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Climate and Vegetation. Koeppen’s Climate Classification. Tropical Dry Temperate Cold Polar. Koeppen’s sub categories. Describes unique features that are experienced in only specific areas
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Koeppen’s Climate Classification • Tropical • Dry • Temperate • Cold • Polar
Koeppen’s sub categories • Describes unique features that are experienced in only specific areas • ( f ) = rain in all months with no dry season. (this can be experienced in different areas – Tropical, Mid-Latitudes, & Continental climates)
1&2 Humid Tropical (including Tropical Rainforest) Af & Am Koeppen - Tropical
Location 0-10° N/S • Along the Equator • Amazon Basin, • Congo River Basin, • East coast of Central America, • East coast and interior of Brazil, • East coast of Madagascar, • Malaysia, • Indonesia, • Philippines. Humid Tropical Canopy
Location 5 °- 15° N/S • Coastal areas of southwest India, • Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mynamar (Burma), • Southwestern Africa, • French Guiana, • northeast and southeast Brazil. Tropical Rainforest Thick undergrowth
Vegetation:A vertical stratification of three layer of trees is apparent.. These layers have been identified as • A layer: Widely spaced trees 100 to 120 feet tall and with umbrella-shaped canopies extend above the general canopy of the forest. Since they must contend with drying winds, they tend to have small leaves and some species are deciduous during the brief dry season. (Tropical Rain Forest) • B layer: a closed canopy of 80 foot trees. Light is readily available at the top of this layer, but greatly reduced below it. (Area separating Humid Tropical/Tropical Rain Forest) • Ground layer: sparse plant growth. Less than 1 percent of the light that strikes the top of the forest penetrates to the forest floor. In such darkness few green plants grow. Moisture is also reduced by the canopy above: one third of the precipitation is intercepted before it reaches the ground. (Tropical Rain Forest) • Open Canopy = light to the ground allows for think undergrowth = tropical rain forest
Human Use:Mahogany, teak and other tropical hardwoods are harvested for creating fine furniture. Bananas, avocadoes, pineapples, peppers, peanuts, oranges, papaya, lemon, pepper (the spice), coconut, sugarcane-- all are rain forest products.. Chicle, used in chewing gum, comes from a tropical tree. Chocolate, popular worldwide, is from the cacao seed, which is native to the tropical rainforest. About one-fourth of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants. mahogany bananas pepper chicle
3 Tropical Savanna Aw Koeppen - Tropical
Location 15° - 30 ° N/S • Northern and eastern India, interior Myanmar (Burma) and Indo-Chinese Peninsula; • northern Australia; south central Africa; Ilanos of Venezuela, Campos of Brazil; • Western Central America; south Florida, and Caribbean Islands. Tropical Savanna A tropical wet and dry climate predominates in areas covered by savanna growth. Mean monthly temperatures are at or above 64° F and annual precipitation averages between 30 and 50 inches. For at least five months of the year, during the dry season, less than 4 inches a month are received.
Vegetation: Savannas are characterized by a continuous cover of perennial grasses, often 3 to 6 feet tall at maturity. They may or may not also have an open canopy of drought-resistant, or they may have an open shrub layer. Human Use: Many exotic woods, exotic plants, many of the same products found in Tropical Rainforest, including fruits, spices, and medicines.
4 Tropical Desert BWh Koeppen - Dry
Location 25° - 30 °N/S • coastal Chile and Peru • southern Argentina • southwest Africa • north Africa • Arabia, Iran • Pakistan, and western India; • Baja California and interior Mexico Tropical Desert Climate (BWh)
5 Mid-Latitude Desert BWk Koeppen - Dry
Mid-latitude Desert Climate (BWk) • Geographic Distribution • inner Asia • (interior) western U.S. • Characteristics • Aridity; low relative humidity. • Irregular rainfall. • High percentage of sunshine. • Larger temperature range than Tropical Desert. • More precipitation than Tropical Desert. Sub Category
6 Continental Desert BSh Koeppen - Dry
Continental Desert Climate (BSh) Sub Category • Location 30° N/S • Peripheral to deserts especially in: • Australia • northern and southern Africa • southwest Asia • Argentina • western United States • Characteristics • Semiarid • Annual rainfall distribution similar to nearest humid climate • Annual precipitation more than half, but less than annual potential evaporation • Mean annual temperatures above 64.4oC (18oC)
Weather: Arid climates (BWh and BWk) are those which average less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. Potential evaporation exceeds precipitation in the annual water budget. Furthermore, rainfall is highly localized and relatively unpredictable in terms of when it will occur, although usually there are seasons of highest probability for precipitation. Annual variation in total precipitation may also be great. Temperatures are also variable. They may exceed 100° F on summer afternoons, but dip by 20-30 degrees or more at night. Winters are cool to cold: "hot deserts" rarely experience frost; "cold deserts" may have prolonged periods of below freezing temperatures and snowfall. Cold desert Hot desert
Vegetation: Shrubs are the dominant growth form of deserts. They may be evergreen or deciduous; typically have small leaves; and frequently have spines or thorns and/or aromatic oils. Shallow but extensive root systems procure rainwater from well beyond the canopy of the shrub whenever it does rain. These are the true xerophytes adapted to tolerate extreme drought. They form an open canopy and, except after rains when annuals may cover the desert floor, the ground between shrubs is bare of vegetative growth. Water is not entirely lacking in the desert environment and several other growth forms represent strategies to reach water or to store water: Human Use: Not much, but some natural resources such as types of rock, and natural minerals like natural gas.
Mohave Desert Sonoran Desert Chihuahuan Desert Great Basin Desert
Tropical Desert Continental Desert Mid-Latitude Desert
7 Steppe BSk Koeppen - Dry
Location 40°-50° N/S • Inner Asia; • Western U.S. Continental Steppe (BSk)
Weather: Cold winters and hot wet summers characterize this climate • Vegetation. Perennial grasses and perennial forbs -are dominant growth forms. Two or more strata of grasses (erect grasses and recumbent species) are recognized in the more humid expressions of the biome. • Grasses. Perennial grasses, with their growth buds at or just below the surface, are well-adapted to drought, fire, and cold. The taller or narrow, upright stem reduces heat-gain in the hot summers; the intricate root systems trap moisture and nutrients. Two basic types are: • Turf- or sod-forming grasses, with rhizomes or underground stems from which new plants spring forth; associated with the more humid grasslands • Bunch grasses • Human Use: Mostly used for grazing of animals, and some wheat and other grasses
8 Humid Subtropical Cwa &Cfa Koeppen - Temperate
Location 30° - 45 ° N • Southeastern U.S. • southeastern South America; • coastal southeast South Africa; • eastern Australia; • eastern Asia from northern India through south China to Japan. Humid Subtropical Climate (Cfa)
Peanuts Tobacco Cotton Peaches
Weather:The humid subtropical climate is noted for its warm summer months, and relatively mild winters. Summer temperatures average between 21o to 26o C and no winter month has an average temperature below 0oC. Many days can expect the temperature to hit 90oF or higher. The high humidity experienced in the humid subtropical climate makes warm days feel oppressive. Annual precipitation varies from 100 inches near the coast to 25 inches inland. The daily temperature range tends to be very small as the evening does not cool down much during the summer. Winter temperatures will dip into the single digits with the relatively frequent invasions of cold air masses. Vegetation.especially in eastern North America, where is remains most intact--is known for the turning of the colors of its leaves to brilliant reds, oranges, and golds in autumn. The shortening days of fall stimulate the plants to withdraw chlorophyll from their leaves, allowing a brief but beautiful display of other pigments before the leaves are shed completely and plants enter an extended period of dormancy Included in this area are Quercus (oak), Acer (maple), Fagus (beech), Castanea (chestnut), Carya (hickory), Ulmus (elm), Tilia (basswood or linden), Juglans (walnut), and Liquidamber (sweet gum). Human Use: Lumber is the main human use of the vegetation that is growing in the region. In addition, hunting and fishing are found throughout the region
Humid Subtropical & Humid Continental 0° Humid Subtropical is more frequent in the southern parts of the USA, and Europe
9 Mediterranean Csb Koeppen - Temperate
Mediterranean or Dry Summer Subtropical Climate (Csa, Csb) • Location 30°-40° N • Central California • central Chile • Mediterranean Sea borderlands • Iranian Highlands • Capetown area of South Africa • southwestern Australia The Mediterranean Climate (Cs) is unique in that the wet season coincides with the low sun or winter period. Summers are dry. Total annual precipitation ranges between 15 and 40 inches per year. Temperatures are those of the subtropics moderated by maritime influence and fogs associated with the cold ocean currents.
Redwoods “Golden Hills”
Weather: The Mediterranean Climate (Cs) is unique in that the wet season coincides with the low sun or winter period. Summers are dry. Total annual precipitation ranges between 15 and 40 inches per year. Temperatures are those of the subtropics moderated by maritime influence and fogs associated with the cold ocean currents. The result is a very limited, but predictable, growing season when there is both sufficient soil moisture and adequately warm temperatures. Many plants are adapted to withstand drought. Vegetation. Throughout the world, the Mediterranean biome is characterized by shrubs. In most regions these shrubs are evergreen and have small, leathery (sclerophyllous) leaves with thick cuticles. Sometimes the leaves are so reduced as to appear needle-like. Many typical members of the shrub flora are aromatic (for example, sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano) and contain highly flammable oils. Mediterranean regions have long been impacted by humans especially through the use of fire and the grazing of livestock. The Mediterranean proper, we know from classical Greek literature, was formerly forested with live oaks, pines, cedars, wild carob and wild olive. The shrub-lands of California, likewise, are believed much more extensive today than before aboriginal burning and Spanish livestock grazing. Human Use: Fruits, such as grapes, and lemons, vegetables such as peppers, lettuce, beans, etc. Wood
10 Marine West Caost Cfb Koeppen - Temperate
Marine West Coast Climate (Cfb) • Geographic Distribution • Coastal Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and southern Alaska • Southern Chile; interior South Africa • southeast Australia and New Zealand • northwest Europe • Characteristics • Mild winters, mild summers. • Low annual temperature range. • Heavy cloud cover; high humidity. • Frequent cyclonic storms, with prolonged rain, drizzle and fog.
Michael Fogden/Oxford Scientific Films Temperate Rain Forest Although scattered pockets of temperate rain forest are found from Mount Rainier northward into coastal British Columbia, nowhere is their development as pronounced as in the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault river drainages along the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. These bowl-shaped river valleys were scoured out during the last ice age, and the river valley shape and climate combine to allow these temperate rain forests to flourish.
