San Francisco’s climate falls under the Mediterranean type of climate. This type of climatic condition is characterized by moderate temperature and the temperature rarely ranging above 40 degrees or below 15 degrees. This is why San Francisco is called the “the-conditioned city”. Since San Francisco is in the middle of the water body, the place weather is mostly influenced by cool currents coming from the Pacific Ocean. This current will regulate the temperature in the area and this cold current always produce a mild climate associated with the Mediterranean type of climate which has little seasonal temperature difference.
Half the western side of the San Francisco the spring seasons and early summer are covered by fog. This is brought about by the meeting of the cold current from the Pacific Ocean and the warm current coming from mainland California, but the fog is less experienced in the eastern part of San Francisco. The fall seasons and late summer seasons are the hottest months of the year (Cronquist 45).
As a result of different topologies in San Francisco, the climate in this area exhibits different distinct micro-climate changes. The mountainous component of San Francisco normally found at the center of the area is the one accountable for the difference in rainfall every year between various parts of the city. With these variances, it protects the eastern part of the city from fog and cool conditions which are experienced in the Sunset District (Cronquist 55).
Even though the temperatures are almost the same throughout the year, there are two defined seasons i.e. dry and wet. 80% of the precipitations yearly always take place between November and March. Most of the morning in summer is mostly covered by fog, coming when the ocean is cool and backing on the hills.
This area is sometimes called the ‘biome region’ is just like a desert. Most of the plants which are found in this region are less than one meter in height and mostly consist of shrubs, having characteristics similar to those in the desert, which help them to adapt during dry hot seasons. Many of these plants are yearly, they flower during the winter at this time there is plenty of water due to water but during the hot and dry season, they exist in terms of seeds. These plants are characterized by having small leaves to prevent them from losing water during dry seasons, their leave is always evergreen and lastly, they curled with their stomata below the leaf (Cronquist 76).
The region of Salt Lake City in Utah is semi-arid and is found in the Salt: Lake Valley. This region is surrounded by mountains and receives little rain. Salt Lake region has four defined climatic changes. These seasons are; cold season, snow winter season, a hot & dry summer season, and wet season.
The region is near the Pacific Ocean which influences the climate of this place. Storms are mostly experienced from October to May and it only receives rain during the spring seasons. In winter the region experiences snowfall this is as a result of the effect of the Great Salt Lake. The summers are hot and wet; sometimes the temperature reaches 38 degrees Celsius. Due to monsoon winds from the Gulf of California, it experiences precipitation.
Winter is usually cold and snowy but when we compare to other places in the united state. The winter in this region is warmer than we expect at this latitude, this is as a result of the effect of the Rocky Mountains that prevent the cold current from affecting this region, this cold temperature will never fall below zero degrees (West 59).
Most of the trees in the region are ephemerals i.e. they have a shorter life cycle. These trees sprout only during the wet season at this time there is plenty of water to enable them to grow. In the hot seasons, at this time water availability is scarce they last in form of seeds. This type of tree is smaller in size, its roots are shallow and adaptation is dependant on their quick growth. These trees sometimes form a dense type of stand. Ephemeral annuals are types of trees that store water during the rainy seasons and during the dry season they use the water which was accumulated. These kinds of trees have a low rate of transpiration during the dry seasons, an example of this kind of tree is cacti.
Non-succulent types of plants are also found in Utah Region. The plants can overcome the stress of the environment. Their root system is very extensive i.e. they can grow in any direction, the only thing that matters is the site conditions where the tree can grow. Another condition for these trees is that they have deep roots which can penetrate the soil up to ten to fifteen meters in-depth others will produce ‘rain roots’ on the surface of the soil to capture rainfall in places where it is not sufficient.
Works Cited
Cronquist, Arthur. Vascular plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Michigan: Hafner Publisher, 2007. Print.
West, Nelly. Temperate deserts and semi-desert. New York: Elsevier Scientific, 2008.Print.