Watersheds and Climates social science 6º unit 2

RIVERS,CLIMATES AND VEGETATION OF SPAIN AND EUROPE

What do you remember?

Characteristics of a river

The river bed is the ground over which a river flows. 

The flow is the amount of water the river carries.

The course of a river is the path it takes from its mouth. It is affected by the landscape. 

Climate is the weather in a particular región over a long period of time. Temperature and precipitation are the main elements of climate.

The watersheds of Spain

Rivers in Spain are different due to the diversity of climate and landscape. Most of the rivers are short. In areas with a wet climate, rivers have an abundant flow, whereas in áreas with a drier climate, rivers have a very low flow.

In some areas of the Mediterranean coast and in the Balearic and Canary Islands there are seasonal streams called torrents, which only appear when it rains.

A watershed is an area where all rivers  and streams flow into the same sea. There are 3 main watersheds in Spain:

1.- The Cantabrian watershed in the North.

2.- The Mediterranean watershed in the East and South.

3.- The Atlantic watershed in the West and South.

The Cantabrian Watershed

It is the smallest watershed. It includes short and very steep rivers that flow into the Cantabrian sea. The rivers have a regular and abundant flow because there is a lot of rainfall.

The main rivers in this watershed are:

1.- The Nervión and the Bidasoa, in the Basque Country.

2.- The Saja and the Besaya in Cantabria.

3.- The Nalón and Navia in Asturias.

4.- The EO between Asturias and Galicia.

The Mediterranean watershed

Most rivers in this watershed are short and carry little water because of the low rainfall. They have an irregular flow regime: low flow in summer and high flow in spring and autumn.

The main rivers are:

1.- The Ebro: it starts in the Cantabrian range. It is a long river with very abundant flow. Its main tributaries are : Aragón, Gállego, Jalón and Huerva.

2.- The Júcar: it starts in the Iberian Mountain Chain. Its tributary Cabriel.

3.- The Segura: it starts in the Subbetic Range. Its main tributary is the Mundo.

4.- other rivers in this watershed include the Turia and the Ter.

In this watershed we also have seasonal streams or torrents. When it rains a lot rivers can overflow and cause serious flooding.

The Atlantic watershed

It is the largest watershed with the longest rivers. Rivers in this watershed start in mountains far from the Atlantic Ocean and have an irregular flow regime. The main rivers are:

1.- Rivers of Galicia: they are short rivers with abundant flow and regular flow regime because of the rainfall. The longest river is the Miño.

2.- The rivers of The Inner Plateau: they are long because they start in the mountains far from the ocean. They have an abundant flow, but irregular flow regime. The main rivers are:

1.- The Duero and its tributaries the Pisuerga and Tormes.

2.- The Tajo and its tributaries the Jarama and Tiétar.

3.- The Guadiana and its tributaries the Cigüela and the Zújar.

3.- The rivers of Andalusia: the Guadalquivir and its tributary the Genil.

In the Canary Islands we have gullies when it rains heavily.

                               Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

             Climates of Spain

There are 4 types of climates in Spain: Oceanic, Mountain, Subtropical and Mediterranean.

1.- Oceanic climate:this is the climate in the North of the Iberian península. ( Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarre, the North of Aragón and Castile and León)

·     Temperatures: are warm in summer and mild in Winter due to the proximity of the sea.

·     Precipitation: is abundant and regular all year long.

2.- Mountain climate: in mountainous regions above 1,500 metres.

·     Temperatures: are cool in summer and very low in Winter.

·     Precipitation: is abundant. It often snows in Winter.

3.- Subtropical climate: this is the climate of the Canary Islands.

·     Temperatures: are mild all year long.

·     Precipitation: in the north part of the islands is higher. In the islands closest to Africa, such as Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the precipitation is scarce.

4.- Mediterranean climate:is the most common climate in Spain.

There are 3 variations.

1.- Typical Mediterranean climate: 

(Balearic Islands and most of the Mediterranean coast)

·     Temperatures: are high in summer and mild in Winter.

·     Precipitation: is scarce and irregular, highest in spring and autumn and drought in summer.

2.- Continental Mediterranean climate:

( most inland areas of the Iberian Peninsula, part of Catalonia and Andalusia)

·     Temperatures: are high in summer and low in Winter.

·     Precipitation:is scarce.

3.- Dry Mediterranean climate:

 ( southeastern areas of the Iberian Peninsula)

·     Temperatures: are mild along the coast and extreme inland.

·     Precipitation: is very scarce with extremely dry summers.

A                                                 Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

RIVERS AND WATERSHEDS IN EUROPE

There are 5 watersheds: Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Black sea and the Caspian watershed.

1.- Mediterranean watershed: rivers here have a low and iregular flow because of droughts in summer. The main rivers from East to West are: The Po, the Rhone and the Ebro.

2.- Atlantic watershed: rivers here have the highest flow in Europe. The main rivers are: the western  Dvina, the Vistula, the Oder, the Elbe, the Rhine, the Loire and the Tajo.

3.- Black Sea watershed:rivers are very long with a high flow, so they are navigable by boat. The main rivers are: The Dnieper, the Dniester and the Danube.

4.- Caspian Sea watershed: rivers are long with high flow, including the longest river in Europe, the Volga.

5.- Arctic watershed:they have a very high flow and freeze in Winter. The main rivers are: the Pechora and the Northen Dvina.

                                                   Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

CLIMATES IN EUROPE

Europe is located between two climatic zones: the temperate zone and the cold zone.

       TEMPERATE CLIMATES

Most Europe does not have very high or very low temperaturas. We can find the following temperate climates:

1.- Oceanic climate: this is the climate of areas along the Atlantic Ocean and the Central Europe. Temperatures are mild in summer and low in Winter.

Precipitation is abundant and regular.

2.- Mediterranean Climate: this is the climate of the Mediterranean  coastal  areas and some areas of the South of Europe. Temperatures are high in summer and mild in Winter.

Precipitation is low, especially in summer.

3.- Continental climate: this is the climate of inland areas in Eastern Europe. Temperatures are high in summer and very low in Winter.

Precipitation is higher in summer.

                  COLD CLIMATES

There are 2 types of cold climates:

1.- Polar climates: this is the climate of the Scandinavian countries and Russia. It is the coldest climate on Earth. Temperatures are very low under 0º C for most of the year. Precipitation is scarce.

2.- Mountain climate: this is the climate of high mountain ranges. Temperatures are very low in Winter and cool in summer. Precipitation is abundant.

                                                Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

             THE VEGETATION IN EUROPE

·     Vegetation in temperate regions.

1.- in areas with Oceanic climate: there are meadows and forest with beech and oak trees.

2.- in areas with Mediterranean climate there are forests with holm oaks, cork oaks and bushes.

3.- In areas with Continental climate there are forests with evergreen trees such as firs and pines, known as taigas and plains with por soil where only grasses can grow, known as steppes.

·     Vegetation in cold regions: in areas with Polar climate, vegetation is scarce. In the warmest areas, mosses, lichens and small shrubs grow, this is known as tundra.