THE MAJOR BIOCLIMATIC ZONES: THE TEMPERATE ZONE.

Location and main characteristic.

Location: between the tropics and the polar circles.

Main feature: the contrast of temperature and as a consequence the apparition of several seasons.

We can distinguish three subtypes: mediterranean, oceanic and continental.

The mediterranean bioclimate.

Location: around the Mediterranean Sea, Western America (California), Africa and Australia.

Characteristics:

• Little contrast of temperature, since it is close to the sea. Hot summers and mild winters.
• Moderate precitation levels between 300 and 800 mm per year.
• Dry season during the summer.
• The characteristic vegetation is the mediterranean woodland with:

1. Small perenial (they retain its leaves along the year) trees (holm oak, cork).
2. Shurbs (thyne, rosemary etc).

Holm Oak (Encina)

Rosemary (romero).

Thyne (tomillo).

The oceanic bioclimate.

Location: the western border of the continents.

Characteristics:

• Moderate temperature due the influence of the sea.
• Mild winters (never below -3ºC) and cool summers (not more than 22ªC).
• High precipitacion levels (more than 800 mm).
• Rivers with a high volume of water.

Vegetation is deciduous (vegetation which lose their leaves seasonally) woodland made up of:

• tall trees with large leaves that fall in autum (oak, beech).

Beech (haya).

Beech in winter.

Oak tree (in spanish, roble).

• Scrubland and grass.

Grassland, Cork (Ireland).

Continental bioclimate.

Location: in inland continental regions.

Characteristics:

• Huge contrast in climatic temperature due to the distance from the sea.
• Very cold winters (temperatures below -3ºC) and hot and warm summers.
• Moderate precipitation levels (300-800 mm) that fall mostly during the summer.

Yakutsk, Siberia. Average temperature in july: 20ºC.

Yakutsk, Siberia. Average temperature in january -38ºC.

About the continental vegetation we have to distinguish between the:

• Taiga or coniferous woodland: trees with needle shpaed leaves (pine, fir trees) along with grassland.

Taiga, Siberia.

Fir trees (in spanish, abetos), Florida.

Fir tree leaves.

Pine tree (in spanish, pino).

• steppes without trees due to the low precipitation levels.

Steppes, Mongolia.

External links:

Mediterranean bioclimate:

https://marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/shrub.htm

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/med_chap_climate_page.htm

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral_climate.htm

https://sites.google.com/site/climatetypes/mediterranean

http://www.plantsdb.gr/en/articles/260-mediterranean-climate-and-plants

http://www.slideshare.net/crystalmata/mediterranean-climate-8059553

NOTE: many of these pages does not use the Celsius scale or the metric system. You have to make the conversion of the Fahrenheit degrees to Celsius degrees and of the inches to mm. Fahrenheit to Celsius conversion chart:

http://www.metric-conversions.org/temperature/fahrenheit-

Inches to milimeters:

http://www.metric-conversions.org/length/inches-to-millimeters.htm

Examples of places with a mediterranean bioclimate.

Rome: https://en.climate-data.org/location/1185/

Los Angeles: https://en.climate-data.org/location/714829/

Oceanic bioclimate:

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_climate_page.htm

https://marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm

http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/temp/index.htm

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biotemperate.php

NOTE: many of these pages does not use the Celsius scale or the metric system. You have to make the conversion of the Fahrenheit degrees to Celsius degrees and of the inches to mm. Fahrenheit to Celsius conversion chart:

http://www.metric-conversions.org/temperature/fahrenheit-

Inches to milimeters:

http://www.metric-conversions.org/length/inches-to-millimeters.htm

Examples of places with a oceanic bioclimate.

London: https://en.climate-data.org/location/1/

Bergen: https://en.climate-data.org/location/100/

Continental bioclimate:

http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/taiga_forest_biome.php

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm

http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/taiga.html

Examples of places with a continental bioclimate.

Moscow: https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,Moscow,Russia

https://en.climate-data.org/location/6390/

Edmonton: https://en.climate-data.org/location/610/

http://www.edmonton.climatemps.com/