Geographical Characteristics of the Palm Desert - Coursework Example

Images of Palm Desert, California (http://www.city-data.com/city/Palm-Desert-California.html) Map of Palm Desert California (http://www.city-data.com/city/Palm-Desert-California.html) Images of Los Angeles Geographical characteristics of the Palm desert, located at California. The Temperature and the Humidity level throughout the year Weather averages for Palm Desert, CA  Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yearly average Average high °F (°C) 71 (22) 76 (24) 81 (27) 87 (31) 94 (34) 103 (319) 107 (42) 106 (41) 102 (39) 92 (33) 80 (27) 72 (22) 89 (32) Average low °F (°C) 42 (6) 47 (8) 52 (11) 59 (15) 65 (18) 73 (23) 78 (26) 78 (26) 72 (22) 62 (17) 48 (9) 41 (5) 60 (16) Precipitation inches (mm) 0.78 (19.8) 0.68 (17.3) 0.47 (11.9) 0.06 (1.5) 0.06 (1.5) 0.01 (0.3) 0.10 (2.5) 0.20 (5.1) 0.21 (5.3) 0.12 (3) 0.18 (4.6) 0.28 (7.1) 3.15 (80) : www.weather.com May 14, 2009 The Humidity figure in Palm Desert,California Month Humidity day Humidity night January 67 47 February 74 53 March 77 51 April 82 55 May 86 59 June 87 58 July 88 55 August 87 54 September 82 52 October 75 49 November 62 38 December 60 44 Weather averages for Los Angeles  Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yearly average Average high °F 56.8 57.6 58 60 62.7 65.7 69.1 70.5 69.9 66.8 61.6 56.9 63 (http://www.cityrating.com/citytemperature.asp?City=Los+Angeles) Windy for Los Angeles  Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yearly average 6.7 7.4 8.1 8.5 8,4 8.0 7.9 7.7 7.3 6.9 6.7 6.6 7.5 (http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/avgwind.html) The Humidity figure in Los Angeles Month Humidity day Humidity night January 67 47 February 74 53 March 77 51 April 82 55 May 86 59 June 87 58 July 88 55 August 87 54 September 82 52 October 75 49 November 62 38 December 60 44 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT001500) Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park was made a National Monument in the year 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and redesignated a National Park on 1994. It was made a Biosphere Reserve in the year 1984.The park is located in the south eastern California. The Climate of Joshua Tree National Park The humidity in the day time is less than 25%.The days are clear and the temperatures are the most comfortable in the spring and fall. The average high temperature has been recorded at 29 degree Celsius and the average low temperature has been recorded at 10 degree celsius.The situation changes during winter time as the days are cooler with temperatures hovering around 15 degree Celsius and nights are frozen. It has been seen as snow in higher elevations. The summer season has been found to be hotter in the day time with 38 degree Celsius and the night have been found to be happening at 24 degree Celsius and that too till the early day light.( http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.html) The Monthly Mean Temperature ( http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.html) The temperature has been recorded at Fahrenheit. Weather Data for Twenty nine Palms, CA.The elevation has been 1960 and the temperature has been Fahrenheit.Temperature has been shown as in average .   Month Max temp Min. Temp. Precipitation  January 62.8 31.5 0.38"  February 67.6 38.2 0.35"  March 74.8 42.9 0.30"  April 83.1 50.1 0.10"  May 90.3 55.9 0.06"  June 100.6 64.8 0.02"  July 105.2 70.6 0.62"  August 103.0 69.5 0.68"  September 96.4 62.4 0.31"  October 85.7 52.6 0.32"  November 71.5 41.4 0.27"  December 62.3 31.6 0.46" (http://www.desertusa.com/jtree/jtmap.html) The Annual rainfall for this area Average annual rainfall has been found to be 4.12 inches Month Average rainfall in inches January .5 February .4 March .4 April .1 May .1 June 0 July .6 August .7 September .5 October .2 November .2 December .4 (“Western Regional Climate Center”,http://usparks.about.com/blplanner-joshua12a.htm) The weather condition in May The Normal High temperature in May in Fahrenheit:90 The Normal Low temperature in May in Fahrenheit:56 The precipitation is 0.06. ( http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.html) The major rock types The beauty of the park is the existence of the hills that are known as rock piles. They are found in the upper section of the park . Some of the rock piles are made up of a pinkish monzogranite, and there are areas where the rock piles form a steep cliff, with a number of Joshua trees growing in its shadow. There are areas which are great for rock climbers. There are hills which have showed or looked like piles of rubble. There are hills or rock types that have looked like gravel piles. Some of the rock piles have looked like castles and forts. The desert vegetation and Joshua tree has been found to look interesting in the background of rocks. There were rocks that were formed by pushing beyond the surface and they were molten. After the cooling process, the rocks expanded and broke up into small parallel cracks which were known as joints and the appearance was like masonry rocks.( http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/JoshuaTree/JoshuaTree2.html#rockpiles) The Map of Joshua tree National Park. ( http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.html) The vegetation The highlight of the park is that park is named after a tree called the Joshua tree. It is not actually a tree but giant yucca plant. The scientific name is Yucca Brevifolia.It is short leaved yucca. The yuccas can grow up to 40 feet and the trucks have the capacity of reaching 4 feet in diameter. The age of the plants are difficult to be determined as the plants do not possess the growth rings as real trees. It has been believed that the trees have lived more than 700 years of age. The Joshua tree has been found in the high desert and they are supposed to be growing at elevations of more than 3000 feet. The only place this tree can be found or is supposed to grow is the Mojave desert. The tree is usually found in the northern section of the park and they create sparse forests in the area. The shape of the tree is usually varied and it has been found to attract a lot of visitors. The tree was believed to have got its name as it was named by Mormons who had thought that the tree resembled the biblical Joshua who had welcomed the Mormons with arms that were upturned. The unusual appearance of the tree has the power of attracting the visitors attention and the plants and the rocky hills has given an totally good experience to view on.( http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/JoshuaTree/JoshuaTree.html) The plants in the park can be divided into four types 1) Tree-dominated 2) Shrub-dominated. 3) Herbaceous –dominated 4) Sparse/non vegetated. The naming has been given after the most conspicuous plant in the landscape. The tree dominated plant associations can be found in the park like: Single leaf pinyon Joshua tree Desert willow California Juniper California palm fan Blue palo verde Smoke tree Gooding willow Freemont cottonwood Mesquite The shrub dominated associations are usually found in groups that can be termed as diverse and numbering up to 35. California Mormon tea Creosote bush White bursage Blackbrush Brittlebush Bigberry manzanita Cheesebush Mojave yucca Teddy-bear cholla and Desert almond The perennial bunch grasses or annual grasslands come under Herbaceous dominated associations. That can be divided into galleta grass and cheatgrass. The sparse associations include the non-vegetated areas like desert pavement, rock outcrops, dunes and areas that can be termed as disturbed. These areas have to be seen of wildflowers and that has been seen happening in moist years.( http://www.nps.gov/archive/jotr/nature/plants/plants.html) The water sources The park is said to be lacking in water sources and the water is available at the following sources Oasis Visitor Center Indian Cove Ranger Station West Entrance Black Rock and Cottonwood campgrounds Barker Dam is one area where water is reserved for wildlife and plants. (http://digital-desert.com/joshua-tree/barker-dam/) The type of the animals living there The desert has been supportive of wide variety of animals like the desert tarantula which is type of spider that looks ferocious but is harmless. The other type of animals can be said as lizards and most of the reptiles and small animals has been found to be hibernating for long periods in the winter time. The winter also attracts a lot of migrant birds to the place. Snakes, bighorn sheep, kangaroo rats, coyotes, and black-tailed jack rabbits are the other forms of animals seen in the park. Golden eagles ,the roadrunner, of cartoon fame, the call of Gambel’s quail and waterfowl are some of the birds found here.( http://www.nps.gov/archive/jotr/nature/animals/animals.html) The California tree frog that has been found southern California and has been listed as a Species of Special Concern and the red spotted toad which can be said as spending more time underground are the types of amphibians in this park. The arthropods have been found to be varied. Thefour-inch-long tarantula (Aphonopelma iodium) The green darner (Anax junius)(the wings are four inch) Tiny gnats and mites The beautiful salmon-colored fairy shrimp (Branchinecta) The five-inch giant desert scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis) Varied species of butterflies which is estimated to be more than 75.It has been found that moths are higher than butterflies. The yucca moth (Tegeticula paradoxa) which is famous for pollinating the Joshua tree. Several types of ants are found here like the The harvester ants (Pogonomymex and Veromessor) .The duty of these ants is to collect seeds and store underground and they use in dry months. The honey pot ants ((Myrmecocystus) are famous for the weirdness they display like some of the ants drinking large amount of honey and becoming the storage jar for the colony. .Reference “Rock Piles”,viewed on May 15,2009, retrieved fromhttp://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/JoshuaTree/JoshuaTree2.html#rockpiles “Windy “,viewed on May 15,2009 ,retrieved from http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/avgwind.html “Temperature”,viewed on May 15,2009,retrieved from http://www.desertusa.com/jtree/jtmap.html “Climate “,viewed on May 15,2009,retrieved from http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.html “Temperature of Los Angeles”,viewed on May 15,2009,retrieved from http://www.cityrating.com/citytemperature.asp?City=Los+Angeles “”Western Regional Climate Center”,viewed on May 15,2009,retrieved from http://usparks.about.com/blplanner-joshua12a.htm) “Humidity Figure”,viewed on May ,15,2009,retrieved fromhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT001500 “Animals”,Viewed on May 15,2009 retrieved fromhttp://www.nps.gov/archive/jotr/nature/animals/animals.html “Plants”,viewed on May ,15,2009,retrived from http://www.nps.gov/archive/jotr/nature/plants/plants.html “Joshua Tree”,viewed on May,15,2009,retrived from .( http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/JoshuaTree/JoshuaTree.html) “Climate of Joshua Park”,viewed on May,15,2009,retrieved from http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.htm Images http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.html http://www.city-data.com/city/Palm-Desert-California.html http://www.us-parks.com/joshua-tree-national-park/climate.html Read More