U.S.A.

-TYPES OF CLIMATES
AND ECOSYSTEMS-
 TYPES OF CLIMATE IN USA
GHJ
GHGH
Humid Continental(Hot summers)
● From the East Coast to the south of the Great Lakes,being located between 35
° and 45° northen latitude : Rhode Island,Connecticut,Massachusetts,Southern
New York, NewJersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, southern Wisconsin and southern Michigan.
● Winters are cold and summers are hot.In January temperatures are usually
below 0° C,while in July temperatures are between 18° and 24° C.

● Summer are humid with thunderstorms that may produce hail and tornadoes.

● Annual rainfall averages from 500 to 1,000 mm

● Summers are humid with thunderstorms that may produce hail and tornadoes.
USA MAJOR BIOMES
Humid Continental(Warm summers)
● From 45° to 60° N latitude:New Hampshire,Vermont, upper New York,upper
Michigan,northern Wisconsin,Minnesota, North Dakota,north part of South
Dakota ,Montana and sections of surrounding states.

● Winters in this area are harsh, snow remains on the ground for periods of up to
5 months.

● In January temperatures are less than -15° C.

● Summers are cool and short

Autumn with average
landscape monthly
Vermont
temperatures ranging from 18° and 20° C.
Humid Subtropical
● North Carolina,South Carolina,Georgia,Alabama,Mississippi,Louisiana,Florida
and portions of surrounding states are included.
● Temperature average 26°C in summer and range from 4°-10°C in winter.
● This climate receives ample amounts of rainfalls,averaging about 760 mm
annually in the western part to more than 1,500mm/year in the southern
parts.
● Hurricanes are quite common.
Florida
landscape
South
Carolina
landscape
Ecosystems-Humid Continental-
Northern Forest
● Northern forest is an extension of the mixed coniferous and broad-leaved
forest of southern Canada across the border over USA northeastern territories.
● It is made up of trees such as:black spruce,white cedar,red marple along with
white,red and jack pine or with sugar maple,beech,elm,aspen and birch.
● Under the trees grow herbs like hepatica,lady’s slipper,skunk cabbage etc
● It hosts many species of animals such as:beaver,black bear,deer,skunk and
wood-chuck and also loons,wild gees and ducks.
 Loon Skunk

Black spuce

Black bear

Lady’s slipper Red maple Wood-chuck

Central Woodlands
Reveal that individual trees attain great size,through none equaled the redwoods
and sequoias of the West.
Oak,hickory,chestnut,yellow birch,tulip tree and redbud make up the bulk f forest.
Violets,may apples,spring beauties and wild sweet William also grow in these
woods.
The animals found here include black bear,beaver,opossum,cottontail
rabbit,fox,otter,raccoon and grey squirrel.
 Spring beauties

Opossum Cotton rabbit

Beaver

Wild sweet William Redbud

Ecosystems-Humid Subtropical-
Southern Forest
● Located southwards the Central Woodlands,it replace the northern species
with longleaf,loblolly,slash pines,magnolia,gums and pecans.
● Oaks and hickories are still important and include most of the northern
species and many new southern ones as well..
● Two unusual plants,Spanish moss and mistletoe,are also found in these woods.
● In these woodlands can be also found jasmine, magnolia, passion-flower,
southern red lily and many others.
● Most common animals are muskrat,mink,otter,deer,black bear and raccoon.
 Hickory tree
Otter
Black bear
Spanish moss

Mink
Loblolly pines

Raccoon

Passion flower
Semiarid
● The semiarid climates are found in sections of the Great Plains, parts of Texas,
New Mexico, the internal basin of Nevada, parts of eastern Washington and
Oregon
● During winter the temperature can drop as low as -1° C
● July averages are from 18° C to 24° C . Annual rainfall is from 250 to 500 mm.

High Plains
Ecosystems -Semiarid-
Priarie
● Consisting in a tall-grass vegetation interlaced with flowers in
spring,nowadays,in United States,has largely disappeared
● Its presence was connected with rainfall over 750 mm/year.
● Oaks,hickories,elms,cottonwoods,all those trees that used to be found where
prairie formerly flourished,are acquainted now only in towns and around
farmhouses.
● Some of the animals found originally here,such as the elk and the badger,seem
to have been adapted to either woodlands or high plains.
High Plains

They are located west of the 100 th meridian,at elevations usually above 2000
feet,being covered with short grass,due to the lack of rainfall-370 mm/years-
usedforcattle grazing.
The transition line between tall grass and short grass roughly follow the important
500 mm/year rainfall line.
Some of the land is used for wheat farming
Plants and animals are adapted to small amounts of rain and prolonged periods of
droughts.
Prairie dogs,coyotes and jackrabbits are still found.
Priarie and High plains fauna and flora

Short grass

Prarie dogs
Coyote

Cottonwood

Jackrabbit Badger
Desert
● This area comprises southern island California, Arizona,New Mexico,parts of
Nevada and Texas and sections of neighboring states.
● Winter is brief and mild.
● Summer is long and hot.
● Temperatures during the hottest months average from 29°-35° C.
● The area receives less than 250 mm of rainfall/year.

Arizona Mojave
desert desert
Ecosystem -Desert-
● The steams of the plants are fleshy in order to store water and the roots are
long because they have to reach deep,underground water.
● There can be found acacias, cacti, shrubs and others of the type.
● Animals of the region of Sagebrush Desert are kangaroo rats, pumas, desert
mice, lizards , ground squirrels and rattlesnakes.
● In Creosote Desert, the most characteristic plants are the numerous cacti
(Candelabrum cacti), the Joshua tree and the saguaro.
● Animals of the desert include iguana, horned toad,corn snake etc.
 Joshua tree Kangaroo rat

Saguaro

Shrubs Rattlesnake Ground squirrel Acacia

Mediterranean
● The mediterranean climate of central and coastal California is characterized by
dry summers and mild, rainy winters.
● Summer temperatures range from 20° - 25° C
● Winter temperatures averaging 4° - 10° C
● The precipitation average 360-640 mm/year

California
coast
Marine West Coast
● The Marine West Coast climate stretches from northen California through the
coastel sections of Oregon,Washington and southern Alaska.
● Mild winters and summer temperatures range from 15° to 20 °C and the
coldest months have a temperature range of 4°-10° C.
● The total annual rainfall may be as much as 1.450 mm, most of which falls
during the winter months.
Ecosystems-Mediterranean&Marine West Coast-

The Northwest Forests

● Lie between the Cascades summits and the Pacific coast where the mountains
catch heavy Pacific rains.
● They are almost wholly made up of Douglas fir,western hemlock and western
red cedar.
● The redwood is the most interesting coniferous tree of this forest because
they are reaching more than 300 feet in height and beign up to 3000 years
old.Most of them are protected.
● Moss,ferns and berries thrive in the wet woodlands.
● They are populated with deer,elk,black bear and muskrat.
● Seals and sea lions frequent the coastal waters.
 Deer
Western red cedar Moss and ferns

Poze cu niste plante si animale de la northwest forest pag 77

Muskrat
Berries Black bear
Subarctic
● The Subarctic climate is found in most of interior Alaska,reaching the Arctic Circle.
● Summer is very brief in the Sub-arctic cimate and lasts for 1 to 3 months. Summer
temperatures average about 10°C.
● During winter some areas experience average temperatures of less than -15°C for
at least 3 or 4 months
● Precipitation is usualy less than 500 mm annually and most falls as rain during the
brief summer. During winter precipitation is meager.
Alaska
landscape
Polar
● Polar climate extends from the Sub-arctic region to the Arctic Ocean. It
experiences extremely long periods of daylight in summer and extended periods
of darkness during winter months.
● The average temperatures for January is -25°C and 4°C for July.
● Annual precipitation is less than 360mm, and much of the precipitation falls
during the warm season in the form of rain or occasional wet snows.

Alaska
landscape
Ecosystems-Subarctic&Polar
➔ Alpine- The Rockies Forests
● These forests are reprezented especially by western yellow pine.
● There are also found hemlock, western cedar and white bark pine in the
northwest Pacific.

Hemlock Western yellow

pine
White bark pine
Ecosystems-Subarctic&Polar
➔ Polar - Arctic Vegetation
● It is located in Alaska, north of boreal forest and represented by tundra wich
plants have short circles and grow low because of the strong winds: small
shrubs, lichens and short grass. In the wet areas there is moss and on the
facing dryer slopes there grows a carpet of bright colored bloom flowers.
● Migrating herds of caribou, reindeer and lemmings live in this zone along with
bears,wolves,foxes and lynx.
 Alaskan Tundra Caribou

Lynx Lemming Fox

Tropical wet
● Hawaii is the only U.S. state with a tropical wet climate.
● July temperatures average around 21°C and winter temperatures are only
slightly lower.
● Mount Waialeale , on the island of Kauai , is the wettest place on Earth , with
an average of 11.455 mm of rain/year

Hawaii
landscape
Ecosystem-Tropical Wet

Tropical Forest
● Located on windward coasts in Hawaii, are similar in many ways to southern
forests of eastern United States.
● The largest native trees - the koa, the wiliwili and the lehua - belong to the
legume and myrtle families.
● Beneath these tall trees grows a profuze undergrowth of tree ferns, mamake,
pandanus and hibiscus together with other ferns, banana plants and ginger
that fill the space.
 Hibiscus Ferns

Wiliwili

Lehua Tree fern

Pandanus
Natural Hazards
Tornadoes-Humid Continental(Hot Summers)
● The Great Plains and Midwest, due to the contrasting air masses, sees frequent severe
. thunderstorms and tornado outbreaks during spring and summer with around 1,000
tornadoes occurring each year.The strip of land from north Texas north to Kansas and
Nebraska and east into Tennessee is known as Tornado Alley

Tornadoes in Tornado Alley

Hurricanes-Humid subtropical
● Hurricanes are another natural disaster found in the US, which can hit anywhere along
the Gulf Coast or the Atlantic Coast as well as Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Particularly at
risk are the central and southern Texas coasts, the area from southeastern Louisiana east
to the Florida Panhandle, peninsular Florida, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina,
although any portion of the coast could be struck.
● The most devastating hurricanes were :Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Hurricane Andrew
in 1992, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005

Hurricane Katrina 2005

Vulcanoes - Mount St.Helens eruption
● On May 18, 1980, a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St. Helens, a volcano located in the
state of Washington, United States.
● An earthquake caused the entire weakened north face to slide away, creating the largest landslide
ever recorded. This suddenly exposed the partly molten gas- and steam-rich rock in the volcano to
lower pressures. The rock responded by exploding a hot mix of lava and pulverized older rock toward
Spirit Lake so fast that it overtook the avalanching north face.
● An eruption column rose 80,000 feet (24 km) into the atmosphere and deposited ash in 11 U.S.
states.

Before During After

Thank you for watching!
● Alexandrescu Ioana teacher: Panas
Valentina
● Fagadar Claudia class: a IX-a A
● Ionuti Bogdan
● Misaros Andreea
● Szerasz Iulia
● Tohatan Denisa