Nature Atlas

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Biomes

Boreal Forest

Also Known As Taiga Taiga is the standard ecological synonym used interchangeably with Boreal Forest in the scientific literature (the Russian-derived term), not a regional variant name in the way Chaparral/Mediterranean Shrubland pair.

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Also called taiga, the largest land biome on Earth by area, forming an unbroken belt of coniferous forest across the high latitudes of North America, Scandinavia and Siberia just south of the tundra. Long, severe winters and a short growing season favor needle-leaved evergreen trees such as spruce, fir and pine, whose narrow conical shape sheds snow and whose needles resist winter water loss far better than a broad deciduous leaf could. The boreal forest holds a large share of the world's terrestrial carbon stock in its trees and underlying peat, and supports wide-ranging predators such as the gray wolf across its full breadth.

Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm)
450 1
Cited range runs roughly 300 to 840 millimeters a year across the taiga biome; 450mm sits within it as a representative figure, not a single measured site.
Typical Low Temperature (C)
-30 1
Cited winter figures for taiga range from an extreme low near -54C up to an average around -3C; -30C represents a typical severe-winter figure between those bounds, not the extreme.
Typical High Temperature (C)
20 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Demonstrates

Home To

Sources
1. Taiga Climate (Blue Planet Biomes)
Blue Planet BiomesTaiga Climate - Precipitation
Quote, Taiga Climate - Precipitation
The taiga climate has an average annual rainfall of 12 - 33 inches (30 - 84 cm).
View the Source
1. Taiga Climate (Blue Planet Biomes)
Blue Planet BiomesTaiga Climate - Summer Temperatures
Quote, Taiga Climate - Summer Temperatures
Summer's LOWEST temperature is 30 F. Summer's HIGHEST temperature is 70 F.
View the Source
1. Taiga Climate (Blue Planet Biomes)
Blue Planet BiomesTaiga Climate - Winter Temperatures
Quote, Taiga Climate - Winter Temperatures
Winter's LOWEST temperature in taiga is -65F. Winter's HIGHEST temperature is 30 F. The average winter temperature is under 26.6F (-3C).
View the Source
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
Taiga (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaOpening definition
Quote, Opening definition
taiga, also called boreal forest, biome (major life zone) of vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees
View the Source
East Siberian Taiga (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHome To: Siberian Taiga, lead sectionView the Source
Boreal Forest of Canada (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHome To: Canadian Boreal Forest, lead sectionView the Source
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