1990
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Marcel Leroux, « Les conditions dynamiques moyennes du climat de la France / Mean dynamic conditions of French climate », Géocarrefour (documents), ID : 10.3406/geoca.1990.5714
The diversity of French climate, resulting from the effect of factors operating at numerous different scales, masks the unicity (at the scale analysed) of the aerologi- cal component and therefore the relative functional simplicity of the dynamics of climate. The key meteorological factor of middle latitudes is the Polar Mobile High : it originates from the arctic basin and arrives on French territory either directly by passing to the east of Greenland, or more frequently from the North American area after crossing the North Atlantic Ocean. Interaction between this mobile factor and the specific geographical conditions of France, particularly the relief, dictates the permanent patterns of low-level circulation and the spatial distribution of rain-making conditions. These patterns are further modified by particular seasonal conditions : they gradually change from a winter situation characterised by a blocking of the zonal movement of Polar Mobile Highs, to a summer situation during which the southern part of the country is affected by air subsidence from the tropical margins (subsidence from the North Tropical High Belt).