Climate in the Taiga Shield
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Climate is the weather conditions prevailing in an area for a long duration of time. The climate in the Taiga Shield is subarctic continental. Therefore, the winters are lengthy and extremely cold. In contrast, summers are comparatively short with cooler temperatures and longer daylight hours. According to a climate graph of this region, the mean temperature in January in the Western part is -24.5 degrees Celsius while the eastern segment faces warmer winters with the average temperature level of -11 degrees Celsius. However, the annual summer mean is ranged from 5.5 degrees Celsius in Northern Quebec (George Plateau) to roughly 11 degrees Celsius in the southern region of the shield, which is west of the Hudson Bay. The average annual temperatures are, therefore, just below freezing. Precipitation ranges from 200 millimetres a year in the west to 1000mm in the Labrador coast due to the water nearby.
Therefore, the Taiga Plains are subarctic due to its amount of permafrost. Equally, the ecozone is continental because it’s in the middle of Canada rather than beside the oceans.
The climate here is also controlled by the cold Labrador Current which moves south diminishing the moderating affects of the Atlantic Ocean. As mentioned before, the precipitation varies from west side to east side. On the west side, the ecozone experiences roughly 175-200mm of precipitation annually. On the west range, the typical level is 500-800mm but it can easily reach up to 1000mm+ in the south-eastern corner of Labrador. So snow and fresh water trapped in glaciers can persist for 6 to 8 months.
This climate graph is shown of Yellowknife, a major area in the Taiga Shield. I chose this graph because it is well-scaled with best fit and is the most accurate. Red represents temperature in degrees Celsius and blue represents precipitation in millimetres.
The typical growing season in the Taiga Shield is roughly 80 to 140 days. The short and cool summers result in a shorter growing season.
The vast area encompassed in the Taiga Shield allows for larger variations in precipitation along with temperature in the shield. The Taiga Shield covers a significant portion of the overall Taiga region which also includes the Taiga Plains.
Therefore, the Taiga Plains are subarctic due to its amount of permafrost. Equally, the ecozone is continental because it’s in the middle of Canada rather than beside the oceans.
The climate here is also controlled by the cold Labrador Current which moves south diminishing the moderating affects of the Atlantic Ocean. As mentioned before, the precipitation varies from west side to east side. On the west side, the ecozone experiences roughly 175-200mm of precipitation annually. On the west range, the typical level is 500-800mm but it can easily reach up to 1000mm+ in the south-eastern corner of Labrador. So snow and fresh water trapped in glaciers can persist for 6 to 8 months.
This climate graph is shown of Yellowknife, a major area in the Taiga Shield. I chose this graph because it is well-scaled with best fit and is the most accurate. Red represents temperature in degrees Celsius and blue represents precipitation in millimetres.
The typical growing season in the Taiga Shield is roughly 80 to 140 days. The short and cool summers result in a shorter growing season.
The vast area encompassed in the Taiga Shield allows for larger variations in precipitation along with temperature in the shield. The Taiga Shield covers a significant portion of the overall Taiga region which also includes the Taiga Plains.