Climate of Rangelands Presentation (ppt.) There are J. Peterson J. Schmidt (www.nps.gov) Jim Peaco (www.nps.gov) There are

Climate plays primary role Presentation (ppt.) Climate plays primary role Climate: Long-term patterns of temperature & precip Weather = short-term variation in temp., precip. wind, humidity, etc. Biome: Largest terrestrial ecosystem that is easily recognizable. Prairies, shrublands, woodlands, forests, etc. Ecosystems: Community of organisms & abiotic environment There are

How does climate affect global vegetation patterns? Presentation (ppt.) How does climate affect global vegetation patterns? Affects plant biomass (amount of vegetation) Drives photosynthesis Determines growing periods (frost-free period) Affects types of plants that will grow: Trees need more water than shrubs, forbs & grasses. Some plants like it hot & some like it cold. Depends on plant physiology. Influences soils texture & structure. Climate affects photosynthesis – the kinds of plants and the amount of plants that you have is There are

Climate Affects Vegetation Presentation (ppt.) Climate Affects Vegetation Rangelands evolved where precip was insufficient for forests, but too much for barren deserts. http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/umrcourses/ge301/ These are RANGELANDS Robert Whittaker’s classification of biomes, based on annual precipitation, temperature There are

Variation in Annual Precipitation Across U.S. Presentation (ppt.) Variation in Annual Precipitation Across U.S. The Western U.S. has a lot of area that gets between 5 and 15 inches of rainfall. There are

Variation in Precip L.A. Sharp Experimental Area –Malta Idaho Presentation (ppt.) Variation in Precip L.A. Sharp Experimental Area –Malta Idaho Effective precip = when precipitation is usable One of the greatest challenges of managing rangelands is dealing with these year-to-year variations in precipitation. (Good place to show brief slideshow of 50 years of change in a crested wheatgrass stand) Min Precip = (1989) 6.6 inches Max Precip = (1982) 23.6 inches Average = 14.9 inches There are

Presentation (ppt.) There are several ways to categorize climate. This is one of them. There are

Geographic Climate Regions Presentation (ppt.) Geographic Climate Regions Mediterranean Pacific Northwest Great Basin Southwest Deserts Great Plains Mountains Figure by K. Launchbaugh This is Karen’s approximation of climatic regions that relate to vegetation pattersn There are

Grassland & Savannas Deserts & Semideserts Mediterranean Presentation (ppt.) Grassland & Savannas Deserts & Semideserts Mediterranean Deserts & Semideserts http://www.virtualfieldwork.org/MapPing_US_%26_North_American_Earth_Systems/Entries/2009/9/19_Biomes_of_North_America.html There are

Presentation (ppt.) Topographic Effects Mountains can create Orographic Barriers with Rain Shadows on the leeward side From http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/umrcourses/ge301/ Describe an example of a rainshadow. Think about Colorado where you have the lush vegetation on the west side of the Rockies, then a desert on the east side of the mountain range. There are

Presentation (ppt.) Hadley Cell Effect Atmospheric circulation patterns between circulation between the equator and 30 latitude. http://people.eku.edu/davisb/Africa/Hadleycell.jpg There are

Presentation (ppt.) Hadley Cell Effect http://serc.carleton.edu/images/eslabs/weather/hadley_cells_semi_permanent.jpg Creates bands of moist or dry zones around the globe. There are

Equator 30 http://www.whymap.org/

Continental Land Effects Lands around large bodies of water tend to have climates with: Mild temperatures Abundant precipitation (moist or mesic) Centers of continents are often: Extreme temperature variation (summer to winter) Dry

Continental Patterns http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/BlueMarble/Images/land_shallow_topo_2048.jpg Watch Global Circulation video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh011eAYjAA

Rangelands of the World Presentation (ppt.) Rangelands of the World Map created by Eva Strand, Karen Launchbaugh, and Christopher Bernau of the University of Idaho based on a global database created by the World Wildlife Fund http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/item1847.html There are

Summary of Climate Patterns of precip. & temp drive patterns of vegetation. Geographic effect Orographic barriers & rain shadows Altitude and latitude are important Hadley cells Continental effects