Ecosystems

Steppe

Steppe biome

What is it?

The word “steppe” means an environment consisting of wide temperate prairies, generally with hot dry summers and cold rainy winters. The steppes of the northern hemisphere are located within continents, between 30° and 50° latitude. In the southern hemisphere, this biome is less frequent and can be mostly found in South America. The climate of the steppe is fairly dry, with hot summers and freezing winters. As to its climate in Asia, eastern steppes are very different from western ones. In the east, rains do not exceed 60 mm a year, while western steppes can receive up to 400. As to temperatures, the average temperature of eastern Asian steppes is 25°C in summer and –15°C in winter, while in the west the average never exceeds 20°C in summer and 0°C in winter. The lack of trees is due not only to the climate, but also to the large herbivores’ intense grazing and sometimes to man’s deforestation.