The document describes four different climates: equatorial, humid tropical, dry tropical (savannah), and hot desert. The equatorial climate has high constant temperatures year-round, abundant rainfall, and luxuriant vegetation including very tall trees forming dense canopies. The humid tropical climate is similar but with less dense forests and smaller trees. The dry tropical/savannah climate has high temperatures, a long dry season and shorter rainy season, and features grasslands with scattered trees and bushes. The hot desert climate is defined by very high temperatures, low precipitation, and scarce vegetation that has adapted to drought conditions.

1. Climate
Location
Temperature.
Precipitation.
Vegetation
The
equatorial
climate extends
roughly 5º either
side
of
the
equator. It is
located on the
Amazon, central
Africa
and
Indonesia.
Temperatures are high
and constant so there is
only 1 season.
The
annual
temperature range is
very small (2-3ºC) This
occurs because the sun
during all the year
shines from a very high
angle in the sky. This
causes that all the days
have 12h of light and
12h of night and that
day and night change
abruptly.
The
average
temperature is 25ºC.
Precipitations are
abundant during all
the year. 2000 mm
a year. So there is
just 1 season.
Most
of
this
precipitation
occurs on the
afternoon because
the evaporation of
water
in
the
morning due to the
high temperatures
causes
thunderstorms in
the afternoon.
Luxuriant vegetation.
Very tall trees 40m high that fight for light.
These trees are always green because they
have a continuous growing season.
Leaves have drip tips and are flexible to
shed the heavy rainfall.
As trees are very tall for taking all the light
they form a canopy so that very little light
reaches the floor. This is the reason why
some plants attach and climb trees for
reaching light.
Plants in the floor have very big leaves for
taking all the little light that reaches the
floor.
There are 5 layers in these forests that
contain 1/3 of the world vegetation.
Examples of plants: teck, orchids, moss,
vines and carnivore plants with abundant
smells and colours.
This climate is
near the equator
between
10
degrees shout and
25 degrees north.
Temperatures
are
remained high and
constant all around the
year.
We can only appreciate
some differences in day
and night.
The
average
temperature is 27ºC
and the annual range is
(6ºC).
So there is 1 season in
temperature.
There
is
less
precipitation than in
equatorial climate
however
the
precipitations are
still very high 1500
mm.
In
humid
tropical
climates
there is a very long
wet season and a
very
shot
dry
season.
Tropical forests are very similar to
equatorial forest.
The only difference is that trees aren’t so
high and that there aren’t so many species.
Another difference is that leaves are smaller
but as in equatorial forest they are
evergreen.
As trees and leaves are smaller, trees don’t
form such a dense canopy and more light
reaches the floor. So there are much more
plants in the floor of humid tropical forest
than in the floor of Equatorial forests.
Ex: Coconut trees, oaks and some orchids.
Equatorial
HOT
Humid tropical.

2. Dry tropical
(Savannah)
The
savannah
climates is located
between latitudes
15º and 30º north
and south the
equator.
It
is
mostly
founded
on
eastern and west
Africa,
South
America
and
Australia.
Temperatures are very
high during all the year
around 18ºC.
However we find that
we can appreciate a
small
difference
between summer and
winter so we can say
that there are 2
seasons: a mild winter
and a hot summer.
This occurs because the
temperature range is of
8ºC.
The hot desert
climate is found
around the tropics
of Capricorn and
Cancer. 25º North
and South Equator.
Examples are the
Thar desert in
Pakistan,
the
Atacama desert in
Chile, the Rocky
Mountains,
the
Arabian
desert,
Afghanistan, Iran,
Sahara and the
Kalahari desert.
Temperatures on hot
deserts are very high all
around the year.
However there are
huge
temperature
oscillations every day of
40ºC.
During the day this
temperatures are of
50ºC and during the
night of 5ºC. This
occurs because there
aren’t clouds in the sky.
However the annual
temperature average is
of 25ºC.
HOT
Hot Desert
The savannah has a
mild
very
dry
season
that
coincides with dry
prevailing winds.
However when the
winds end a hot
rainy season comes
and the rivers
flows
increases
significantly.
We find that in
savannah climate
the dry season
lasts longer than
the wet season.
The precipitations
are between 8001000mm.
Precipitations are
very few. Only of
250mm every year.
However very dry
deserts such as the
Atacama
desert
have precipitations
of 100mm a year.
The savannah landscape is a transition
between the hot dessert and the tropical
rainforest.
In it we can find grassland 5m tall with few
scattered trees that have to adapt to a very
dry season and a rainy season.
We find with the baobab that has a 10m
diameter trunk that stores water and with
the acacia trees that have leafy and flat
canopies that protects animals from the
sun. We find that acacia trees have like this
their canopies due to wind.
Trees normally have few leaves for losing
little water and are not evergreen.
Also we find with bushes.
Vegetation is very scarce and it has adapted
to the few precipitations by having long
roots to search for moisture.
Others such as cacti store water in their
trunk and have very little leaves for losing
little water.
Ex: Esparto grass, palm trees...