Study the climatic table below and use it to answer the questions that follow Stations Stations X J F M A M J J A S O N D Temp °C 21 21 20 17 15 13 13 13 14...

Answer Details

(a)(i) Annual range of temperature

Range = highest − lowest = \(21^{\circ}\text{C} - 13^{\circ}\text{C} = 8^{\circ}\text{C}\).

(a)(ii) Annual rainfall

Add the twelve monthly figures: \(18+15+23+48+97+114+94+86+58+41+28+20 = 642\ \text{mm}\).

(b) Distribution of rainfall

Rain falls in every month, so there is no completely dry month. There is a single maximum in June (114 mm) and a single minimum in February (15 mm). The wettest period runs from May to September (the middle of the year), while the driest months are at the start of the year (January to March). The regime therefore shows one marked rainy season with a moderate total of 642 mm.

(c) Type of climate

The temperature range is very small (8°C) and temperatures stay mild to warm all year (13 to 21°C), with the warmest months at the beginning of the year and the coolest in the middle. The rainfall maximum comes in the cool middle-of-year months, meaning the wet season is the cool season and the warm season is comparatively dry. This gives a Mediterranean (Warm Temperate Western Margin) climate in the Southern Hemisphere: mild, wet cool-season and warm, drier high-sun season.

(d)(i) Natural vegetation

Mediterranean woodland and scrub (evergreen sclerophyllous woodland, such as maquis or chaparral).

(d)(ii) Main characteristics of the vegetation

• Trees and shrubs are evergreen and drought-resistant (xerophytic) to survive the dry warm season.
• Leaves are small, thick, leathery or waxy to cut down water loss, and many plants have thick or corky bark (e.g. cork oak, olive).
• Plants develop long deep root systems to reach underground water.
• Vegetation is generally open and low, forming a mixture of short trees, aromatic shrubs and bushes rather than dense forest.