188
Murat Tiirke~
(1992a, b). This method was applied to the stations' data by means of a mapping
package.
4 Results
4.1 Mean Precipitation and Aridity Conditions
4.1.1
General
The climate of Turkey, which is mainly characterized by the Mediterranean macro
climate, results from the seasonal alternation of the mid-latitude frontal depressions,
with the polar air masses, and subtropical high pressures, with the subsiding maritime
tropical and continental tropical air masses. Continental tropical airstreams from the
Northern Africa and Arabian deserts dominate particularly throughout the summer,
by causing the long-lasting warm and dry conditions over Turkey, except in the Black
Sea region and the north-eastern Anatolia.
4.1.2 Mean Precipitation
Mean annual precipitation totals range from below 500 mm over the continental
interiors and eastern margin of the Eastern Anatolia region to above 1000 mm along
the western Mediterranean, and the western and eastern Black Sea coastal areas (Fig.
3). Annual precipitation below 400 mm extends over a large area of the Continental
Mean annual precipitation
(mm)
Fig. 3. Geographical distribution of mean annual precipitation totals over Turkey (re-plotted from
Tiirke~, 1999)