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.
Special reports
-
8 July 2022
Who’s coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
-
30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
23 June 2020
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
10 February 2020
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
-
7 January 2020
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
6 February 2017
Robotics: environmental monitoring and more
More than 830 events were organised in 30 countries during the European Robotics Week (18-27 November)
-
8 July 2022
Who’s coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
-
20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
-
23 June 2020
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
10 February 2020
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
-
8 July 2022
Who’s coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
-
9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
-
20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
-
Flour from forests
Bread and flour are staple foods for many cultures around the world. It is possible to produce flour from cereals…
-
From game “preserves” to natural reserves
In the old times, parks were set up as game "preserves"...
-
Flour from forests
Bread and flour are staple foods for many cultures around the world. It is possible to produce flour from cereals…
-
16 May 2011
Projects to restock species
The restocking of extinct species is one of the strategies that...
-
Flour from forests
Bread and flour are staple foods for many cultures around the world. It is possible to produce flour from cereals…