Weather can change a lot! It might be sunny in the morning, rainy in the afternoon, and windy in the evening. But climate is different from weather. Climate is like the usual weather pattern in a place over a long time. For example, we know that the island of Tonga is usually warm, and the North Pole is always cold. That’s because of their climates!
Climate is the usual weather pattern in a place over many years. There are three main climate zones on Earth: polar, temperate, and tropical. Let’s learn about each one!
The polar climate zone is found at the North and South Poles. The North Pole is in the Arctic, and the South Pole is in Antarctica. These places are very cold because the sun doesn’t shine directly on them. Even in summer, it’s still chilly!
Not many people live in the polar zones, but some explorers and scientists visit to study the area. They wear special warm clothes to stay cozy. The South Pole is colder than the North Pole, and it never gets above freezing there!
The Arctic, or North Pole, is a bit warmer, so it has more animals like penguins, reindeer, polar bears, and seals. In Antarctica, you can find penguins, seals, and birds. Some parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Russia, and Alaska are in the Arctic Circle, which is an imaginary line around the North Pole.
The temperate climate zone has mild temperatures. This means it’s not too hot and not too cold. There are four seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer. Many places like the United States, Europe, and parts of South America have temperate climates.
Lots of animals live in this zone, including bears, deer, and rabbits. Fruits like apples and strawberries grow here, along with vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes.
The tropical climate zone is near the equator. It’s very warm and gets a lot of rain, especially in summer. This makes it humid, which means it feels even hotter!
More than 40% of people on Earth live in tropical climates. Places like the Congo in Africa and the Amazon in Brazil are tropical rainforests. Tropical climates don’t have much seasonal change, so it’s warm all year long. This means fruits like bananas and pineapples can grow all year!
Tropical climates have many different animals and plants. You might find jaguars, monkeys, and toucans here. Many foods like coffee and chocolate come from tropical zones.
Let’s see if you can answer some questions about climate zones!
If you said the polar climate zone, great job! Polar bears love the cold!
That’s right, in the tropical zone! It’s warm and full of life.
You’d wear a snow suit to stay warm. A swimsuit would be way too cold!
You could be a scuba diving instructor or a farmer growing bananas!
You can snow ski in winter and water ski in summer. How fun!
Each climate zone is special and has its own plants, animals, and activities. They all make our Earth a beautiful place to live!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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**Climate Zones for Kids**
Weather changes all the time. It might be sunny in the morning and rainy in the afternoon or windy in the evening. Weather can be unpredictable, but unlike the weather, the climate of an area is more predictable. Most of the time, we know that the island of Tonga is warm and that the North Pole is cold. Even though the weather changes in those two places, Tonga is not likely to have a giant snowstorm, and the North Pole is probably not going to experience a heat wave. That’s because of climate.
Climate is the usual weather pattern established over a long period of time. There are three main climate zones on Earth: polar, temperate, and tropical. Each of these climate zones can be broken up into more specific climate zones, but in this video, we are going to focus on those three zones.
The polar climate zone is named polar because it is in the North and South Poles. The North Pole is in a region called the Arctic, at the top of the Earth, and the South Pole is located at the bottom of the Earth in a region called Antarctica. These climate zones are very cold because the sun does not directly hit these areas. Summers in these regions are not what we typically think of when we hear the word “summer.” In fact, they are quite the opposite; summers in the poles are still very cold.
The poles do not support human life, so there aren’t many people who visit the poles, except for some explorers and scientists who study those areas. Those people wear warm snow suits that are specifically made for very cold climates. The temperature in the South Pole is much colder than in the North Pole; in fact, it never gets above freezing in the South Pole, but it does get a bit warmer in the North Pole. When it does, some of the ice melts.
Because the Arctic, or North Pole, is a bit warmer, it has a wider variety of animal life than the South Pole. Some of the animals found in the Arctic region include penguins, reindeer, orcas, polar bears, Arctic foxes, Arctic hares, and various seals and walruses. In Antarctica, there are various types of penguins, seals, birds, albatrosses, and killer whales. Parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Russia, and Alaska are in the Arctic Circle, which is an imaginary line around the North Pole. The area outside of the Arctic Circle is called the sub-Arctic.
Some people do live in these areas, which are further away from the North Pole. It is a bit warmer in these areas, but still colder than almost every other region in the world. Some plants grow in the sub-Arctic. The seasons are very short there, but the daylight hours are very long, so things can grow in a shorter amount of time.
The temperate climate zone is an area where the temperatures are mild. In fact, the word “temperate” means mild or pleasant. Both warm and cold climates exist in the temperate climate zone. In the warm climates, the winters are mild and wet, and the summers are hot and dry. In the cool climates, the winters are cold with snow and freezing temperatures, but the summers are warm. There are four seasons in temperate climate zones: fall, winter, spring, and summer. A lot of the United States, Europe, and the southern half of South America fall within this climate zone.
Many different animals live in this zone, including bears, lions, deer, mice, rabbits, snakes, and more. Fruits like peaches, apples, plums, and strawberries grow in temperate climate zones, as well as vegetables like tomatoes, corn, wheat, potatoes, and onions.
The tropical climate zone is just north and south of the equator. More than 40 percent of the people on Earth live in this climate zone. The temperatures are very warm in these regions, so it can get pretty hot. Tropical climate zones get a lot of rain, especially in the summertime, which makes it very humid. That humidity can make you feel even hotter. In winter, there is less rain than in the summer, but it still stays warm. The Congo in West Africa and the Amazon in Brazil are both rainforests and examples of tropical climates. Thousands of islands like Kauai, Bora Bora, and Tahiti are also located in tropical climates.
Unlike temperate climates that have four seasons, tropical climates have very little seasonal change. Instead, it stays warm all year long, which means that things can grow all year long in these climates. Bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, and pineapples are all popular fruits that grow in tropical climates. Tropical climates have the most diverse animals and plants in the world. In fact, most of our animal and plant species come from tropical climates. Some animals that live in tropical climates include jaguars, gorillas, toucans, sloths, monkeys, and macaws. Many invertebrates like butterflies, centipedes, scorpions, spiders, snails, and beetles are found in tropical climates. There are also many freshwater and saltwater fish in tropical regions near the water.
A lot of well-known foods like coffee, chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and rice grow in tropical climate zones. Now that you have learned about these three climate zones, let’s see if you can answer some questions about each of them.
In which climate zone would you most likely find these animals? Did you see the polar climate zone? Good job! Have you ever seen a reindeer at the beach? Probably not! And if you have, you might want to call Santa and let him know that Rudolph’s taken a vacation.
Let’s try another one: which climate zone would these animals live in? It’s the tropical zone, isn’t it? Now, which of these animals do you think you’d find in a temperate climate? If you said all of the above, well done! Remember that in a temperate climate, it gets both warm and cold. Animals like white-tailed deer, bison, and moose are found in colder regions or higher up in the mountains, while others like turtles, snakes, seagulls, and coyotes are found in the warmer climates near the oceans and deserts. Many more animals can be found in between those two locations.
Ready for a few more questions? How might someone dress in a polar climate? Would you wear a swimsuit, a snow suit, or a business suit? I guess a scientist could wear a business suit if she wanted, but she’d probably freeze, and she would definitely freeze in a swimsuit. So a snow suit is the correct answer.
Which of these jobs could someone have in a tropical climate? You probably wouldn’t make much money teaching people how to ice fish in a tropical climate, but you could be a scuba diving instructor. Many people living in tropical climates make a living by showing tourists the wonderful things that the regions have to offer, like scuba diving, surfing, hiking, boating, and more. But that’s not the only job that people have in tropical climates. In fact, farmers can be found in both tropical and temperate climates, but they grow different types of food. A farmer in a tropical climate like Jamaica might live on a banana plantation, while a farmer in a temperate climate like Idaho might grow potatoes.
Okay, last question: which of these activities could you do in a temperate climate? If you said both, great job! Since temperate climates are both warm and cold, kids that live in temperate climates can snow ski in the winter and water ski in the summer.
If Goldilocks was looking for a place to live, she might say that the polar climate zone was too cold and that the tropical climate zone was too hot, but the temperate climate zone was just right. But the truth is, all these zones appeal to many different people for various reasons. Each zone has unique cultures, scenery, and activities, as well as various plants, animal life, and terrain, and altogether they make up one beautiful Earth. Be sure to subscribe!
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