We explain what the Mediterranean climate is and what its characteristics are. In addition, the subtypes that exist and examples of flora and fauna of their environments.
What is the Mediterranean climate?
The Mediterranean climate is a type of climate characterized by hot, dry summers and cold, rainy winters. It is mainly found in the regions near the Mediterranean Sea, southern Europe and northern Africa.
In the Mediterranean climate, rainfall is not abundant, rarely exceeding 1000 millimeters per year. A distinctive feature of this climate is that summers are very dryso in the hot months there is practically no rain. The total rainfall in areas with a Mediterranean climate occurs in winter.
According to the Köppen climate classification, The Mediterranean is a subtype of temperate climate which, in turn, has two subtypes: the Mediterranean climate with warm summers and the Mediterranean climate with mild summers.
The flora and fauna that the Mediterranean climate presents is adapted to the marked seasonality of rainfall. The vegetation is mostly deciduous and animals develop strategies and adaptations to survive in hot periods, with a total absence of rain.
Characteristics of the Mediterranean climate
Some characteristics of the Mediterranean climate are:
- It has hot, dry summers, and cold, rainy winters.
- It is found in the regions near the Mediterranean Sea.
- According to the Köppen climate classification, it is a subtype of temperate climate.
- It has two subtypes, according to the different temperatures: the Mediterranean climate with warm summers and the Mediterranean climate with mild summers.
- Its flora and fauna are adapted to the lack of precipitation during the summer months.
Types of Mediterranean climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, there are two subtypes of Mediterranean climate:
- Typical Mediterranean climate (with warm summers). The average temperature of the warmest month exceeds 22 °C. It has very hot and dry summers, and rainy winters. The total amount of precipitation varies, but rarely exceeds 800 millimeters per year. The vegetation and animals of these regions have adaptations to survive the lack of water during the summer and the often extreme heat.
- Oceanic Mediterranean climate (with mild summers). It has more moderate maximum temperatures: the average temperature of the warmest month does not exceed 22 °C, but reaches at least 10 °C four months a year. It has characteristics similar to the typical Mediterranean climate, but due to the oceanic influence the maximum temperatures are lower and the minimum temperatures are a little higher. The flora and fauna of this climate are similar to those of the typical Mediterranean. One difference is that more moderate temperatures mean that animals and plants do not have to develop such important adaptations to survive the heat and lack of water.
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most used to differentiate the types of climate that exist. According to this criterion, there are five major types of climates: tropical climate, arid or dry climate, temperate climate, continental climate and polar climate. The Mediterranean climate is a subtype of temperate climate.
Mediterranean climate location
The Mediterranean climate is distributed on the planet in the following way:
- Typical Mediterranean. It is found in the areas of influence of the Mediterranean Sea but far from its coasts, in countries such as Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Portugal in Europe; in Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria in Africa and in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Türkiye in Asia. It is also found, in isolation, in some areas of the western United States and southwestern Australia.
- oceanic mediterranean. It is found in areas near the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. It covers, in addition to the countries mentioned in the typical Mediterranean climate, some coastal areas of the western United States, some southern regions of Argentina and Chile, and some coastal areas of southern Australia.
Flora and fauna of the Mediterranean climate
The Mediterranean climate It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna adapted to arid and hot conditions. during the summer. Regarding flora, some plants have roots that allow them to take advantage of soil moisture and small leaves to prevent evapotranspiration.
Some tree species such as the cork oak have thick bark that helps them resist high temperatures and lack of water. In relation to crops, Mediterranean areas are conducive to the growth and development of olive trees, cereals and vines.
Regarding fauna, there are varieties of turtles that can survive long periods of time without water. Other animals build burrows to take shelter from the heat, and some birds have long, thin beaks to obtain food from inside the ground.
References
- Abba, N. (2021) What is the temperate Mediterranean climate? https://www.ecologiaverde.com/
- Terrasa, D. (2018) Köppen climate classification. https://geografia.laguia2000.com/
- Valera, K. (2022) Temperate climate. https://enciclopediadebiologia.com/
