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35-523: The South Pacific High is a semi-permanent subtropical anticyclone located in the southeast Pacific Ocean . The area of high atmospheric pressure and the presence of the Humboldt Current in the underlying ocean make the west coast of Peru and northern Chile extremely arid. The Sechura and Atacama deserts , as the whole climate of Chile , are heavily influenced by this semi-permanent high-pressure area. This high-pressure system plays

70-472: A major role in the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and it is also a major source of trade winds across the equatorial Pacific. This climatology -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Subtropics The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics . Geographically part of

105-458: A mean temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or higher. D climate groups have two types: Most of Europe north of the 44th parallel exhibits a Do or Dc climate type. This represents subarctic and subpolar oceanic climate realms, defined the same as in Köppen's scheme, where 1 to 3 months have an average temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or above. In this climate zone there is only

140-474: A more even rhythm of seasonal rainfall. Tropical lows and weakening tropical storms often contribute to seasonal rainfall in most humid subtropical climates. In the cool season (winter) the subtropical highs retreat, and the humid subtropics are more influenced by the westerlies and the fronts and storms that move with them. The Subtropical highland climate is a climate variant often grouped together with oceanic climates found in some mountainous areas of either

175-578: A short period (normally 50 to 90 days) that is frost free. In the original scheme, this group was not further divided; later, the designations Eo and Ec were created: As in Group D , a third letter can be added to indicate seasonality of precipitation. There are no separate counterparts to the Köppen Dfd , Dwd , and Dsd climate types in Trewartha's scheme, but a letter can optionally be added to

210-427: Is generally in areas adjacent to powerful cold ocean currents. Examples of this climate are the coastal areas of Southern Africa and the west coast of South America . The humid subtropical climate is often on the western side of the subtropical high. Here, unstable tropical airmasses in summer bring convective overturning and frequent tropical downpours, and summer is normally the season of peak annual rainfall. In

245-418: Is lower. This definition, though restricted to dry regions, is almost similar to Holdridge's. Heating of the earth by the sun near the equator leads to large amounts of upward motion and convection winds along the monsoon trough or Intertropical Convergence Zone . The upper-level divergence over the near-equatorial trough leads to air rising and moving away from the equator aloft. As the air moves towards

280-561: Is often concentrated in the warmest months, for example Southeast China and the Southeastern United States , and dry summer or Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification : Csa/Csb), where seasonal rainfall is concentrated in the cooler months, such as the Mediterranean Basin or Southern California . Subtropical climates can also occur at high elevations within the tropics , such as in

315-468: Is subdivided into seven smaller areas. According to the E. Neef climate classification, the subtropical zone is divided into two parts: rainy winters of the west sides and eastern subtropical climate . According to the Wilhelm Lauer & Peter Frankenberg climate classification, the subtropical zone is divided into three parts: high-continental , continental , and maritime . According to

350-460: Is the Trewartha climate classification , which defines a subtropical region as one that has at least eight months with a mean temperature greater than 10 °C (50.0 °F) and at least one month with a mean temperature under 18 °C (64.4 °F). German climatologists Carl Troll and Karlheinz Paffen defined warm temperate zones as plain and hilly lands having an average temperature of

385-407: The G or H is placed in front of the applicable thermal letter rather than replacing it. The second letter used reflects the corrected monthly temperatures, not the actual monthly temperatures. An option exists to include information on both the warmest and coldest months for every climate by adding a third and fourth letter respectively. The letters, denoting mean monthly temperature, conform to

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420-556: The Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn , at latitudes 23°26′09.8″ (or 23.43605°) north and south, respectively. According to the American Meteorological Society, the poleward fringe of the subtropics is at latitudes approximately 35° north and south , respectively. Several methods have been used to define the subtropical climate depending on the climate system used. The most well known

455-480: The Universal Thermal Scale (see below) is used. In the Trewartha scheme the C climate group encompasses subtropical climates, which have 8 or more months with a mean temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or higher. There are only two types within the C or subtropical climate group: In the Trewartha scheme the D climate group encompasses temperate climates that have 4 to 7 months with

490-435: The temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from 23°26′09.8″ (or 23.43605°) to approximately 35° north and south. The horse latitudes lie within this range. Subtropical climates are often characterized by hot summers and mild winters with infrequent frost. Most subtropical climates fall into two basic types: humid subtropical ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa/Cwa), where rainfall

525-435: The 1884 Köppen climate system sought to reclass the middle latitudes into three groups, according to how many months have a mean temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or higher: The tropical climates and polar climates remained the same as in the original Köppen climate classification. The "highland" climate is ambiguously defined. Newer users of KTC generally omit this option. This is the tropical climate realm, defined

560-563: The Cwb classification have significant monsoon influence, usually having dry winters and wet summers. The Mediterranean climate regime resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin , parts of lower West Coast of the United States, parts of Western and South Australia , in southwestern South Africa and in parts of central Chile . The climate is characterized by hot dry summers and cooler winters with rainfall. In Europe,

595-498: The Siegmund/Frankenberg climate classification, subtropical is one of six climate zones in the world. Leslie Holdridge defined the subtropical climates as having a mean annual biotemperature between the frost line or critical temperature line, 16 °C to 18 °C (depending on locations in the world), and 24 °C. The frost line separates the warm temperate region from the subtropical region. It represents

630-563: The annuals or as perennial plants that can withstand the cold. The 16 °C–18 °C segment is often "simplified" as 17 °C ( 2 ( log 2 ⁡ 12   +   0.5 )   ∘ C ≈ 16.97   ∘ C ) {\textstyle {\bigl (}2^{(\log _{2}12\ +\ 0.5)}\ ^{\circ }\!\mathrm {C} \approx 16.97\ ^{\circ }\!\mathrm {C} {\bigr )}} . The Holdridge subtropical climates straddle more or less

665-433: The average temperature of each month to a sea-level value—using the formula of adding 5.6 °C (10.1 °F) for each 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) of elevation—would cause the climate to fit into a different thermal group from that into which the actual monthly temperatures place it. Sometimes G is used instead of H if the above is true and the altitude is between 500 and 2,500 meters (1,640 and 8,202 ft), but

700-539: The coastal areas of the lower west coast of the United States. These climates do not routinely see hard freezes or snow due to winter on average being above freezing, which allows plants such as palms and citrus to flourish. As one moves toward the tropical side the slight winter cool season disappears, while at the poleward threshold of the subtropics the winters become cooler. Some crops which have been traditionally farmed in tropical climates, such as mango , litchi , avocado and aloe vera , are also cultivated in

735-610: The coldest month between 2 °C (35.6 °F) and 13 °C (55.4 °F) in the Northern Hemisphere and between 6 °C (42.8 °F) and 13 °C (55.4 °F) in the Southern Hemisphere , excluding oceanic and continental climates . According to the Troll-Paffen climate classification, there generally exists one large subtropical zone named the warm-temperate subtropical zone, which

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770-573: The deep southeastern United States , southeastern South America , southeastern Southern Africa , northcentral Southern Europe , and southern and southwestern Eastern Europe . In most humid subtropical climates, summer is the wettest season. In summer, the subtropical high pressure cells provide a sultry southernly flow of tropical air with high dew points, and frequent (but brief) convective showers are common. With decreasing latitude most humid subtropical climates typically have drier winters and wetter summers, however some sectors with this climate see

805-410: The dividing line between two major physiological groups of evolved plants. Most of the plants are sensitive to low temperatures on the warmer side of the line. They can be killed back by frosts as they have not evolved to withstand periods of cold. On the colder temperate side of the line, the total flora is adapted to survive periods of variable lengths of low temperatures, whether as seeds in the case of

840-428: The end of the symbol to indicate the temperature of the coldest month ( see below ). This is the polar climate group, where all months have a monthly mean air temperature below 10 °C (50 °F). Polar climates have two subtypes, Ft ( tundra ) and Fi ( ice cap ): Highland climates are those in which altitude plays a role in determining climate classification. Specifically, this would apply if correcting

875-459: The mid-latitudes, it cools, gets denser and sinks, which leads to subsidence near the 30th parallel of both hemispheres. This circulation is known as the Hadley cell and leads to the formation of the subtropical ridge . Many of the world's deserts are caused by these climatological high-pressure areas , within the subtropics. This regime is known as a semiarid / arid subtropical climate, which

910-536: The northernmost mediterranean climates are found along the Italian Riviera , at 44° latitude. Parts of southwestern Australia around Perth have a Mediterranean climate as do areas around coastal South Africa. According to Köppen , arid subtropical climates are characterized by an annual average temperature above 18 °C (64.4 °F), the absence of regular rainfall, and high humidity. Trewartha climate classification Trewartha's modifications to

945-432: The same as in Köppen's scheme (i.e., all 12 months average 18 °C (64.4 °F) or above). The A climates are the realm of the winterless frost-free zone. There was no specific monsoon climate identifier in the original scheme, but Am was added later, with the same parameters as Köppen's (except that at least three months, rather than one, must have less than 60 mm average precipitation). BW and BS mean

980-532: The same as in the Köppen scheme. However, a different formula is used to quantify the aridity threshold: 10( T − 10) + 3 P , with T equaling the mean annual temperature in degrees Celsius, and P denoting the percentage of total precipitation received in the six high-sun months (April through September in the Northern Hemisphere , October through March in the Southern ). Unlike in Köppen's scheme, no thermal subsets exist within this group in Trewartha's, unless

1015-462: The southeast sides of continents) have hot and wet summers with frequent (but brief) convective rainfall ( tropical cyclones can also contribute to annual rainfall). Areas bordering cool oceans (typically on the southwest sides of continents) are prone to fog, aridity, and dry summers. Plants such as palms , citrus , mango , pistachio , lychee , and avocado are grown in the subtropics. The tropics have been historically defined as lying between

1050-663: The southern end of the Mexican Plateau and in Da Lat of the Vietnamese Central Highlands. The six climate classifications use the term to help define the various temperature and precipitation regimes for planet Earth . A great portion of the world's deserts are within the subtropics, as this is where the semi-permanent subtropical anticyclone resides (typically inland on the southwest sides of continents). Areas bordering warm oceans (typically on

1085-469: The subtropics or tropics. It has characteristically mild temperatures year-round, featuring the four seasons in the subtropics and no marked seasons in the tropics, the latter usually remaining mild to cool through most of the year. Subtropical highland climates under the Cfb classification usually have rainfall spread relatively evenly in all months of the year similar to most oceanic climates while climates under

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1120-481: The subtropics. Japan receives over half of its rainfall from typhoons. The Mediterranean climate is a subtropical climate, usually found on the western side of continents, with a wet season in winter and a dry season in the summer. Regions with this type of climate include the rim lands of the Mediterranean Sea , southwestern Australia , parts of the west coast of South America around Santiago and

1155-646: The subtropics. Pest control of the crops is easier than in the tropics, due to the cooler winters. Tree ferns ( pteridophytes ) are grown in subtropical areas, as are dracaena and yucca , and trees in the Taxaceae . Apple , pear and pomegranate also grow well in the subtropics. The humid subtropical climate is a subtropical climate type characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. This climate can be found in northern Middle East , northern South Asia , northern Indochina , eastern Australia , southern and southeastern China , southern Japan ,

1190-508: The warmest subtropical climates and the less warm tropical climates as defined by the Köppen-Geiger or Trewartha climate classifications. However Wladimir Köppen has distinguished the hot or subtropical and tropical (semi-)arid climates ( BWh or BSh ) having an average annual temperature greater than or equal to 18 °C (64.4 °F) from the cold or temperate (semi-)arid climates ( BWk or BSk ) whose annual temperature average

1225-417: The winter (dry season) the monsoon retreats, and the drier trade winds bring more stable airmass and often dry weather, and frequent sunny skies. Areas that have this type of subtropical climate include Australia, Southeast Asia, and parts of South America. In areas bounded by warm ocean like the southeastern United States and East Asia, tropical cyclones can contribute significantly to local rainfall within

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