The waters of the Atlantic reach from the northernmostlatitudes, pass through the equator and reach the shores of Antarctica. In each of these zones, its own course is formed, which greatly influences weather conditions and water temperature. The climatic zones of the Atlantic Ocean are both arctic and equatorial, and the tropics ... Of course, one cannot compare them with terrestrial types of climate of the same name - the difference is too great. Therefore, in order to correctly identify them, we need a brief description of the Atlantic Ocean, its position and characteristics.
So, the Atlantic Ocean is the secondlargest water tank on the planet. Its area is more than 91 million square kilometers, and its volume is 330 million cubic kilometers. The greatest depth of the ocean is 8742 meters, it is located in the Puerto Rico Trench. The salinity of the waters is 36 percent, making it the saltiest body of water in the world. Another characteristic of the Atlantic Ocean is its rugged coastline. At the coast of all continents, which are washed by the waters of the Atlantic, there are seas, bays and straits, which are part of it. In general, they constitute about 16% of the total water volume.
Atlantic Ocean climate beltsdue to its geographical location. The pond extends from the very north of the planet, that is, from the islands of Greenland and Iceland, to the very south - to Antarctica. In the west it borders with the shores of North and South America, and in the east with Europe and Africa. In the waters of the Atlantic there are many islands of mostly volcanic origin. Many of them are part of the seas that belong to the ocean. Among these are the Balearic, Malta (Mediterranean), the Antilles Big and Small (Caribbean). On the expanses of the ocean itself are the Canary Islands, Cape Verde (Cape Verde Islands), Sandwich, Faroe and many others. All of them are of volcanic origin, and the temperature in coastal waters depends on the climatic zones of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding them.
The main features of the Atlantic OceanThey consist in the fact that the climatic zones that are located in its water area are identical both in the north and in the south, but the air temperature in both zones and humidity also differ greatly from each other. As for the Northern Hemisphere, the climate is relatively warm. The upper belts are arctic glaciers, where annual temperature fluctuations are around 25 degrees. In winter, the thermometer drops to 25-30 degrees below zero, in summer it rises to + 5-10. August is considered the hottest month in the north-west of the Atlantic, and February is the coldest. A zone of low pressure is formed above the northern region - the Icelandic minimum. The amount of precipitation here is about 250 mm. In temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, temperature fluctuations are already 10 degrees. The amount of precipitation increases up to 1000 mm per year. The tropics are called the Azores maximum due to increased pressure. Precipitation occurs here mostly in winter, and in the summer, the eastern trade winds blow, which carry dry air. In general, in the Northern Hemisphere of the Atlantic air and water temperatures are much higher than in the Southern.
Atlantic Climate Polar Beltsthe ocean is arctic in the north and antarctic in the south, and we are now considering the latter. There are observed maximum annual temperature fluctuations - up to 30 degrees. In winter, there are terrible frosts - up to -40 Celsius and more, and in the summer the air barely warms up to +1. The coldest month here is August, and the hottest is February. In the temperate zone, temperature fluctuations are 15 degrees. In summer it is warm enough - up to +20, and in winter the thermometer’s column drops to -10. The average rainfall reaches 1500 mm per year. There is a big difference between the northern and southern tropics. If the climate above the equator is predominantly arid, then in the south, due to the fact that the ocean is expanding, large clouds are formed. The amount of precipitation here is 1500-2000 mm per year. Temperature fluctuations are more significant than one degree. In some areas, they are 3-4 degrees.
The waters of the Atlantic cross the equatorial zone - this istheir geography. The Atlantic Ocean in this area is heated to a maximum, and, most importantly, it is the zone of the most abundant precipitation and fog. During the year, the temperature of the air and the surface of the water here does not change. Precipitation falls mostly in winter, but in general it rains evenly in each season. Their number is 3000 mm per year. Fogs form in the summer over the equator in the waters of the Atlantic. Most of them go to the southern hemisphere, to the elevation of La Plata in Argentina. Those that form closer to the northeast are called sand mists. They are formed due to strong winds that blow from the Sahara.
