Oceanic Climate

The areas of oceanic Climat are stretched on the Western frontage of the Europe, the Portugal to the Norway, and on the Western littoral of the America, of San Francisco to the Alaska while passing by the Colombia-British. In the southern hemisphere, their field includes/understands the Chile, the New Zealand and the Tasmanie.

Temperatures

The average temperature lies between 10° C and 13°C.

Precipitations

The Précipitation S appear much more abundant than they are it: their annual total hardly exceeds the meter, but they are distributed over all the year and often fall in the form of drizzle or in dense fog, with a maximum in cold season related to the passage of the depressions which move in edge of the polar face.

One of the major features of the oceanic areas is a certain indifference with regard to the Latitude; the climatic bands seem laid out in north and the south. Thus of Portugal in Norway the weak variation of average thermics is maintained throughout the Atlantic facade. This climate deteriorates contrary to that one penetrates in the Continent S; the rains decrease, the thermal variations increase, the winters become more cold and the hotter summers: these areas of semi-continental climate form the transition with the climates where carry the continental characters.

Data

Precipitations annual averages in millimetres:

On the west coast of France, north towards the south:

Sand-in Olonne: 620 to 720 mm
Biarritz: 1510 mm per annum during the period 1971 - 2000

On the west coast of the United States, north towards the south:

Seattle, Washington: 972 mm
Aberdeen (Washington): 2141 mm
Portland cement, Oregon: 1085 mm
Cloverdale (Oregon): 2125 mm
Cape Blanco, Oregon: 1945 mm
Crescent City (California): 1691 mm Source
Not Arena (California): 1048 mm
Sacramento: 442 mm
San Francisco: 510 mm

Difficult to give a name to the climate of San Francisco. By his mode and his total of annual precipitations, one could classify it in the Mediterranean climates, with a dry summer. But the temperatures and their evolution more brings it closer to a oceanic climate (soft summer, soft winter). The climate of this part of California corresponds to a transition between the southern part from Mediterranean and semi-arid climate to the northern coast, of oceanic climate. The fog refreshes the average temperatures from July-August. running the cold of California is the origin. The thermal amplitude between the seasons is low.

The climate of the state of Washington is described of “oceanic soft” or as “Breton climate”; it approaches that of the Ireland or the west of Scotland, with summers drier than in these areas. Located on the north-western littoral of the the United States, the agglomeration of Seattle is with the same latitude as Nantes in France. But thanks to the marine currents and with the influence of the Pacific, the winters relatively soft (it does not freeze on the coast) and are sprinkled.

Vegetable principal trainings

The vegetable formations depend on the climate but also on a great number of other factors which condition the Biotope. This is why it is difficult to draw up a general typology of the Flore in oceanic climate. One can however establish several common characteristics:

the oceanic climate is favorable to the vegetable Croissance
On the first meters of the littoral, one generally finds a landscape of moor (heathers, brooms, grass).
inside and in the protected areas of the winds of west, the forest is the natural vegetation of the oceanic field: Beech S, Oak S in Western Europe

caducifoliées and mixed moderate Forests, mixed Atlantic Forests (Europe), moderate Forests conifériennes, moderate Forest sempervirente.

Assets, constraints and risks for the Men

Assets of the oceanic climate

The oceanic climate is favorable to the installation and the activities of the Men. The relatively lenient temperatures in winter make it possible to reduce the cost of energy (heating). Consequently, the human densities are average or strong in the areas of oceanic climate, which gives strongly anthropized Paysage S. The Men populated and arranged these areas since the Préhistoire. In Europe, the Celtic civilization emphasized most of the oceanic field. On the north-western coast the United States (Washington (State), Oregon, California of North), the Amerindian companies benefitted from the resources which the oceanic Milieu offered: they exploited for example wood to manufacture totems, boat and houses. The agricultural activities are in general developed in the areas of oceanic climate. The dryness being very rare and freezing quasi-absent, the Mixed-farming and the breeding occupy of broad spaces, according to the nature of the ground. Apart from the periods of quite specific dryness and culture, the Irrigation is not essential. However, the oceanic climate does not authorize the culture of the Vigne, the Agrume S or the tropical plants, apart from the Serre S. the scarcity of freezing makes it possible to the Men to make push palm trees until relatively high latitudes: the village of Vauville in the Handle enorgueillit to have the Palm plantation more in north of Europe.

Constraints and risks

The constraints of the climate can affect the Tourisme: the best season seems to be the summer, even if the temperatures can be fresh and the days of rains more than in the Mediterranean regions for example. The risks related to the oceanic climate are relatively weak: most important remains the oceanic Tempête S. That of 1999 caused considerable damage in Western Europe.

See too

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