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| From The University of Texas at Austin |
This post will discuss the temperature controls for Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Geographic location and impact on regional temperature shall be used to analyze the temperature controls of the capital. Two temperature controls shall be analyzed: one that affects the city, and one that does not. Haiti's future climate will also be addressed at the end of this post.
The capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince. The latitude and longitude of the capital is 18º 32' N and 72º 20' W. (Maps of the World). The coldest months in Port-au-Prince are December and January, where the average monthly temperature is about 87.8°F (about 31°C). The warmest months are June, July, and August, when average monthly temperature is about 95°F (about 35°C) (World Weather and Climate Information). Based on the aformentioned information, the annual range of temperature for Port-au-Prince is 9.7 (°F).
Various temperature controls affect the regional temperature of Port-au-Prince. One of such temperature controls that impact Port-au-Prince's regional temperature is differential heating of land and water. The capital is located in the Gulf of Gonave and is situated in a hilly region (World Atlas). The differential heating between the ocean and land make annual fluctuations smaller (than if Port-au-Prince were not by a body of water). A temperature control that does not impact regional temperature is altitude. The average elevation of Port-au-Prince is 44 meters (Monagabay). The city itself is 65 meters, or 213 feet above sea level (dateandtime.info). For reference, Mauna Kea is 13,803 ft above sea level (National Geographic Education). Unlike Mauna Kea, Port-au-Prince does not experience snow due to low atmospheric pressure.Thus, the city is too close to sea level to be affected by altitude.
A prediction on Haiti's future climate can be assessed. According to the Huffington Post, Haiti is one of the top thirty countries that are predicted to be "hit hardest" by climate change (Huffington Post). Due to rising ocean temperatures, the ocean will continue to expand. As an island nation, Haiti will expect to lose some portion of their coastline. Because of its proximity to the Gulf of Gonave, Port-au-Prince should expect a rise of sea level as well. Increasing ocean temperatures can also raise air temperature, changing the climate of the region, affecting cloud formation. Ocean currents may also be affected.
In conclusion, Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, has an annual range of temperature of 9.7°F. The temperature of Port-au-Prince is affected by differential heating of land and water, but is not affected by altitude. Also, Port-au-Prince may experience a rise in sea level in the future due to rising ocean temperatures.
Thank you for commenting on my blog! I am doing the country of Zimbabwe located in the Southern Hemisphere. Because Haiti is located in the Northern Hemisphere, our seasons occur at opposite times. June 21st is the summer solstice in Haiti, and the winter solstice in Zimbabwe. December 21st is the winter solstice in Haiti, and the summer solstice in Zimbabwe. The equinoxes occur in the exact opposite sense as well, on March 20th and September 23rd. When comparing the same seasons of these two countries side by side, during all seasons the average max and min temperatures of Haiti is higher, which means Haiti is warmer year around. Our optimal times to visit are opposite in time of year, but the same in regards to season. Winter is the best time to visit both countries, though winter occurs in December in Haiti and in June in Zimbabwe. It seems as if both Haiti and Zimbabwe are beautiful places because sightseeing is a main attraction for tourists, with a plethora of national parks to attend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for always doing your blog posts early. When comparing daily temperature highs and lows between Harare and Port-au-Prince, Harare has a much larger daily range, approximately 20 degrees, compared to Port-au-Prince's daily temperature range of about 10 degrees. Also, Harare's day by day chance of precipitation is highly variable, from 10% to 40% to 20% to 60%. In Port-au-Prince, the chance of precipitation is very constant, always around 16%. Satellite images show that Harare and Port-au-Prince are opposites in regards to cloud coverage. Port-au-Prince has very little to no clouds over the city, with small low-lying warm clouds. On the other hand, Harare is almost entirely covered by high elevation cold clouds. There is a high pressure system affecting the Caribbean and Haiti, which helps the predict wind direction. The is a stationary front off the eastern coast of Africa, which explains wind direction in Zimbabwe because wind blows parallel to a stationary front.
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