Characteristics
- Warm summers between 13°c and 15°c and cool winters between 2°c and 7°C.
- Small annual range of temperature (3° to 11°c) due to maritime influence.
- Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year ranging from 760 mm to 2000mm.
- In the lowlands at the coasts, cyclonic rainfall occurs while in the mountainous areas, relief
rainfall is dominant.
- Humidity is high in winter.
- Summer days are long and generally warm with irregular thunderstorms.
- Winds blow onshore during winter hence heavy rainfall in winter.
- Winters are mild.
- Sub-tropical and polar air masses converge giving rise to depressions and anticyclones.
I. Cool temperate Continental/ Siberian type/ Cool temperate interior type.
- It extends between latitudes 35°North and 60° North in areas like;
• Alaska and most of Canada.
• Eurasia covering Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and across former U.S.S.R up to
Kamchatka peninsula in the East.
Characteristics.
- The winter temperatures are extremely cold.
- Winters are long with longer nights.
- Summers are generally short and warm/ 19° C.
- The annual temperature range is very high.
- Precipitation is mainly in the form of snow, which falls during winter.
- Convectional rainfall accompanied by thunder is experienced.
- Low annual rainfall totals/ 400mm- 500mm.
- Rainfall is slightly higher on the European side because of the influence of westerlies.
- Relatively high humidity.
- Rainfall decreases polewards as air is too cold to hold moisture.
II. Cool Temperate Eastern Margin/ Cool Temperate East Coast/ Humid Continental warm summer
type/ Laurentian type.
- It is found on the eastern margin of continents of North America and Asia between latitudes 35°
N and 50° N in areas like;
• The North Eastern parts of U.S.A and Southern Canada.
• North Korea, Northern China and Eastern part of Siberia.
Characteristics
- Winters are very cold with temperature ranging from - 40° C and 0° C.
- Long summers (about 5 months)/ average temperature of 25° C.
- Annual range of temperature is large/ 26° C- 30° C.
- Humidity is high during summer.
- There is precipitation all year round with maxima in summer.
- In winter precipitation is in the form of snow.
- Annual precipitation varies from 600mm to 1000mm.
- In summer winds are onshore.
- Rainfall is both conventional and cyclonic.
- Destructive typhoons are frequent in September.
- Cold continental winds blow offshore in winter lowering temperature.
- Convergence of cold Labrador ocean current and warm Gulf stream drift ocean current produces
fog and mist.
1) POLAR CLIMATES /TUNDRA AND ICE CAP (VERY COLD CLIMATES)
- These climates are found above 66 ½ ° North and South (arctic and Antarctic Circles).
- Found in areas like;
• Northern parts of America from Alaska through Northern Canada to
Greenland.
• Eurasian from Northern Norway, Finland Greenland and Northern former
U.S.S.R Antarctica.
Characteristics of Tundra Climate–kcse 2019
- It is found above 66 ½ ⁰ north/ Arctic Circle and above 66 ½ ⁰ south of the equator/ Antarctic
Circle.
- It has cold winters/ with temperatures varying between -29° C to -40° C.
- It has very long winters/ lasting 8 months.
- It has cool summers/ temperatures of about 10° C - 15° C.
- It has short summers/ lasting 3 months.
- It has a very large annual range/ of temperature going up to 73° C.
- There is permanent cover of snow and ice/ permafrost.
- The area is generally dry/ with low annual precipitation/ 100 – 250mm.
- During the long cold winters, polar winds are dominant.
- Snow storms/ blizzards are common in this region.
- It is a high pressure zone.
- Area of low humidity.
2) MOUNTAINS CLIMATE.
- Occur in great mountain ranges of the world such as;
• Alpine Ranges of Europe.
• The Himalayas and Tibet Plateau of Asia.
• The Ethiopian Highlands, the east African Highlands, Drakensberg Mountains, The
Adamawa and Cameroon Ranges of Africa.
Characteristics.
- Temperature decreases with increase in altitude.
- Temperatures range from cool to very cold.
- Some mountains peaks are ice capped.
- Diurnal range of temperature is small.
- Pressure on the mountain top is low due to rarefaction of air.
- Rainfall is predominant in these zones.
- Rainfall is mainly relief/orographic.
- Rainfall intensity depends on aspect.
- Fohn and chinook winds (local winds) are common.
MICRO-CLIMATE (LOCAL CLIMATES) –kcse 2004
- Micro-climate is a climate which is experienced within a small or localized area and slightly
modified or different from the general climate of a region.
- Micro-climate is average weather condition of a small area different from the surrounding areas.
- It mainly arises from the differences in slopes, aspect, nature of the surface, colour and texture
of the soil and vegetation cover.
- Human activities such as building of cities, dams and industrial plants produce micro– climates.
In large cities micro – climate is also referred to as urban climate.
Areas experiencing micro- climate.
• Dammed areas like Aswan High Dam, Kariba Dam, Masinga Dam.
• Heavily built up areas/ cities like Nairobi, New York and Johannesburg.
• Forested areas such as Kakamega and the Aberdare forests.
• Mountainous regions like Mt. Elgon.
• Around a lake e.g. Lake Victoria.
ARIDITY AND DESERTIFICATION
- Aridity is the state of land having insufficient moisture due to low amount of rainfall (less than
250mm per year) leading to scanty or no vegetation.
- Desertification is the steady encroachment of arid conditions onto productive agricultural lands.
Causes of aridity and Desertification.
1. Natural causes of Aridity and Desertification.
- Very low and unreliable rainfall limits vegetation growth causing aridity.
- High temperatures leads to high evaporation rates causing aridity.
- Cold ocean currents trap moisture from onshore winds blowing over them reaching adjacent
coastland as dry winds causing aridity.
- Continental dry winds constantly blowing over some regions may cause a drying effect to the
regions they are blowing over leading to aridity.
- Continentality/ location of places far away from the sea receives dry onshore winds leading to
desertification e.g. Gobi desert in the interior of Asia.
- High pressure system makes the air compressed, gets warmer increasing its dryness leading to
aridity.
- The rainshadow effect on the leeward sides of mountains where dry winds descend leading to
aridity e.g. Namib and Kalahari deserts on the rainshadow of Drakensberg.
2. Human causes of desertification –kcse 2019
- Deforestation which interferes with the hydrological cycle leading to low rainfall.
- Poor cultivation practices which has led to soil degeneration and reduction of vegetation.
- Poor irrigation practices which lead to excessive accumulation of salts in the top soil/ hindering
growth of vegetation.
- Overdrawing of ground water lead to lowering of the water table leading to aridity.
- Industrialization which has led to depletion of ozone layer thus leading to increased temperature
and high rates of evaporation.
- Overgrazing/ overstocking which leads to destruction of vegetation interfering with the
hydrological cycle.
Effects of aridity and desertification –kcse 2002
- Desertification lowers the fertility of the soils, hence lowering the productivity of the land.
- Reduced food production leading to famine.
- Desertification leads to the destruction of the water catchment areas hence water shortage.
Causes destruction of vegetation