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The features of savanna habitat
Savanna ecosystem
The features of savanna habitat
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The Main Features of a Savanna Ecosystem
For most of the year in this part of Kenya, the climate is very warm
and very dry. However for a short season of three months (April, May
and June), there is abundant rainfall and then a shorter period known
as the 'little rains' (November and December). Both of these periods
of rain follow quite soon after the overhead sun has past right over
the equator. The temperatures throughout the year are generally high,
the cooler part of the year occurs when the sun is overhead in the
opposite hemisphere. Most places in Kenyaare too far inland to be
affected by the sea, so most of the areas with this climate are upland
areas with slightly reduced temperatures due to the high altitudes.
During the dry season the prevailing winds blow from the east allowing
any moisture to be deposited before reaching western parts of the
continents. The rainy season coincides with the sun, when it is
overhead and the dry prevailing winds have reduced. Unfortunately the
length of the rainy season and the amount of rainfall are
unpredictable. While the heavy nature of the rain can do a lot of
damage.
[IMAGE]
A climate graph of Nakuru.
The vegetation of this part of Africa is called Savanna. This mainly
consists of tall grasses, bushes and scattered trees. The Savanna
soils are very good at storing water from the wet seasons, no matter
how hot it gets in the dry season. In the south, where the average
amount of rainfall is higher, there are more trees. Further north
where the dry seasons are longer and the rainfall is less, there are
more grasses than trees. Where the Savanna blends with the tropical
rainforest, there is dense woodland. Moving away from this the
vegetation gradually changes to Savaana grassland with its scattered
trees, then eventually changes again to bushes and grasses and then to
desert.
[IMAGE]
The grasslands provide grazing grounds for many animals. The trees and
bushes are a good food supply for zebra, wildebeest, elephants and
Katmai’s climate really depends on the season. Katmai is relatively drizzly year round with strong winds, but with mostly moderate springs and autumns. Temperatures range from -4°F to 40°F in the winter, 36-56°F in the spring and autumn, and averaging 60°F in the summer. Katmai can get anywhere from two to forty inches of rain a year. In the winter (see figure 1), it can accumulate up to 14 inches of snow a month.
Not only is it ridiculously hot year round, but Africa has vast wildlife. One great example is an occurrence where John and thousands of refugees were trapped on the banks of the Gilo River. They had Ethiopian soldiers on one side and a crocodile filled river on the other. As John started to hear grenades being launched, he saw many soldiers and vehicles. He had no choice but to jump into the river, face the vicious crocodiles, and “attempt” to swim ten minutes without having the physical skills to do so.
Unlike North America, Summer in Ethiopia is cold, rainy and foggy. On the other side, the Winter is where we get to have our, what they North American would call, Summer Vacation.
Kenya is located in East Africa and is dominated by the Great Rift Valley. A rift valley developed from faulting caused by tension in the earth’s crust. The sides of the valley are usually steep and can be up to 2,000 meters high. The Great Rift Valley gives Kenya areas of great elevation. This elevation equals thinning of the air as you get to higher and higher altitudes, which makes it more difficult to breath, especially when running. This altitude plus the equatorial latitudes creates and ideal climate for sustained outdoor activity – comfortably warm days, cool nights, low humidity. That with the altitude’s aerobic benefits, show how Kenya’s highlands are ideal for distance running. It should also be noted that every one of the country’s world-class runners is a highlander.
months and the summers are cool and short. Also due to the fact that much of
Temperate climate prevails in the highlands, which has warm summers in most areas and cool summers in the high altitude areas, cold winters and no dry season. The south-west slopes have a sub-humid climate with hot summers, and the western area has a dry semi-arid climate with hot summers and cool winters. January and February are generally the hottest months, with mean summer temperatures ranging between 33°C in the west and 16°C at higher altitudes in the east. Mean winter temperatures range from 3°C to 5°C in the west to 0°C to -2°C in the highlands
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool. The two major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is created by biological fixation, and phosphorus is created by precipitation. Tundra is separated into two types: arctic tundra and alpine tundra.
The rain forests are incredible places. They only cover 6 % of the world’s surface however they have more than ½ the world’s plant and animals species. A rain forest can be described as tall and thick jungles. There is a reason behind the forest being called a “Rain forest” and it is because the high rainfall it gets per year. On average, 50 to 260 inches of rain falls yearly. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 34 ºC or drops below 20 ºC. The average humidity in a rainforest is between 77 to 88%. Rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year.
Some tropical portions of the desert biome can experience annual temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius which is very hot. The cold desert regions in North America, Central Asia, and South America can have an average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius with a difference of as much as 35 degrees Celsius between July and January. The deserts in high latitudes can experience freezing temperatures in the winter. Deserts are very unique severe moisture deficit which sets this apart from other biomes, and gives it its unique characteristic. The average annual precipitation in a desert biome is less than 50 cm per year but often less than 10 cm per year as you get further away from the equator. A unique statistic is that the Atacama Desert in Chile only averages only 0.4 cm of precipitation annually. In some parts of the world, specifically in Eastern Saharan Desert, it may experience no significant rainfall for 100 years making it harder for biotic and abiotic things to survive. Due to the ITCZ shifting to higher latitudes low latitudes generally receive their rain and also when Monsoon precipitation o...
Lying on Ethiopia’s southern border is Kenya. On the south western border sits South Sudan and Sudan covers the north western border (Ofcansky and Berry). Much of Ethiopia is covered by highlands, plateaus and mountains and with this country’s climate is categorized as primarily H with some subcategories of B in the Köppen system (Attoh). The Western Highlands and Eastern Highlands that consume most of Ethiopia are dissected by the Eastern Rift Valley that slices through from the northeast to the southwest. The highlands here are classified as H climates, which means that they experience temperate climates and dry winters.
A biome, also known as life zones, consists of all plants, animals, and other organisms, as well the physical environment in a particular area. A biome is characterized by its’ plant life, climate, and location. The climate and physical features determine the boundaries of a biome. A biome is made up of many different ecosystems. The ecosystems tend to have the same pants and animals as neighboring biomes around the boundaries. The major biomes are the tundra, taiga, tropical rain forest, temperate forests, desert, grassland, savanna, chaparral, and marine. Each biome has it’s own characteristics such as the tundra.
The seasons in the tropical rainforest are very rainy, hot, and humid. The temperature is very hot because it is close to the equator. The equator causes the tropical rainforest to get more direct sunlight making the temperature hotter than other places. According to Blue Planet Biomes article the average temperature is about 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperatures in the rainforest never get below 64 degrees Fahrenheit. There are really no seasons because this is how the weather is year round in the rainforest. There are never rainforests with temperatures under 32 degrees Fahrenheit because the plants would not be able to live (BPB.com). The temperature is also affected by the rain making the rainforest humid. In the rainforest there are high amounts of rainfall. The average rainfall in the rainforest is 250 centimeters a year. A rainforest can get over 4 centimeters a month. The climate in the rainforest diff...
Kenya is a developing country in East Africa region with a total land area of 582,646 km2. It gained independence in 1963 from British colonial rule. It is neighbor to Somalia and Sudan which have experienced political instability marred with civil strife but the country has remained relatively stable despite the effects of such on socio-economic status of the country. According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (2010), Kenya has 38.6 million people with a growth rate of 2.8% annually with a majority population living in rural areas (World Bank, 2010). Under its current constitution (promulgated in 2010), Kenya is headed by a president with a devolved county government system comprising of 47 counties. Its last concluded general elections in 2013 were peaceful compared to the conflicted 2007 that sparked violence in the country.
Kenya has a humid type of climate with little temperature variation from month to month. The average annual temperature along the coast is 27 degrees celcius, but in Kenya Highlands it is only 14 degrees celcius. About three-fourths of Kenya recieves less than 500ml of rain a year. Most rain fall occurs during the “long rains” from March to May.
The degradation of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity is increasing at an alarming rate every year. Humans are certainly not the only reason for this, but they are the main contributors. The well-being of ecosystems affects our everyday lives - consumption and consumerism depend on natural resources. Everything humans use is derived from them, in seemingly indirect and direct ways. Yet despite the fact that humans are destroying the environment, many continue to and neglect to take important measures to protect it.