large surtace
area to allow transpiration
of water.
there is no dearth
as
Hence deciduous.
to tide over short dry spell.
Leaves shed during dry season
HOTTROPICAL DESERTS: XEROPHYTES
Leaves reduced to spines to minimise transpiration
and stores water
-Soft pulpy stems that manufactures food
water table
Long tap roots to tap deep underground
COLD TEMPERATE CLIMATE: cONIFEROUS TREES
-Downward sloping branches to prevent accumulation of snow
Needle-shaped leaves to reduce surface area for
transpiration
Woody pine cones protect the seeds from damage when
they fall off the very tall pine trees. Also protects the
eeds during harsh winters