A steppe is an ecoregion of grassland plains without closed forest except near rivers and lakes, occurring in a semi-arid climate too dry to support forest but not dry enough to be desert. Steppes see extreme swings between summers as hot as 45 degrees Celsius and winters as cold as minus 55, with modest annual precipitation of 250 to 500 millimeters and sharp day-night temperature changes, and their grass and shrub cover varies with the specific temperate, subtropical or alpine climate involved. The world's largest steppe stretches from Ukraine through Russia and Kazakhstan into China, with other major steppe regions including the North American Great Plains prairie, the Pannonian Plain of central Europe, Patagonia, and semi-arid Mediterranean regions such as parts of Spain and North Africa.
Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm)Cited average is 250 to 500mm of annual precipitation; 375mm is the representative midpoint of that range, not a single measured site. Typical Low Temperature (C)This is a documented winter extreme, not a typical daily low; the source records temperature extremes reaching this figure in winter. Typical High Temperature (C)This is a documented summer extreme, not a typical daily high; the source records temperature extremes reaching this figure in summer. Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Steppe (Wikipedia)
WikipediaArticle body, climate paragraph, precipitation sentenceQuote, Article body, climate paragraph, precipitation sentence
Steppes average 250–500 mm (10–20 in) of annual precipitation
1. Steppe (Wikipedia)
WikipediaArticle body, climate paragraph, temperature extremes sentence (summer figure)Quote, Article body, climate paragraph, temperature extremes sentence (summer figure)
Temperature extremes can be recorded in the summer of up to 45 °C (115 °F) and in winter of down to −55 °C (−65 °F).
1. Steppe (Wikipedia)
WikipediaArticle body, climate paragraph, temperature extremes sentence (winter figure)Quote, Article body, climate paragraph, temperature extremes sentence (winter figure)
Temperature extremes can be recorded in the summer of up to 45 °C (115 °F) and in winter of down to −55 °C (−65 °F).
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