1 00:00:00,980 --> 00:00:22,379 Heat around the equator, hot summers in the Mediterranean, spring, summer, fall, and winter in New York, snowstorms in Greenland, and icy temperatures at the South Pole. 2 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,920 The global climate can be divided into multiple zones. 3 00:00:27,620 --> 00:00:30,160 Here a range of factors come into play. 4 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,420 Among the most important is the sun. 5 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,859 Depending on the position of the Earth relative to the sun, 6 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,820 it heats the land and water more in some places and less in others. 7 00:00:42,140 --> 00:00:47,659 In this process, warm air rises while cold air sinks. 8 00:00:48,299 --> 00:00:51,640 This results in wind, water vapor, and rain clouds. 9 00:00:52,359 --> 00:00:54,840 All this contributes to climate distribution. 10 00:00:55,719 --> 00:01:00,100 There is a line around the center of our globe called the equator. 11 00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:04,579 The regions surrounding this line are the tropics. 12 00:01:05,340 --> 00:01:09,939 Since the sun's rays hit the earth here almost straight on all year round, 13 00:01:10,439 --> 00:01:15,439 days are basically the same length, and also just as warm whatever the season. 14 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:21,680 Depending on the altitude, temperatures range between 50 and 0 degrees Celsius. 15 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:29,459 The tropics are home to rainforests with lots of precipitation, where plants grow in abundance. 16 00:01:30,099 --> 00:01:35,019 as well as extremely dry regions, such as the savannas in Africa. 17 00:01:35,980 --> 00:01:38,920 Adjacent to the tropics are the subtropics. 18 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:41,459 The summers are very hot, 19 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:47,200 but the average temperature of the coldest month remains below 20 degrees Celsius. 20 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:51,319 The subtropics include a number of deserts, 21 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:53,359 as well as the Mediterranean region. 22 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,579 Here the summer months are relatively dry, 23 00:01:56,579 --> 00:02:01,120 While in winter, plenty of rain makes the landscapes flourish. 24 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:06,280 And then there are also regions where every month brings scattered showers. 25 00:02:07,219 --> 00:02:10,659 Different plants flourish here at different times of the year. 26 00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:18,240 The temperate zone, which includes New York, is defined by the familiar seasons. 27 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:25,139 Winters can be icy cold, with a maximum of four daylight hours in some areas. 28 00:02:25,139 --> 00:02:31,259 On the other hand, summers are pleasantly warm, with up to 16 hours of sunshine. 29 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:37,479 This zone is primarily home to deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests. 30 00:02:38,259 --> 00:02:43,000 With the subpolar zone, we move farther still from the equator. 31 00:02:44,139 --> 00:02:51,139 Sunlight hits the Earth at a very shallow angle here, which is why the days in summer can be extremely long. 32 00:02:51,900 --> 00:02:54,659 Temperatures are typically just above freezing. 33 00:02:55,139 --> 00:02:56,819 and there is lots of precipitation. 34 00:02:58,159 --> 00:03:01,400 By contrast, winter days are very short, 35 00:03:01,819 --> 00:03:04,219 and due to the polar easterly winds, 36 00:03:04,719 --> 00:03:07,020 really cold with low precipitation. 37 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:09,780 In the subpolar regions, 38 00:03:10,159 --> 00:03:13,360 coniferous forests can still be found in some areas. 39 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,020 The closer you get to the polar caps, 40 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:18,879 the bleaker and colder it becomes. 41 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,840 Now we are left with the polar zones, 42 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,240 Also known as cold deserts 43 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:30,319 At the North Pole is the Arctic with lots of lowland 44 00:03:30,319 --> 00:03:35,020 At the South Pole is Antarctica with lots of mountains 45 00:03:35,020 --> 00:03:41,319 Almost no plants grow in the polar zones because the conditions are far too poor 46 00:03:41,319 --> 00:03:45,680 In the summer, it stays light throughout the day and night 47 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,159 While in the winter, it remains dark for almost half a year 48 00:03:50,159 --> 00:03:54,439 Temperatures regularly exceed 0 degrees Celsius 49 00:03:54,439 --> 00:03:58,819 These climate zones can be divided further 50 00:03:58,819 --> 00:04:02,879 Such as into biomes or vegetation zones 51 00:04:02,879 --> 00:04:06,419 The boundaries between climate zones are rather blurred 52 00:04:06,419 --> 00:04:10,740 As a result of global warming, the zones are moving 53 00:04:10,740 --> 00:04:13,639 Making all regions warmer and drier 54 00:04:13,639 --> 00:04:19,240 So it's possible that New York may eventually look like this in the future 55 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:19,360 We'll see you later.