Mediterranean climate characteristics and distribution

Mediterranean climate characteristics: hot and dry summers, mild and rainy winters, with rain and heat in different periods; Distribution: mainly distributed on the west coast of the continent and the Mediterranean coast at 30°-40° north and south latitudes.

The Mediterranean climate, also known as the subtropical summer dry climate, is formed by the alternating control of the westerly belt and the subtropical high pressure belt. It is a climate type in the subtropical and temperate zones.

It is distributed on the west coast of the continent between 30° and 40° north and south latitude, including the Mediterranean coast, the Black Sea coast, California in the United States, Perth and southern Adelaide in southwestern Australia, southwestern South Africa, and Regions such as central Chile are named after the most typical Mediterranean coastal areas.

This is a climate type with hot and dry summers, mild and rainy winters, and different periods of rain and heat. The Mediterranean climate is controlled by the westerly winds in winter, with frequent frontal cyclones and a mild climate. The temperature in the coldest month is between 4-10°C and the precipitation is abundant.

In summer, under the control of subtropical high pressure, the airflow sinks, resulting in a hot, dry climate with little rain, few clouds and abundant sunshine. The annual precipitation in the Mediterranean climate is 300-1000 mm, with the winter half of the year accounting for about 60%-70%, and the summer half of the year only 30%-40%. The precipitation in winter is more than in summer.

Distribution location: Subtropical Mediterranean climate is mainly distributed on the west coast of subtropical continents, such as the Mediterranean coast, the west coast of the continent with latitudes of 30°-40° in North and South America, the Australian continent and the southwest corner of Africa. The distribution area along the Mediterranean coast is The most widespread and typical.

Take the northern hemisphere as an example. In summer, the subtropical high pressure belt moves northward and is controlled by high pressure. Affected by tropical continental air masses, the weather here is sunny, dry, hot and rainy; in winter, the subtropical high pressure belt moves southward, affected by westerly winds, making it warm and rainy. , the natural vegetation is evergreen hard-leaf broad-leaved forest and evergreen shrub forest.

Distribution area: Mediterranean coast and Black Sea coast, including southern Europe, northern coast of Africa and a few areas in West Asia. Coast of California, North America. The west coast of southern Africa, namely southwestern South Africa and southern Namibia (called the Cape Region or Cape of Good Hope).

Central and southwestern Chile in South America. Australia's southwest and southeast coast. This climate type is also widely distributed and is the only climate type that exists on all continents in the world except Antarctica.

The causes of the Mediterranean climate

Controlled by the downdrafts of the subtropical high pressure zone, the summer is hot and dry; the winter, affected by the prevailing westerly winds, is mild and rainy. The subtropical Mediterranean climate zone is alternately controlled by westerly belts, subtropical high pressure belts and trade wind belts.

In winter, the westerly wind belt moves southward into this climate zone. The westerly wind brings moist airflow from the ocean, and the frequent frontal cyclone activity makes the climate mild and rainy. In summer, the subtropical high pressure or trade winds move northward into this climate zone, and the air flow is mainly sinking. Coupled with the effect of coastal cold currents, precipitation is not easy to form, so the climate is dry and hot.