Steppe

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In physical geography, a steppe (/stɛp/) is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes.^[1] Steppe biomes may include:

• the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
• the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome
• the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome

A steppe is usually covered with grass and shrubs, depending on the season and latitude. The term steppe climate denotes a semi-arid climate, which is encountered in regions too dry to support a forest, but not dry enough to be a desert.

Steppes are usually characterized by a semi-arid or continental^{[citation needed]} climate. Extremes can be recorded in the summer of up to 45 °C (115 °F) and in winter of down to −55 °C (−65 °F). Besides this major seasonal difference, fluctuations between day and night are also very great. In both the highlands of Mongolia and northern Nevada, 30 °C (85 °F) can be reached during the day with sub-freezing readings at night.

Steppes average 250–500 mm (10–20 in) of annual

defines a steppe climate.

Classification

Steppe can be classified by climate:[2]

• Temperate steppe: the true steppe, found in continental climates^{[failed verification]} can be further subdivided, as in the Rocky Mountains Steppes^[2]
• Subtropical steppe: a similar association of plants occurring in the driest areas with a Mediterranean climate^{[failed verification]}; it usually has a short wet period

It can also be classified by vegetation type, e.g.

.

Cold steppe

The world's largest steppe region, often referred to as "the

.

The inner parts of

are largely dominated by cold steppe.

The

. Another large steppe area (prairie) is located in the central United States, western Canada and the northern part of Mexico. The shortgrass prairie steppe is the westernmost part of the Great Plains region. The Columbia Plateau in southern British Columbia, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington state, is an example of a steppe region in North America outside of the Great Plains.

In South America, cold steppe can be found in Patagonia and much of the high elevation regions east of the southern Andes.

Relatively small steppe areas can be found in the interior of the South Island of New Zealand.

In

which is found farther inland on the continent.

Subtropical steppe

In Europe, some Mediterranean areas have a steppe-like vegetation, such as central Sicily in Italy, southern Portugal, parts of Greece in the southern Athens area,^[4] and central-eastern Spain, especially the southeastern coast (around Murcia), and places cut off from adequate moisture due to rain shadow effects such as Zaragoza.

In

.

In Australia, subtropical steppe can be found in a belt surrounding the most severe deserts of the continent and around the Musgrave Ranges.

In North America this environment is typical of transition areas between zones with a Mediterranean climate and true deserts, such as Reno, Nevada, the inner part of California, and much of western Texas and adjacent areas in Mexico.

See also

• Grassland
• Plain
• Prairie
• Tugay
• Tundra

References

Sources

• Ecology and Conservation of Steppe-land Birds by Manuel B.Morales, Santi Mañosa, Jordi Camprodón, Gerard Bota. International Symposium on Ecology and Conservation of steppe-land birds. Lleida, Spain. December 2004.
  ISBN 84-87334-99-7

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steppes.

• "The Steppes". barramedasoft.com.ar. 1998–2008. Retrieved 2008-04-04.