Why is Australia hot when it’s near Antarctica?
Australia proper is not actually very near to Antarctica. It is at least approximately 3400 kilometers from Hobart, Tasmania to the Antarctic Coast. It is at least approximately 2800 kilometers from Macquarie Island to the Antarctic Coast. These distances are not trivial. Heard Island and the McDonald Islands which are also politically part of Australia are closer at 1750 kilometers away. The catch? The last islands mentioned are uninhabited. Populated areas of South America are far closer to Antarctica. Ushuaia, Argentina sits a mere 1200 kilometers away from the shores of Antarctica, closer than any place in Australia.Australia’s thermal potential is heavily influenced by its proximity to the Tropic of Capricorn, the Equator, its vast continental desert interior cut off from maritime influences, its more populated coastal areas strongly influenced by the Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as a number of seas, and favorable trade winds which bring humidity but also moderation to a number of its subtropical and tropical regions. The country has a variety of climates within its borders so not every place in Australia is hot per se. However, Australia averages higher temperatures than other locations because it largely straddles a zone from the temperate latitudes to the tropics, devoid of most of the more continental climate regimes one might find at low elevations in Northern Asia, much of Northern and Eastern Europe, and North America. In Australia, such climate types would only exist at altitude.
How is Australia in a drought if it is surrounded by water?
Australia is about 7.692 million square kilometres. We are the sixth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada, China, the United States and Brazil. That’s a lot of square kilometres to cover to ensure the whole country has a water supply.The map below is from 2012, in the middle of a drought that covered most of Western Australia, 95% of South Australia, the north western side of Victoria, a small portion of Queensland and Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory.The reason Australia is still in a drought is because it only rains on a regular basis in mostly coastal areas, the majority of which are further south, down near Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales, and along the eastern coast. Far North Queensland, The Kimberley, in Western Australia, and Kakadu, in the Northern Territory also record heavy rainfall, but most of the rainfall shown on this map only covers the previously mentioned areas, meaning it’s not helpful for you if you live in outback South Australia and it’s pouring in Cairns.The map below shows this, and you can quite clearly see how, in Western Australia / South Australia, the vast majority of these states are coloured orange, yellow, and even an area near the border of white (if you hadn’t noticed, white means no rain during the whole period this data was recorded. Alice Springs had more rain than some parts of Western Australia!) the reason all this is happening is global warming / climate change, and it’s ruining the planet, in case no one had noticed.References:Australia - WikipediaGoogle Images (“2012 Australian drought”)WWF - Causes of global warmingGlobal Warming EffectsWhat is global warming?Climate change evidence: How do we know?
Why are Australia and New Zealand so hot, despite being so close to Antarctica?
Australia and New Zealand are different countries. Try looking at a globe.Climates are partly controlled by how close to the pole or equator a country is. In the case of Australia it is almost up to the equator at its northernmost point.New Zealand is further south and has a temperate and sub temperate climate. Auckland is roughly as close to the pole as Cadiz in Spain. The average temperature here is 16 degrees celsius. Right now, as summer is starting it is 22 degrees. It seldom gets above 28–30. In the south of NZ (1000km south of Auckland) it occasionally snows in cities (and always in winter in the mountains - some as high as 3700m.The other difference between NZ and Australia is land mass. Australia is as big as the USA. NZ is small islands (cf UK or Japan). In Auckland I can stand on a hill and see the Tasman sea (2000km to Australia) and looking east the Pacific ocean (10,000km to Chile). The sea has a moderating effect on climate and the sea breeze is awesome. Mountains do too. The south island of NZ has the Southern Alps running its length - roughly on a par with the Rockies or European Alps. In the height of summer in NZ 30 degrees can feel really hot to a local but when I visited Melbourne at this time of year (in the south of Aus) it was considerably hotter. I had to go and buy a fan and have it on me all night. An Australian from the north complained of the cold!
Why is Dubai so dry even though it's so close to the ocean?
I’m not quite sure but I guess it has to do something with the country’s humidity. Also, you have to consider the location, the type of soil do they have and Dubai is filled with buildings, but it barely has trees in it. Trees are big factors in keeping the ground cool and moist. It helps drive in water cycle as well.
Why is Australia so hot (yet so far from the Equator)?
Australia is not too far away from the equator. Tropic of Capricorn passes through it. It is so hot because:-The pressure zone there is Sub Tropical High Pressure Zone. It means that air is continuously sinking there making the air mass there as warm.The southern part is a desert as the winds are offshore there(Trade winds). So they take away the moisture away from the land.The West Australian current is a Cold current and thus it decreases the temperature of the ocean. This results in low evaporation and thus very low rain.The recurring El-Nino has resulted in consequent Droughts there.Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere. In this hemisphere temperatures are extreme because here Summer season and Closeness to Sun occurs together. So, summers are hot. Since this country is surrounded all along by Water, so winter is mild.
Why does Indonesia receive so much rainfall while Australia receives so little?
First, we need to know that Indonesia and Australia are two large countries. Despite being ‘neighbors’, the distance between Jakarta and Canberra is about 5400 km almost comparable to New York-London across the Atlantic. Don't be fooled by the mercator projection in maps.Not all of Indonesia receive so much rainfall. Eastern Java are drier than Western Java. Nusa Tenggara Islands are much drier.This is because of the winds that bring the clouds from the larger Indian ocean rarely go to the Nusa Tenggara Islands. But, the evaporation from the surrounding seas still create enough clouds and the topographical feature of the Islands do not block up the clouds, which don't create deserts.Many parts of Indonesia receive a lot of rainfall because there are water evaporation from the surrounding seas and oceans of the Islands. Also the islands are mountainous and the mountains are in the middle which did not block the clouds.How do mountains affect rainfall?Indonesia is also the only Asian country (other than maldives on its waters) that passes the Equator on land.Why does it always rain near the Equator?Australia also has diverse climate.The rainfall in Northern Australia is quite dependent on the monsoon and wind direction.The wind direction also don't help Australia to get the clouds from the Indian Ocean.One of the reasons why Western Australia and Central Australia are much drier is the topography of Australia.The Great Dividing Range of Eastern Australia blocks the clouds from going to Central Australia.Why is Australia such a dry continent when it is so further south than its counterparts?
Why are most of the world’s deserts located on the Western margins of continents in the subtropics?
Have already answered this question. That question although was specific to hot deserts and specified latitudinal extent too, but answer will remain same for your question too. Here it is:-Hot Deserts of the WorldArabian Desert in Arabian peninsulaGreat Sandy, Victoria, Simpson, Gibson and Sturt deserts in AustraliaChihuahuan Desert in north central MexicoKalahari Desert in south-western AfricaMojave Desert in USAMonte Desert in ArgentinaSahara Desert in North AfricaSonoran Desert in North and Central AmericaThar Desert in India and PakistanThere are four major reasons responsible for why the major hot deserts of the world are located between 20°-30° N on the west of the continents:-Offshore trade winds in the region and location in rain shadow zone:- Trade winds that blow in the region, shed their moisture on the eastern part and by the time they reach the western margin, they become dry.Anticyclonic conditions:- Areas between 20–30 degree latitudes on western margins of continents are the regions of descending air. It means the air gets compressed and warm as it descends and thus the moisture keeps decreasing.Leeward sides of mountains/parallel mountain ranges:- In the case of few deserts, mountains are situated as a barrier which prevents orographic rainfall. For example:- presence of Rockies on the western coast of North America does not let moisture bearing winds do rainfall in leeward sides. In the case of Thar desert in India, Aravallis are situated parallel to the region. Therefore the moisture holding winds pass away from the region because there is absence of mountain barriers.Presence of cold ocean currents along the western coast of continents tend to stabilise the air over the coast. This prevents cloud formation and rainfall.You can see it here in the map that major deserts are located on the western parts of continents between 30 degrees North and South latitudes.
Why isn't Florida a hot, dry desert if it's at the same latitude as the Sahara Desert?
-Sahara Desert wasn't effected by last ice age -Florida was under water -Sahara desert was occupied by man for thousands of years Florida for only hundreds. -Sahara desert suffered deforrestion to desert process along time ago-thousands of years ago -Florida's green vegetation allow more rain to prevent desert process.