The Western World Daily Readings on Geography Chapter 75 Latin America and the Caribbean (LACAR) Physical Geography II

CHAPTER 75 Latin America and the Caribbean ( Physical Geography II Precipitation While the temperature patterns in Latin America are relatively simple , the precipitation patterns are incredibly complex . Part of this is because Latin America covers nearly 90 of latitude from north to the planet . As a result , it passes through many of the different global pressure systems that help to determine the world precipitation patterns . Complicating matters is the wall of mountains that runs the length of the region from north to south . As is discussed in Chapter , the subtropical highs are located in various places around the world at about north and south . The subtropical highs create dry conditions . The subtropical highs also generate the winds that move poleward from the subtropical highs , but deflect because of the effect and Ram in , Photo by , blow from west to east across the . The subtropical , on , highs also generate the trade winds , which head toward the equator , blowing from the northeast in the northern hemisphere , and from the southeast in the southern hemisphere . Finally , the trade winds converge near the equator , creating the very wet intertropical convergence zone ( All of these features shift throughout the year , sliding north in June , and August , and sliding south in December , january , and February . Here , we have a look at the four basic kinds of precipitation patterns those places that are wet , those places with wet summers and dry winters , those places with dry summers and wet winters , and those places that are dry . We conclude with a brief look at another complicating precipitation factor El . Places that are wet The Amazon Basin . Most of the Amazon Basin is wet , largely because it is right along the equator , the home of the . Rainfall is heavy in all months . This is why the Amazon River is biggest river ( It not the world longest river that distinction belongs to the Nile but it does carry more water than any other river on earth , and by a very wide margin ) 362

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ( PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY II 363 The Caribbean Side of Central America . The northeast trade winds that arrive in this area blow across the Caribbean Sea , and those warm air mass pick up enormous amounts of water . Southeastern Brazil , Paraguay , northeastern Argentina , and . The southeast trade winds bring plenty of moisture offthe Atlantic and drop it in the of South America . Southern Chile . Here , the consistently bring moisture in off the Pacific Ocean . Places that have wet summers and dry winters Southern Venezuela and Southwestern Brazil . As mentioned above , the shifts north from the equator , july , and August , and shifts south ofthe equator in December , january , and February . This means it arrives in southern Venezuela during its summer , bringing lots of rainfall . The then arrives in southwestern Brazil during its summer ( keep in mind , summer in the southern hemisphere happens six months after it does in the northern hemisphere ) Southern Mexico and the Pacific Side of Central America The main source of moisture at this latitude are the trade winds , which are blocked in a rain shadow effect by the mountains of southern Mexico and Central America . Still , the heating of the earth in the summertime causes air to rise off the land , causing low pressure at the surface . This draws moist air masses in off the Pacific Ocean , generating summertime precipitation . It a sort of miniature version ofthe monsoons that bring rain to India in the summer . Places that have dry summers and wet winters Central Chile . This area has a Mediterranean climate , just like California and southern Europe . In the summer , the subtropical high over northern Chile shifts south over central Chile , causing dry conditions . In the winter , the subtropical high shifts north , as do the , which bring moisture in off the Pacific , causing wet conditions . Places that are dry Northern Mexico . just like the southwestern , the near constant presence of the subtropical high keeps this region dry most of the year . Northern Central Venezuela . The Andes Mountains generally run , but they curve in northern Venezuela . As the trade winds blow in offthe Caribbean , they dump moisture on the northern side of those mountains , but there is a small rain shadow effect on the southern side . The Southern Argentina lies in the , but it is also west ofthe Andes , so the falls in a rain shadow of those mountains .

364 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL The Desert The Desert of northern Chile is the world driest place . Weather stations in the have sometimes gone multiple years without recording a single drop of precipitation . Some parts of this desert are so dry that bacteria do even live there . There are three major causes of deserts around the world subtropical highs , rain shadows , and cold coasts and the Desert , remarkably , is caused by all three . It is under a subtropical high , which would make it dry anyway . One potential source for moisture is from the trade winds coming in from the Atlantic , but the is in a rain shadow of the Andes Mountains . The only other Desert , Chile . Photo by potential source of moisture is the Pacific , but the waters on off the coast of Chile are extremely cold , the result of the Peru Current , which runs from Antarctica and up the coast of South America . That cold water chills the breezes that flow off the ocean , and that cold air can not contain much water vapor . Complicating matters is an unusual weather phenomenon known as El . As mentioned above , the waters offthe Pacific Coast of Latin America are usually quite cold , causing the coastal areas to be relatively dry . Every two to seven years , however , a temperature inversion occurs in the eastern Pacific , causing the waters off the coast of Latin America to become unusually warm . This warm water heats up the air that passes over it , allowing those air masses to absorb large volumes of water vapor . The result is several months of unusually wet weather . Under particularly severe El conditions , much of Pacific Latin America suffers flooding and mudslides . Usually , El events begin in the late months ofa year , and then last through the following year spring and summer . The last major El event occurred in . Did You Know ?

The El phenomenon was named by Peruvian fishermen . They noticed that heavy rains would follow the warming of ocean water . The water often began warming up at the beginning of Advent the weeks in December on the Christian liturgical calendar that lead up to Christmas . So , they named the approaching phenomenon after the approach ofthe Christ Child El . CITED AND ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY , Rafael . 2016 . Em Paulo . Attribution Generic ( BY )