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(Redirected from Maritime climate)
An 'oceanic climate' (also called 'marine west coast climate' and 'maritime climate') is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's continents, and in southeastern Australia. Similar climates are also found at coastal tropical highlands and tropical coasts on leeward sides of mountain ranges. Generally, they fall into Köppen climate classification ''Cfb'' or ''Cwb''. Winters are relatively warm while the summers are relatively cool. Oceanic climates are characterized by a narrower annual range of temperatures than are encountered in other places at a comparable latitude, and do not have the extremely dry summers of Mediterranean climates.
Precipitation is both adequate and reliable at all times of the year in oceanic climates, except in certain tropical highland areas, which would have tropical savanna climates (with a dry season in winter) if not for the high altitude making them cooler (Koppen ''cwb''). The Pacific Northwest and south-central Chile is often considered as having an Oceanic climate, although the dry summers in parts of this area actually fit the Mediterranean climate (Koppen ''csb'').
Overall temperature characteristics vary among oceanic climates; those at the lowest latitudes are subtropical from a thermal standpoint, but more commonly a mesothermal regime prevails, with cool, but not cold, winters and warm, but not hot, summers. Summers are also generally much cooler than in areas with a humid subtropical climate. Average temperature of warmest month must be less than 22 degrees Celsius, and that of the coldest month warmer than -3 degrees (Although American scientists prefer 0 in the coldest month). Poleward of the latter is a zone of 'subpolar oceanic' climate (Köppen ''Cfc''), with relatively mild winters (coldest month warmer than -3) and cool summers and a summer season (average temperature at least 10°C or 50°F) of less than four months; examples of this climate include parts of coastal Iceland in the Northern Hemisphere and extreme southern Chile in the Southern Hemisphere (the fact that this form of climate exists in both hemispheres ruling out the use of such terms as subarctic or boreal to denote it; even though these terms are used to refer to climates characterized by short summers, they are also synonyms for "northern" and therefore inappropriate).
The British Isles experiences a typically maritime climate, with prevailing south-westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The annual average temperature range in the UK is only about 10°C. Although the west coast of Alaska experiences a maritime climate, the absence of an equally significant warm Pacific current in the upper-mid latitudes means that these regions are generally colder in winter, with more precipitation falling as snow.
All mid-latitude oceanic climates are classified as humid. Some rainshadow climates with thermal régimes similar to those of oceanic climates but steppe-like (BSk) or even desert-like (BWk) scarcity of precipitation include lowland valleys of Washington and Oregon to the east of the Cascade Range, Patagonia in southern Argentina, and, most notably, the Atacama desert in northern Chile, parts of which haven't seen rain for hundreds of years. Another example are coastal areas in southeast Western Australia.
★ Northern and southwest France
★ The Netherlands
★ Belgium
★ Western Germany
★ Western Switzerland (Lowland areas)
★ Northern Portugal (''as csb'')
★ Northwest Spain (often as ''csb'')
★ Andorra
★ Southwest Norway
★ Parts of Denmark
★ Ireland
★ Great Britain
★ New Zealand
★ Tasmania, Australia
★ Southern parts of Victoria and New South wales, Australia
★ Coastal areas of southwestern South Australia, Australia (as ''csb'')
★ Western areas of the south coast of Western Australia
★ Central Argentina
★ South-central Chile (''as csb'')
★ Western parts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (as ''csb''; ''cfb'' in most of British Columbia)
★ Northwest California (as ''csb'')
★ Mountainous locations in some tropical countries (e.g. Indian subcontinent, Latin America, southern and central Africa; often as ''cwb'')
★ Some mountainous areas across southern Europe
★ Himilayas
The 0°C (32°F) isotherm (freeze line) or the -3°C (26.6°F) isotherms (persistent snow line) are the possible lines dividing the oceanic and the humid continental climates, in between which are the following regions:
★ Eastern Germany
★ Luxembourg
★ Liechtenstein
★ Western Poland
★ Eastern Switzerland and parts of Austria
★ Italian Alps (between 700 and 1000 meters)
★ Southern Sweden
★ Fjord areas inland from the coast of southwest Norway and parts of the southeast coast of Norway
★ Much of Denmark
★ Southern coastal areas of the Alaskan Panhandle
★ Most of the Czech Republic
★ Parts of western Slovakia
★ Northwest Romania
★ Most of Hungary
★ Slovenia
★ Parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina
★ Mountainous areas across southern Europe
★ Himilayas
★ Some southern coastal areas of New England
Notable cities which have oceanic climates include:
★ Port Elizabeth, South Africa
★ Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 'cwb'
★ Tristan da Cunha
★ Nairobi, Kenya 'cwb'
★ Amsterdam, Netherlands
★ Bergen, Norway
★ Berlin, Germany
★ Bordeaux, France
★ Bratislava, Slovakia
★ Brussels, Belgium
★ Campobasso, Italy
★ Cardiff, Wales
★ Copenhagen, Denmark
★ Dublin, Ireland
★ Geneva, Switzerland
★ Glasgow, Scotland
★ Gothenburg, Sweden
★ Grenoble, France
★ Hamburg, Germany
★ London, England
★ Ljubljana, Slovenia
★ Oporto, Portugal 'csb'
★ Manchester
★ Paris, France
★ Prague, Czech Republic
★ Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
★ Vienna, Austria
★ Vigo, Spain 'csb'
★ Wroclaw, Poland
★ Portland, Oregon, USA 'csb'
★ Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
★ Seattle, Washington, USA 'csb'
★ Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
★ Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 'csb'
★ Guatemala City, Guatemala 'cwb'
★ Mexico City, Mexico 'cwb'
★ Auckland, New Zealand
★ Christchurch, New Zealand
★ Dunedin, New Zealand
★ Hobart, Australia
★ Invercargill, New Zealand
★ Wellington, New Zealand
★ Melbourne, Australia
★ Canberra, Australia
★ Bogotá, Colombia
★ Castro, Chile
★ Mar del Plata, Argentina
★ Puerto Montt, Chile
★ Valdivia, Chile 'csb'
★ Quito, Ecuador
★ Sucre, Bolivia 'cwb'
★ Thimphu, Bhutan 'cwb'
San Francisco and Oporto have a temperature range characteristic of an oceanic climate but so little rainfall during summer that they must be considered part of a Mediterranean climate zone, despite their summers and winters being almost the same temperature.
★ Parts of coastal Iceland
★ Faroe Islands
★ Northwestern coastal areas of Norway reaching to 70°N on some islands
★ Southern islands of Alaska and parts of the Alaskan Panhandle
★ Far south of Chile and Argentina
★ Parts of the Andes and Himilaya (as ''cwc'')
★ Mountainous areas of Europe, including highlands in Britain, southwestern Norway
Some notable cities with the subpolar ''Cfc'' climate are:
★ Dutch Harbor, Alaska
★ Harstad, Norway
★ Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
★ Thorshavn, Faroe Islands
★ Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
★ La Paz, Bolivia 'cwc'
★ Continental climate
★ Mediterranean climate
★ Polar climate.
★ EPIC Data Collection On-line ocean observational data collection
★ NOAA In-situ Ocean Data Viewer Plot and download ocean observations
★ http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Climate/Older/Maritime_Climate.html
World map showing the oceanic climate zones.
An 'oceanic climate' (also called 'marine west coast climate' and 'maritime climate') is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's continents, and in southeastern Australia. Similar climates are also found at coastal tropical highlands and tropical coasts on leeward sides of mountain ranges. Generally, they fall into Köppen climate classification ''Cfb'' or ''Cwb''. Winters are relatively warm while the summers are relatively cool. Oceanic climates are characterized by a narrower annual range of temperatures than are encountered in other places at a comparable latitude, and do not have the extremely dry summers of Mediterranean climates.
Precipitation
Precipitation is both adequate and reliable at all times of the year in oceanic climates, except in certain tropical highland areas, which would have tropical savanna climates (with a dry season in winter) if not for the high altitude making them cooler (Koppen ''cwb''). The Pacific Northwest and south-central Chile is often considered as having an Oceanic climate, although the dry summers in parts of this area actually fit the Mediterranean climate (Koppen ''csb'').
Temperature
Overall temperature characteristics vary among oceanic climates; those at the lowest latitudes are subtropical from a thermal standpoint, but more commonly a mesothermal regime prevails, with cool, but not cold, winters and warm, but not hot, summers. Summers are also generally much cooler than in areas with a humid subtropical climate. Average temperature of warmest month must be less than 22 degrees Celsius, and that of the coldest month warmer than -3 degrees (Although American scientists prefer 0 in the coldest month). Poleward of the latter is a zone of 'subpolar oceanic' climate (Köppen ''Cfc''), with relatively mild winters (coldest month warmer than -3) and cool summers and a summer season (average temperature at least 10°C or 50°F) of less than four months; examples of this climate include parts of coastal Iceland in the Northern Hemisphere and extreme southern Chile in the Southern Hemisphere (the fact that this form of climate exists in both hemispheres ruling out the use of such terms as subarctic or boreal to denote it; even though these terms are used to refer to climates characterized by short summers, they are also synonyms for "northern" and therefore inappropriate).
Additional information
The British Isles experiences a typically maritime climate, with prevailing south-westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The annual average temperature range in the UK is only about 10°C. Although the west coast of Alaska experiences a maritime climate, the absence of an equally significant warm Pacific current in the upper-mid latitudes means that these regions are generally colder in winter, with more precipitation falling as snow.
All mid-latitude oceanic climates are classified as humid. Some rainshadow climates with thermal régimes similar to those of oceanic climates but steppe-like (BSk) or even desert-like (BWk) scarcity of precipitation include lowland valleys of Washington and Oregon to the east of the Cascade Range, Patagonia in southern Argentina, and, most notably, the Atacama desert in northern Chile, parts of which haven't seen rain for hundreds of years. Another example are coastal areas in southeast Western Australia.
Countries/Regions with mild maritime climate
★ Northern and southwest France
★ The Netherlands
★ Belgium
★ Western Germany
★ Western Switzerland (Lowland areas)
★ Northern Portugal (''as csb'')
★ Northwest Spain (often as ''csb'')
★ Andorra
★ Southwest Norway
★ Parts of Denmark
★ Ireland
★ Great Britain
★ New Zealand
★ Tasmania, Australia
★ Southern parts of Victoria and New South wales, Australia
★ Coastal areas of southwestern South Australia, Australia (as ''csb'')
★ Western areas of the south coast of Western Australia
★ Central Argentina
★ South-central Chile (''as csb'')
★ Western parts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (as ''csb''; ''cfb'' in most of British Columbia)
★ Northwest California (as ''csb'')
★ Mountainous locations in some tropical countries (e.g. Indian subcontinent, Latin America, southern and central Africa; often as ''cwb'')
★ Some mountainous areas across southern Europe
★ Himilayas
The 0°C (32°F) isotherm (freeze line) or the -3°C (26.6°F) isotherms (persistent snow line) are the possible lines dividing the oceanic and the humid continental climates, in between which are the following regions:
★ Eastern Germany
★ Luxembourg
★ Liechtenstein
★ Western Poland
★ Eastern Switzerland and parts of Austria
★ Italian Alps (between 700 and 1000 meters)
★ Southern Sweden
★ Fjord areas inland from the coast of southwest Norway and parts of the southeast coast of Norway
★ Much of Denmark
★ Southern coastal areas of the Alaskan Panhandle
★ Most of the Czech Republic
★ Parts of western Slovakia
★ Northwest Romania
★ Most of Hungary
★ Slovenia
★ Parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina
★ Mountainous areas across southern Europe
★ Himilayas
★ Some southern coastal areas of New England
Notable cities with oceanic climates
Notable cities which have oceanic climates include:
Africa
★ Port Elizabeth, South Africa
★ Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 'cwb'
★ Tristan da Cunha
★ Nairobi, Kenya 'cwb'
Europe
★ Amsterdam, Netherlands
★ Bergen, Norway
★ Berlin, Germany
★ Bordeaux, France
★ Bratislava, Slovakia
★ Brussels, Belgium
★ Campobasso, Italy
★ Cardiff, Wales
★ Copenhagen, Denmark
★ Dublin, Ireland
★ Geneva, Switzerland
★ Glasgow, Scotland
★ Gothenburg, Sweden
★ Grenoble, France
★ Hamburg, Germany
★ London, England
★ Ljubljana, Slovenia
★ Oporto, Portugal 'csb'
★ Manchester
★ Paris, France
★ Prague, Czech Republic
★ Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
★ Vienna, Austria
★ Vigo, Spain 'csb'
★ Wroclaw, Poland
North America
★ Portland, Oregon, USA 'csb'
★ Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
★ Seattle, Washington, USA 'csb'
★ Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
★ Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 'csb'
Central America
★ Guatemala City, Guatemala 'cwb'
★ Mexico City, Mexico 'cwb'
Oceania
★ Auckland, New Zealand
★ Christchurch, New Zealand
★ Dunedin, New Zealand
★ Hobart, Australia
★ Invercargill, New Zealand
★ Wellington, New Zealand
★ Melbourne, Australia
★ Canberra, Australia
South America
★ Bogotá, Colombia
★ Castro, Chile
★ Mar del Plata, Argentina
★ Puerto Montt, Chile
★ Valdivia, Chile 'csb'
★ Quito, Ecuador
★ Sucre, Bolivia 'cwb'
Asia
★ Thimphu, Bhutan 'cwb'
Exceptions and borderline cases
San Francisco and Oporto have a temperature range characteristic of an oceanic climate but so little rainfall during summer that they must be considered part of a Mediterranean climate zone, despite their summers and winters being almost the same temperature.
Countries/Regions with subpolar oceanic climate
★ Parts of coastal Iceland
★ Faroe Islands
★ Northwestern coastal areas of Norway reaching to 70°N on some islands
★ Southern islands of Alaska and parts of the Alaskan Panhandle
★ Far south of Chile and Argentina
★ Parts of the Andes and Himilaya (as ''cwc'')
★ Mountainous areas of Europe, including highlands in Britain, southwestern Norway
Some notable cities with the subpolar ''Cfc'' climate are:
★ Dutch Harbor, Alaska
★ Harstad, Norway
★ Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
★ Thorshavn, Faroe Islands
★ Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
★ La Paz, Bolivia 'cwc'
Examples
Southern hemisphere
See also
★ Continental climate
★ Mediterranean climate
★ Polar climate.
External links
★ EPIC Data Collection On-line ocean observational data collection
★ NOAA In-situ Ocean Data Viewer Plot and download ocean observations
★ http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Climate/Older/Maritime_Climate.html
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