East Asia and Adjacent Ocean Environments

The intensely-populated East AsiaAsia region is largely influenced by mid-latitude atmospheric circulation features, but also with polar and tropical elements. Unlike the U.S., CanadaCanada, and EuropeEurope, East Asia has a strong monsoon circulation influence and lacks an upstream ocean to provide moisture. Three subsections of East AsiaHumid Subtropical (Cfa) climatein Australiain East Asia can be identifiedSemi-arid – cold (BSk) climatein Central Asiain Interior East Asia. Interior East AsiaAsia is an extension of aridArid central Asia, with the GobiDesertsChihuahuanGobi as its most prominent desert. TheMountainsHimalaya Himalaya MountainsHimalaya Mountains and Tibetan PlateauTibetan Plateau block moisture flowing onshore from reaching central AsiaAsia, and the westerlies have already precipitated most of their moisture before reaching this area. From north to south, northeastern Asia is largely covered by the cool-, mild-, warm-, and hot-summer varieties of the microthermal Winter Dry (Dwd, Dwc, Dwb, and Dwa, respectively) climate and the hot summer variety of the Mesothermal Winter Dry (Cwa) climate. The Siberian High and winter monsoon generate the winter dryness. Japan and adjacent waters are dominated by Marine West Coast (Cfb) and Humid Subtropical (Cfa) climatesHumid Subtropical (Cfa) climatein Australiain Europe. Southeastern ChinaChina has Cfa, or Cwa climates where the monsoon produces winter aridity, but both are influenced strongly by typhoons and a quasi-persistent, nearly stationary, east–west-oriented weak baroclinic zoneBaroclinic zone known as the Mei-yu or Baiu phenomenon.