Climate & Vegetation

Water

Desert Climate

•Hot and dry•Sahara – largest desert in the world (about 3.5 million sq. miles)

•Drought has expanded the Sahara•Averages >10 in. per year in rain•Roughly 50% of N. Africa, SW Asia, and Central Asia has a desert climate

•Extreme weather patterns: – deserts in Central Asia and northern parts of Sahara and Arabian Desert have cold winters with freezing temp.

– winters in southern Sahara and Arabian Desert are generally mild.

•Summers in all these regions are long and hot.

•Ergs – sand dunes

•Regs - stony plains covered with rocky gravel

•Less than 10% of Sahara is covered in sand, mountains and rock cover the rest

•Rub-al-Khali, Empty Quarter, has the largest areas of sand in the region – located in the southern quarter of Arabian Peninsula

•Vegetation: cactus and drought-resistant shrubs

•Small scale farming is possible near the oasis – place in the desert where underground water surfaces

Steppe Climate

•precipitation averages >14 in. and supports short grasses for pastoralism- the raising and grazing of livestock that provides a way of life for the steppe’s people like the Bedouins.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Prokudin-Gorskii-18.jpg

Mediterranean Climate

• climate zones are cool, rainy winters and hot dry summers

•Mediterranean climates boost economies by exporting citrus fruits, olives, and grapes to Europe and North America.

•tourism for people living in colder climates

•The Caucus mountains contains a highlands climate which varies with elevation and exposure to wind and sun.

Rainfall

• coastal and highlands areas receive the most rainfall from prevailing winds.

•Increased rain leads to farmers raising cereals- food grains such as barley, oats, and wheat without irrigation.

A sign of things to come?

• landscapes can change with variations in climate and with people’s activities

•Due to pressures of the climate, grassy plains turned to deserts.

•climatic changes threaten the interactions of people with their environment in the future.