Environmental Inventory and Spatial Relationships

View completed Environmental Inventory sheet.

1. Compare and contrast the climate features (temperature, temperature range, annual precipitation) between each station. Which one has the largest temperature range?

Manaus is the rainiest of the four climates with 2087.5 mm of precipitation on a annual basis. Iruktsk has the most extreme climate being the driest with 497.9 mm of annual precipitation, the coldest temperatures, and largest temperature range. Milwaukee has a moderate climate with warm summers and cold winters. Manaus has the smallest temperature range of all the cities.

2. Does there seem to be any relationship between location (coastal vs. interior location and / or high latitude vs low latitude) and temperature range? If so, what is it?

Yes, temperature range seems to increase towards higher latitudes and to the interior of continents.

3. How does the biome in which  Irkutsk is located differ from that of Manaus? (You might want to consult your textbook.)

The Northern Coniferous forest around Irkutsk is dominate by coniferous forests adapted to the extreme cold of this site. Manuas is located in the tropical rainforest dominated by broadleaf evergreen forests.

4. Oxisol soils are found in the Amazon River basin where Manaus is located. Look up oxisol soil in your textbook and provide a brief description.

Oxisol soil is a highly weathered soil, poor in nutrients, rich in aluminum and iron oxides, and reddish - yellow in color.

5. How does the soil type in Amazon River Basin compare to that found near Milwaukee, WI (You might want to consult your textbook for a description of the soils.)?

Alfisols are found near Milwaukee. These are brown, nutrient-rich soils that develop under broadleaf deciduous forest.

6. Soil weathering is the physical and chemical alteration of the material that makes up a soil. Think about what environmental/climatic conditions determines chemical reactions. Can you speculate on why the soil in the Amazon Basin is so highly weathered?

Weathering of rock material to create soils is enhanced in the presence of high temperatures and water, both of which are available in the rainforest.

7. Where else do you find soils like those in the Amazon Basin?

Throughout many of the equatorial continental regions like Brazil and central Africa.