Maritime climates are generally considered to be those that are moderated by the sea. However, a true maritime climate is in most cases a climate in which it is neither very warm nor very cold, with adequate rainfall throughout most of the year. A typical maritime climate occurs on the coast of Oregon and Washington in the United States, in many parts of New Zealand, in Tasmania, and in much of Western Europe. Although surrounded by the sea, tropical islands are not normally considered to have a maritime climate but rather a tropical climate.

True maritime climates usually have winter daytime temperatures of about 15œ Celsius and winter nighttime temperatures of about 5œ Celsius. In the summer, daytime temperatures average about 25œ Celsius and nighttime temperatures average about 15œ Celsius. Rainfall in a true maritime climate occurs throughout the year, with no pronounced wet or dry season, and averages 10 centimeters per month.

Despite the moderate nature of the true maritime climate, extremes do occur. In many maritime climates, daytime temperatures can reach above 35œ Celsius, and occasionally even above 40œ Celsius, while nighttime temperatures may reach 0œ Celsius, and occasionally as low as -10œ Celsius (Botterill, 2003). Sunshine is generally more than adequate for plant growth, and annual bright sunshine hours of two thousand to twenty-five hundred hours are the norm. Rainfall, although generally adequate for plant growth, can vary: Maritime climates can have periods of up to six weeks without any appreciable rainfall, and there is at least one known instance of no rain at all falling during almost every month on the calendar.

In contrast, monthly rainfalls of over 20 centimeters in a month are reasonably common, but monthly rainfalls of over 50 centimeters are not impossible. Although a daily rainfall of more than 0.3 centimeter is uncommon, at times, the rainfall in a twenty-four-hour period may exceed 20 centimeters. In summary, a true maritime climate is generally an easy climate to live in for people, plants, and animals, but relatively extreme events do occur.

Although the true maritime climate has milder winters, generally cooler summers, and greater temperature ranges from nighttime to daytime than do continental climates, there are many variations from place to place. For example, the climate of New York City, although situated on a coast, has a climate quite different from that of Vancouver, on the coast of British Columbia. Alterations in the true maritime climate brought about by global climate change are likely to be relatively small, and in most places plants and animals should be able to adapt to the change. However, if there is an overall increase in temperatures in the middle latitudes of both hemispheres, where most of the true maritime climates occur, summers are likely to become warmer, albeit not as warm as current continental climates, and winters are likely to have fewer days below freezing. Sunshine hours are unlikely to change, but rainfall extremes, especially on a daily basis, are likely to increase somewhat.

New Zealand is considered to have a typical maritime climate, although there are some areas in New Zealand that are quite dry, with an average annual rainfall of only 30 centimeters (Axelrod, 2004). Nevertheless, most of New Zealand, as well as much of western Europe, has a typical maritime climate. Questions arise as to the effects of global warming on the temperature and agricultural production of such a climate.

Considering New Zealand as an example, vineyards over the past one hundred years have flourished in many parts of the country, but as yet, in the far south of New Zealand in the Southland district, there are no commercial vineyards. Instead, the district is dairy country, covered with very green pastures and grazing cattle. The Southland District Council and the Southland Regional Council might consider the probable effects on the region of changes predicted in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report. If they did, they might advertise the prospects of the Southland district to become a major grape-growing region in the twenty-first century.

References

1. Axelrod, Regina S., David Leonard Downie, and Norman J. Vig, eds. The Global Environment: Institutions, Law, and Policy. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2004.

2. Botterill, Linda C., and Melanie Fisher, eds. Beyond Drought: People, Policy, and Perspectives. Collingwood, Vic.: CSIRO, 2003.

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