2.2. CLIMATE OF THE ISLAND OF RHODES 1. General remarks

• Main Author: J. Dikaikos
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.485.5301; http://195.97.36.231/acrobatfiles/92WG46_3_Eng.pdf

The island of Rhodes is situated in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in the SE margin of the Aegean Archipelago. It exhibits a semi-mountainous and mountainous morphology as well as a number of small valleys where various agricultural activities take place. North of the island of Rhodes and in a small distance from it the land of Asia minor is extended while sea waters with greatly varying depths surroud the island. The climate of Rhodos belongs to the Mediterranean type which is characterized by two climatically contrasting periods that is, one cold and rainy lasting from November to March and another warm and dry lasting from April to October (MARIOLOPOULOS,E. and KARAPIPERIS,L., 1963). Althought the mediterranean climate in its main features shows everywhere a characteristic uniformity, it presents many variations in its particular characteristics due to macro and especially to meso and microclimatic factors (DIKAIAKOS,J.,1982). These variations tend to become more pronounced in mountainous regions, valleys and highlands inland the coasts and more weak in long and open to the sea coastal regions as well as in small islands with low mean ground elevation. The geographical position of Rhodes, the land masses of Asia Minor, the extensive sea waters, the shape and size of the semi-mountainous and mountainous morphology with the existing valleys of the island of Rhodes are the main physical and geographical factors which affect the climatic conditions of the island very much during all seasons of the year. The dynamical factors of the climate of Rhodes in the other hand are mainly the depressions coming from North Atlantic, Gulf of Lion, North Adriatic Sea as well as the ones which develop in the coasts of Tynisia, Tripolis and some times over the Aegean Sea and the greater area of Cyprus. The Siberian anticyclone, the one of the Atlantic, as well as the anticyclones which are developed over the west and central Europe are also considered as main dynamical factors affecting the climate of