Mid-latitude desert climate (BWk)
Also called: Cold desert climate · Topic: World Climate Classification: Koeppen's Scheme · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 11 "World Climate and Climate Change"
Meaning
The mid-latitude desert climate (BWk), also called the cold desert climate, is arid. It is found deep inside continents and in rain shadows, between about 35° and 60°. A rain shadow is the dry side of a mountain range, away from the moist wind. Moist sea winds cannot reach these places, so rain is very low. Summers are hot, but winters are severely cold, so the yearly temperature range is large.
Example
Ladakh, in the rain shadow of the Himalaya in northern India, is a cold desert. Abroad, examples include the Gobi, the Taklamakan, Patagonia (in the rain shadow of the Andes) and the Great Basin.
Don't confuse with
- Subtropical desert climate (BWh): BWh lies at lower latitudes (15°-35°) under the subtropical highs, has an annual mean of 18°C or more and has no severe winter.
Related concepts
- Dry climates (B)
- Subtropical steppe climate (BSh)
- Subtropical desert climate (BWh)
- Coastal desert
- Mid-latitude steppe climate (BSk)