Climate of Asia

Asia’s huge size is one of the reasons why it has regions of a wide variety of climates; some of the coldest,hottest, wettest and some of the driest places on earth. These varied climates include the bitter cold of the polar north; the hot, dry desert environment of the center and southwest; and the hot, humid conditions of the tropical south. The temperature vary from over 100 degrees in some parts of Asia to below freezing in other parts.

Monsoons winds influence much of Asian climate. In winter, monsoons from the north blow into East Asia and cause cold, dry weather. The wind changes direction in summer and blows from the seas that lie south and southeast of that region causing hot, humid weather. The great interior lands of Asia are far from the ocean. Winds from the oceans cut off by the high mountain chains which surround the interior. It has long and cold winters, cold winds from the polar regions, widespread summers with short and hot highlands and little rain except in the mountains has left much of the region as a desert.

As the climate warms, many mountain glaciers are disappearing, permafrost is thawing, and the northern forests are moving further north. Rapid population growth and development in countries like China and India will put additional pressures on natural ecosystems and will lead to a rapid rise in the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere unless steps are taken to curtail emissions.