Geography and Climate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Geography and Climate - Essay Example Colder areas also have lesser rainfall compared to warmer regions because warm air can hold more moisture than cold air (NASA 2). The climograph for Calgary shows a minimum rainfall in January of about 0.75 inches whereas the minimum rainfall recorded in Santa Fe is approximately 1.25 inches throughout the year. Latitude also causes places to have differences in their temperature ranges. Low latitude areas have smaller temperature ranges compared to high altitude areas. Temperature can range in Calgary from -22o F to 61o F, a range of 83o F, whereas Santa Fe has a smaller annual range, i.e. 72 o F, ranging from 14 o F in winters to 86 o F in summers. Continentality refers to the degree to which a place is affected by thermal variation and moisture. It gives rise to a climate which shows large diurnal and annual temperatures (Oliver 303). Both Santa Fe and Calgary have a semi-arid continental climate. As a result, the climate is relatively dryer than that in coastal areas. The moisture content in the air is also lower, and therefore evaporation does not produce significant quantities of moisture as seen in coastal areas. This causes the amount of precipitation in Calgary and Santa Fe to be lesser than coastal areas. Also, another effect of continentality on weather is that areas experience very wide temperature ranges. There is a grater range of minimum and maximum temperatures in both Calgary and Santa Fe both daily and through out the year as well. Winters in Calgary are more variable as compared to Santa Fe and whereas the summers are short. Average temperature can fall as low as 14 o F in January and can be as high as 61.5 o F in July (â€Å"CalgaryIint’l, Alta., Canada†). On the other hand, average daily temperature in January in Santa Fe is 40.0 ° F and in July, its 91.0 ° F, showing lesser variations than Calgary. Annual precipitation in Calgary is 16.23 inch, whereas that in Santa Fe is 14 inches. Elevation refers to the