Vocabularies

First of all, study vocabularies. You can find them in your study materials (Studijní materiály - W&C), or you can use the follow link.  

WEATHER 

 

WEATHER is the mix of events that happen each day in our atmosphere including temperature, rainfall and humidity. Weather is not the same everywhere. Perhaps it is hot, dry and sunny today where you live, but in other parts of the world it is cloudy, raining or even snowing. Everyday, weather events are recorded and predicted by meteorologists worldwide.  

CLIMATE

CLIMATE in your place on the globe controls the weather where you live. Climate is the average weather pattern in a place over many years. So, the climate of Antarctica is quite different than the climate of a tropical island. Hot summer days are quite typical of climates in many regions of the world, even without the affects of global warming.

MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mediterranean summers are hot and dry. It is because this area is less than 40° from the equator, the sun is quite high in the sky. The sun's rays are therefore concentrated and give great heat. High pressure usually dominates the area in summer. This brings long periods of settled, dry weather.

Although the sun is lower in the sky in winter, it is still high enough to give quite warm conditions. During winter, the prevailing winds blow in from the Atlantic Ocean in the west. These winds are mild and damp. When they rise over mountainous areas, relief rainfall occur. Westerly winds also bring depression and these result in wet, unsettled conditions.

Mediterranean plants have to adapt to summer drought. They usually have small waxy leaves or sharp thorns that do not lose much moisture through transpiration. Transpiration is the loss of moisture through the leaves or bark of a plant. Trees such as cork oak and olive have thick, protective bark. These help to stop heat getting in or moisture getting out through transpiration. Long tap roots reach far underground for water. Herbs such as lavender have short life cycle that avoid periods of drought: plants flower in the spring and lie dormant during the dry summer.

   

There are some exercises for you. Go through them! You can find them in Study Materials (Studijní materiály -> Odpovědníky) or you can use the follow link.