geography • climate

Climate: It's influenced by the warmth and winds. A typical wind is a dry, warm one known as the föhn. There is no all-Swiss climate. Eastern Switzerland shows in comparison with western Switzerland a remarkable difference in temperature between summer and winter. Example: n the Tessin /Ticino (Italian border/south) it is 1° to 2,5 ° C warmer than in the canton of Schaffhausen (German border/north). Switzerland has a north European climate, a Continental climate, a Mediterranean climate and an Ocean climate as well. Switzerland is situated at the heart of Europe. It's climate is influenced by the ocean from the west, by the continental land mass from the east. Arctic air flows to it from the north, warm and moist air from the south.

Temperatures: Depending on the altitude the temperature range may vary. Between Basel (west) and St.Gallen (east) there is a difference of the annual average temperature of 7°C. The higher you get, the smaller becomes the difference in temperature summer and winter. For many regions in our country the position of the sun has a high impact on the climate. We frequently get coming from the west and south west, from the Atlantic and there fore they bring moist air. As a rule the precipitation is sufficient. 75% of the country's total area is maintained by a precipitation of more than 100 cm.

Rain In the regions of the Jura, the Swiss Plateau and the north of the Alps the highest rainfall is during summer. The same happens in the Wallis, the Tessin and in the lake of Geneva region in autumn. The higher you are the more rain in form of snow you get. The north of the canton of Zurich and the adjacent regions lie in the rain shadow of the Black forest. The precipitation reaches only around 80 cm a year. The western plateau is on the dry side of the jura-mountains too, so this region became rather important. Here most cereal is grown, but not enough for the country to live on.

Snow In big heights falls more snow, than the summer warmth can melt. Above the snow level lies the "feed-zone" of the glaciers. The constantly increasing amount of snow gradually changes into ice and by the steady growth of the ice crystals due to the melting and the freezing finally into firn ice and glaciers. The mighty glaciers of the Ice age have turned the Alps into what they are today. Many regions have emerged from the erosion of the glaciers.

NW SE Jura Swiss Plateau Prealps Northern-Alps Valais Southern-Alps Ticino The Alps the Jura get the most rain. The rising air cools down part to the water-steam, condenses and finally turns into rainfall. On the way down, the air warms up and gets dry. The water drops of the remaining clouds evaporate: The clouds disappear. Zurich 406 m Säntis 2503 m

The figures for Zurich and for the Säntis are to be seen in the following chart. There are two diagrams that clearly show the context between heights, temperature and precipitation. geography

© sherif dakaj, petar miljanovic, ilir kamberi team 28946, s3a sekundarschule spreitenbach, switzerland