1. Chapter 26 Section 2 Climate and Vegetation

2. Climate and Regions Physical features such as highlands, mountain barriers, and coastal regions shape east Asia’s climate Each climate region has distinct characteristics and unique vegetation.

3. Mid- Latitude Climates The Southeastern part of East Asia, including Taiwan, parts of China, the Koreas and Japan, are humid subtropical climates. Warm, hot summers and heavy rains in the Pacific Monsoons. Vegetation: deciduous trees and evergreens. Bamboo also grows and is used for medicines, homes, and is a food source for the Pandas.

4. Interesting Facts about bamboo Because bamboo is light in weight but very strong, it has many uses we might not think of

5. Mid- latitude Climates cont. Northeastern Quarter: northern parts of Koreas and Japan have much cooler humid- continental climates. Summers may be warm but winters are cool and snowy.

6. Desert and Steppe Climates Far away from the coast, Deserts spread across Mongolia and inland northern China. Moisture that might have reached these regions is blocked by the rain shadow effect. These deserts, however, are not hot! The Gobi and Taklimakan are often cold and windy Huge Range in temp

7. Highlands Climates The climate in mountainous regions changes with elevation The higher the elevation, the cooler it is On the plateau of Tibet, the average high temp only reaches 58 degrees.

8. Tropical Rain Forest Climate The island of Hainan, off China’s southern coast, has a tropical rain forest climate High temps and rainy summer monsoons

9. The Roots of Rice and Soy These are two of east Asia’s most important crops Rice was an important food crop for china’s ancient civilization. Soy=form of protein Animals are expensive and require a lot of room China’s ancient people thought these foods were essential for life

10. Why rice? Grows in standing water –Along river banks and in ponds –Later developed rice patties for cultivation Monsoon weather patterns lead to high water table levels –Corn or Wheat must have specific amounts of water Can drowned –No such thing as too much water for Rice

11. Monsoons Air mass - a large body of air with temperature, pressure, and moisture uniform throughout its mass but changed by the environment through which it passes In East Asia, the air mass above the world’s largest continent and the air mass above the world’s largest ocean meet. The movement of these air masses causes prevailing winds, called monsoons, that bring seasonal weather patterns to East Asia.

12. Monsoons cont. Monsoons are strong violent seasonal winds that blow in from the ocean each summer carrying with them clouds heavy with moisture These winds blow in a steady direction for half a year and then switch directions The summer monsoon blows from southeast to northwest and bring heat and humidity from the Pac. Ocean From April through October, the winds cause intense downpours and provide 80% of the annual rainfall. –Can be as much as 390 inches of rain

13. Some more about Monsoons From November to March, the winter monsoons bring cold, arctic air that usually blows from northwest to southeast. –Brings snow to Korean peninsula and Japan

14. Last One about the Monsoons East Asian economy depends on the summer monsoons to water their crops little rain= drought Too much rain= flooding Mountains can block rain –Rain shadow

15. Ocean Currents Ocean currents also influence the climate The warm water, Japan Current, or Kuroshio adds warm moisture to the winter monsoon The cold Kuril Current brings cold winters

16. Typhoon v Monsoon Typhoon a typhoon is what they call a hurricane in the pacific. Both hurricanes and typhoons are tropical cyclones. Where the center of this tropical storm is warmer than its surroundings. Monsoon Strong, often violent winds that change direction with the season. Monsoon winds blow from cold to warm regions because cold air takes up more space than warm air. Monsoons blow from the land toward the sea in winter, and from the sea toward land in the summer. So a Monsoon is a wind that carries moister from the sea and produces rain on land...

17. Last one!!! The interaction of ocean currents and winds frequently gives rise to violent storms called typhoons, which form in the Pacific and blow across coastal East Asia. Really bad rains With Monsoons, Typhoons, And Tsunamis, Flooding is a Great concern for this area