Climate and climatic zones

? The different between climate and weather
? What can influence (effect) the climate
? Give characteristic of each climatic zone
? Some types of landscape
? What can climate influence?

At first I would like to explain the difference between climate and weather. Climate means long-term conditions of the weather over an area. The conditions are for example rainfall, sunshine, wind or temperature. While the weather means momentary conditions of the atmosphere over a small area, over one country.

The climate in influenced with many aspects. For example it is altitude, which can influence the climate even in one country. If I speak about Czech Republic, it is the reason, why the temperature in Krkonoše is always lower than the temperature in South Moravia. Other aspect is the difference between oceanic and continental climate. Oceanic climate in influenced with coastal currents, in Europe it is mainly the Gulf Stream. It is warm stream, which begins in the Mexican bay and flows all the way up in the Atlantic ocean and it brings mild weather to Europe, specially to Great Britain. It is also important how far from the Equator the area is situated. Along the Equator weather is very very hot and more above and more below the temperature sinks and the climatic conditions change.

We know several climatic zones ? I mean Arctic, Sub-arctic, Temperate, Tropical and Equatorial climatic zone. I would like to briefly describe them.
At first Equatorial climatic zone. It is located along the Equator, of course. It includes some parts of middle Africa, Indonesia, Brazil or Columbia. The average temperature of this area is 25 degrees of Celsius (degrees centigrade) and the weather there is very hot and wet all year. The humidity is very high, there are even torrential rains ? it means it rains during the whole year. Also there are many rainforests ? lung of the Earth ? specially in South America. The largest rainforests are situated along the Amazon river. On the second side, in Europe or in North America aren´t any. There live also some animals, the rainforests are rich on many kinds of the insects, for example spiders, or poisonous frogs.
Tropical climatic zone is located below and above the Tropics ? the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. It includes quite a big part of Africa, Asia ? also big part of China ? and Australia. Deserts and semi-deserts are the typical landscapes of this area. It includes also the biggest desert Sahara in Africa, the Great Victoria desert in Australia or the Gobi desert in Asia. The weather there is dry, very hot and the land is very arid, because it never rains there. Just because of it there is no vegetation. The average temperature goes above 30°C. On deserts temperature is really very high during the day, but, because there aren´t any clouds, in the night it sinks very much. We can find there scorpions, snakes or camels.
The subtropical climatic zone includes the attractive lands for holidaymakers. It is for example Italy, Greece, Spain and so on. In the summer it is still very hot and the winters are mild, it never snows there. Some parts are very dry, some parts are humid, it depends on continental or oceanic climate. Oceanic climate is always a bit wetter and milder than in continental. The average temperature in summer can be 30°C and in winter 15°C. I can say that I would like to live there, because I really hate winter. But the nature there is quite monotonous, there are mainly bushes and, of course, palm trees. These lands produce many kinds of the exotic fruits as bananas, grapefruits, oranges and so on.
Temperate climatic zone can we also distinguish between oceanic and continental. The typical example of oceanic climate is Great Britain, I think. The weather there is more humid and milder. In summer there is not so hot and winters are milder and warmer. It snows rarely ? usually only in the mountains in Scotland ? but it rains a lot very often. The temperature in winter hardly any sinks below 0°C. In Czech Republic, the country of the continental climate, the summers are very hot, sometimes also dry. The temperature can rise above 30°C. But winters there are very cold, it snows everywhere and when it snows heavily, snowdrifts also make up. The temperature sinks below 0°C, of course, and after the rivers and lakes freeze over. It is great, specially for small children, because we can skate on them.
What is the most typical thing on temperate climatic zones are 4 seasons of the year. I mean ? winter, spring, summer and autumn. I like very much autumn, because of its melancholy atmosphere, so I would like to briefly describe it.
Autumn begins on twenty third if September and finishes on twenty first of December, when the winter starts. In September the weather is very pleasant, it is not too hot and not too cold. The average temperature is 15°C, I think. Days get shorter and shorter and, of course, the temperature sinks slowly. Later, it rains more often and it is also windy, drizzly and chilly. The sky is overcast and the first frosts appear soon, usually in November.
It is damp and very often fog appears everywhere. The whole nature starts to change. Leafs of the trees turn yellow and red and so on and after trees shed their leafs. Most birds migrate to warmer countries, other animals make reserves for the winter. Your dog doesn´t want to go for a walk and your cat wants to sleep in your bed. Mood is calm, everybody wants to stay at home, read some book and drink tea in the evenings. Small children usually fly a kite, earlier they also roasted potatoes. At the weekends, many people go to the wood to mushrooming (collect mushrooms) or they harvest in their gardens. I really like this season.
In winter people celebrate the Christmas, children have got holidays. Everything is covered with snow, so we can do some sports, for example skiing or sledging. In spring the first flowers appear, for example snowdrops. Days get longer and longer. The weather is unpredictable and very changeable. Snow melts and floods can appear somewhere. It gets hot and suddenly summer come. Summer is the warmest season of the year, temperature is always high above 0°C. Sun shines, sometimes thunderstorm appear. We can hear thunder and see lightning. People can do outdoor sports or pick up berries in the wood. And, of course, we have got holidays.
Sub-arctic climatic zone includes North part of America, North of Canada, Alaska or North of Russia. There is tundra ? it means no trees, only grass. It doesn´t rain, but the wind often blows and it is very cold. Above polar circle there aren ´t 4 seasons of the year, but only two periods. In summer it means about 20 hours of day light and in winter it means about 20 hours of darkness.
Arctic climatic zone is located around the poles. There is severe weather ? it means very very cold and very windy. The temperature in summer never rises above 10°C and in winter it can be ?50°C. There is no vegetation, there is permafrost ? it means permanently frozen land. It is too difficult to live there, but there it the life ? for example Inuits. And, of course, some animals live there ? polar bear, polar fox or penguins.

I know also some types of landscape, which is situated somewhere according to climate. I have already told you something about deserts. The others are for example the prairies ? the relief is without tees, but it is covered with grass. It is typical for central Canada or North of the United States. The pampas are very similar, but we can find them in South America. The waste plains in Hungary or some parts of Russia are called steps. And in subtropical climatic zone there is situated savannah. It is typical for some parts of Africa, Australia or America.

Also climate can influence something, for example culture on many countries. I mean for example their lifestyle. People living in subtropical climatic zone never work during the lunch-break ? because there is too hot for working. The work only in the morning and in the evening after 5 p.m. maybe they are temperate, go to the pubs and so on. While people in Czech Republic, in temperate climatic zone, have got short lunch-break and they work also early in the afternoon. Climate influences, of course, occurrence of agriculture and industry. It is typical people in equatorial climatic zone have got no industry, but they grow fruits and so on, while in the temperate climatic zone the industry is located. And the climate influences colour of the skin. In Africa there live black people and for example in arctic climatic zone there live Inuits, in temperate climatic zone are people with white skin. It can also influence architecture, clothes and others.

subtropical subtropický
tropical tropický
arctic climatic zone polární
equatorial rovníkový
temperate mírný
the Gulf Stream golfský proud
flow proudit
mist mlha ? po dešti
fog mlha ? hustá
favourable ? pleasant příjemný
humid vlhký
damp sychravo
heavy rain silný déšť
it´s raining dogs and cats leje jako z konve
pour leje
it´s pouring with rain leje jako z konve
mild mírný
harsh drsný
continental kontinentální
oceanic oceánský
unstable nestálý
arid vyprahlý
haze = mist mlžička, opar
foggy mlhavo
drizzly mrholivo
coastal currents mořská proudění
desert poušť
semi-desert polopoušť
altitude nadmořská výška
latitude zeměpisná šířka
longitude zeměpisná délka
severe krutý
dealing with týkající se
the North/South Pole severní/jižní pól
the Tropic of Capricorn obratník Raka
the Tropic of Cancer obratník Kozoroha
the Equator rovník
the hemisphere polokoule
along podél
above nad
below pod
at the Pole na pólu
condition stav
long-term dlouhodobý
short-term/momentary krátkodobý
rainfall srážky
snowfall sněhánky :o)
relief povrch
monsoon monzun
torrential rain celoroční déšť
average průměrný
clouds oblaka
soil půda
vegetation vegetace
dry sucho
wet mokro
distinguish between rozlišit mezi
bright/clear jasno
changeable proměnlivo, -vý
unpredictable nepředvídatelný
weather forecast předpověď počasí
sunshine jasno
hazy sunshine polojasno
cloudy oblačno
overcast zataženo
shower přeháňka
thunderstorm bouřka
hail kroupy
gale vichřice
the Mediterranean Středozemní moře
extremes of temperature teplotní výkyvy
breeze vánek
landscape krajina, zátiší
fly a kite pouštět draka
shed the leafs shazovat listí
hoarfrost jinovatka
the first frosts přizemní mrazíky
hibernate spát zimním spánkem
freeze to death umrznout
thaw tání
snowflakes melt sněhové vločky tají
bare holý
pampas pampy
waste rozlehlý
plain pláň
steps stepi
savannah savana (jedn. č.!)
lunch-break polední přestávka
occurrence výskyt
agriculture zemědělství
industry průmysl
Inuit eskymák
skiing lyžování
sledging sáňkování
is covered with snow je pokryt sněhem
first flowers appear objev. se 1. květiny
snowdrops sněženky
floods povodně
thunderstorm breaks bouřka vypukne
lightning blesk
thunder hrom
around the Poles kolem pólů
permafrost trvale zmrzlá půda
polar bear polární medvěd
polar fox polární liška
penguins tučňáci
North of Canada sever Kanady
Alaska Aljaška
polar circle polární kruh
tundra tundra
prairies prérie
humidity vlhkost
degrees of Celsius
degrees centigrade stupňů Celsia
the Amazon river Amazonka
poisonous frogs jedovatý žáby
insect hmyz
aspect aspekt
lakes freeze over jezera zamrznou
snowdrifts sněhové závěje
skate bruslit
it snows rarely sněží vzácně
hardly any zřídka
milder mírnější
palm trees palmy
bushes keře

MONSOON AREAS are in Southeast Asia ? India, Indonesia, a part of China, a part of Japan
monsoon ? wind, that blows in from 2 directions ? from April to October it blows from ocean to the land and brings rain and humid weather; it rains all the time, there can be floods; people grow rice ? it needs lot of water. In the rest of the year the wind blows from the land to the ocean and takes away humid weather and rain Ţ there are 2 seasons ? dry X wet; for visiting is quite better to choose winter month