West Coast Climate - Seigankikou

A climate characteristic of the west coast of a continent. In particular, in the temperate zone, the difference between the west and east coasts of a continent is significant, so it is contrasted with the climate of the east coast of a continent. In general, the west coast has a smaller annual temperature range and is milder than the east coast, and has less annual precipitation. However, looking more closely, the west coast is generally milder and rainier in the mid- and high-latitudes than the east coast in winter, and cooler and less rainy in summer. Also, the low latitudes of the west coast have relatively little rain, except for some areas in winter. The difference between the west and east coasts is felt by Japanese people as the difference between the climates of Western Europe and the East. The origin of the west coast climate can be explained by the seasonal variation of the westerly winds and the seasonal change in the position of high and low pressure systems on the surface, and is due to the fact that the seasonal winds are not as developed as on the east coast, and the atmosphere is more actively mixed from north to south.

[Nozomi Kobayashi and Yoshitaka Fukuoka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大陸の西岸地方に特徴的にみられる気候。とくに温帯では、大陸の西岸と東岸の差が顕著であるため、大陸東岸の気候と対比していう。一般には西岸は東岸に比べて気温の年較差が小さく温和で、年降水量は少ない。しかし細かくみていくと、西岸は東岸に比較して、冬には中・高緯度で温和多雨であり、夏は涼しく少雨の所が多い。また西岸低緯度は一部の地域の冬を除いて比較的少雨である。西岸と東岸の差異は、日本人には西欧と東洋の風土の違いとして実感されている。西岸気候の成因は、偏西風の季節変動と地表の高・低気圧の季節による位置変動から説明が可能で、東岸と比べ季節風が発達せず、大気の南北混合が活発なことにある。

［小林　望・福岡義隆］

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