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8 - Global Physical Climatology

from Part II - The Scientific Basis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2023

Gordon Bonan
Affiliation:
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
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Summary

There is a distinct poleward zonation of climate defined by gradations of progressively colder annual mean temperature in tropical, subtropical, temperate, boreal, arctic, and polar latitudes. Additional climate zones are defined based on annual precipitation and the seasonality of temperature and rain. The climate at large spatial scales extending over thousands of kilometers is known as the macroclimate. It is determined by geographic variation in solar heating of the planet, which sets in motion large-scale atmospheric circulations that transport heat poleward from the tropics, and also by proximity to oceans, which similarly transport heat in ocean currents. Mountains and large lakes create a regional climate that can deviate from the macroclimate. Climate at this scale, generally up to a several hundred kilometers , is referred to as mesoclimate. Variation in topography, soils, and vegetation creates local climates at a spatial scale ranging from a few to tens of kilometers, known as microclimates. A south-facing slope has a different microclimate than a north-facing slope. Forests have a different microclimate compared with open land.

Type
Chapter
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Seeing the Forest for the Trees
Forests, Climate Change, and Our Future
, pp. 101 - 113
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Global Physical Climatology
  • Gordon Bonan, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
  • Book: Seeing the Forest for the Trees
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108601559.009
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  • Global Physical Climatology
  • Gordon Bonan, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
  • Book: Seeing the Forest for the Trees
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108601559.009
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Global Physical Climatology
  • Gordon Bonan, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
  • Book: Seeing the Forest for the Trees
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108601559.009
Available formats
×