Re: "mediterranean"

At 04:47 PM 11/20/00 -0700, Charles Dills wrote:
>         I've looked in several books but I haven't found a detailed
>specific descripton of what is considered a "mediterranean" climate. I am
>of course aware of the rather general and unspecific description of dry
>summer and wet winters.
>         Is there a more specific description and if so, what is it?
>         ---Chas---

 From Peter Dallman's book: Plant Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates:

      The region around the Mediterranean Sea has a climate of mild, rainy 
winters and hot, dry summers.  This distinctive pattern is also found in 
four other widely separated parts of the world: California, Chile, South 
America, and Australia.  Early European settlers were struck by the 
similarities in climate and appearance of the vegetation.  Subsequently, 
settlers became successful in growing mediterranean crops such as wheat, 
grapes, olives, citrus fruit, and figs, in each of the distant 
regions.  The shared mediterranean climate pattern of the five areas is now 
associated with fine wines and excellent fruit.  The native flora of each 
of these regions, however, is genetically distinctive.  Nevertheless, plant 
species have remarkably similar features in common as a result of having 
survived the challenges of a similar climate.
      All five of the world's mediterranean climate regions are 
concentrated within the latitude of 30o and 45o, a little less that halfway 
from the equator to the poles.  The Mediterranean Basin and California are 
located in the northern hemisphere, while Central Chile, Western Cape 
Province of South Africa, and the states of Western and South Australia are 
located in the southern hemisphere.  In the southern hemisphere, July is 
typically the coolest winter month and January the hottest summer month, 
the reverse of the seasons in the northern hemisphere.
      Mediterranean climate areas favor year-round outdoor activity, which 
foster enjoyment of nature and an interest in conservation among native and 
visitors alike. . .
      The mediterranean climate regions . . . share a climate of dry 
summers with brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies.  Rainfall is 
concentrated during the mild, winter half of the year and averages roughly 
10-40 inches (25-100 cm) annually.  Snow is rare except at high 
elevations.  The total amount of winter rain is highly variable from year 
to year, coming in storms that may last a few days.  Between storms, the 
weather is often crisp and clear.  Summer rains are rare and scant.
      All five mediterranean climate regions are located on the western or 
southwester coasts of continents., where there are typically cold, offshore 
ocean currents.  The influence of large oceans with an upwelling of cold 
water off the coast has a moderating effect on summer temperatures. . 
.  The Mediterranean Sea, because it is enclosed by land, warms up 
considerable more during the summer than does the Atlantic Ocean to the 
west.  Consequently, lands that border the Mediterranean Sea have hotter 
summers than mediterranean climate regions that face an ocean with cold 
offshore currents.
      A mediterranean climate occurs on about two percent of the world's 
total land area. . .


He goes on and gets into many specifics, but I thought this might help you 
find a definition of a mediterranean climate.  For more information about 
this book, see:
http://www.support.net/Medit-Plants/inprint/plitwmc.html

For a map of mediterranean climates (illustrating Peter's statements 
ab0ve), see:
http://www.support.net/Medit-Plants/climate/map.html

Regards,
Sean O.

Sean A. O'Hara          (510) 987-0577          sean.ohara@ucop.edu
California Digital Library - Technologies, UC Office of the President,
1111 Franklin Street,  7th floor (7313H), Oakland, CA 94607-5200
http://www.cdlib.org/
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