RODENTS OF LIBYA 17 



On the coastal plain, rainfall generally approaches 15 to 25 inches. 

 The most characteristic feature of the climate of coastal Libya is the 

 pronounced summer drought. If this amount of rain fell during the 

 hot summers when evaporation is high, semiarid conditions would 

 result. Coming as it does, however, in the cooler season, much less is 

 evaporated, and Mediterranean climate of Libya can be described as 

 subhumid rather than as semiarid. 



A peculiarity of the climate of northern Tripolitania is the "Ghibli," 

 a hot, desert wind which can cause temperatures to rise 30° to 40° F 

 in both summer or winter. The "Ghiblis" raise the temperatures of 

 the coastal plain well above 110° F, and sometimes the strong winds 

 persist for several days carrying large quantities of dust into the 

 coastal regions. 



Coastal Uplands 



On the Cyrenaican Plateau and Tripolitanian Gebel, the summers 

 are more moderate than those of the coastal plain. These plateau 

 areas of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, by virtue of their higher eleva- 

 tions, receive more rainfall than the surrounding areas. The Gebel 

 Nefusa of northern Tripolitania receives a yearly average of 15 to 

 20 inches, most of this falling during a comparatively short winter 

 period. The Cyrenaican Plateau has approximately 30 inches of rain 

 distributed rather uniformly throughout the year. 



Additional Meteorological Data 



Meteorological data obtained during field work in 1961 and 1962 

 provides supplemental information regarding the nature of the Libyan 

 climate. In the Fezzan, during the period from Dec. 8, 1961, to 

 Feb. 10, 1962, the daytime temperatures remained quite high with 

 average maximum temperatures of 94° F (60°-117° F), but at night 

 the temperature sometimes dropped below freezing, and the average 

 minimum temperature was 36.1° F (27°-52° F). The temperature 

 range for a 24-hour period sometimes exceeded 80° F. On the Gebel 

 Nefusa of northwestern Tripolitania, for a 4-day period in early 

 March 1962, the averages and extremes of the maximum and mini- 

 mum temperatures were 91° F (83°-98° F) and 52.5° (45°-59° F). 

 Averages and extremes of maximum and minimum temperatures at 

 Cufra and Tazerbo oases for the period Apr. 1, 1962, to Apr. 17, 1962, 

 were 98.4° F (83°-110° F) and 53.3° F (44°-68° F). During this same 

 period the average relative humidity (taken in the evening) was 21 

 percent. For the periods of May 21 to May 25, June 1 to June 6, and 

 from June 12 to June 21, 1962, the averages and extremes of the 

 maximum and minimum temperatures and the average relative 

 humidity, at various localities along the Cyrenaican and Tripolitanian 



