East Asia—Climate and Vegetation

1. East Asia—Climate and Vegetation Asia and the Pacific

2. East Asia’s Climates • Eastern China • Humid subtropical climate • Hot summers and cool winters with plenty of rain • South Korea and Japan • Almost completely surrounded by water • Summers are a bit cooler and winters are a bit warmer

3. Storms in Asia • Monsoons affect the climate of East Asia • Monsoons are winds that blow across the region at certain times of the year. • Summer, Pacific Ocean winds blow west toward the Asian continent. • Bring rainfall that starts in June as a drizzle. Called “Plum rain” because it begins just at the plums begin to ripen on the trees. • The winds cause hot, humid weather and heavier rain in July

4. Storms in Asia • In winter the winds blow toward the east. • Begin in the interior of northern Asia are icy cold and very dry. • Parts of China they produce dust storms that can sometimes last for days • They cross warm ocean waters, pick up water, later they drop it as rain or snow • East Asian has hurricanes like those that sometimes strike the southern coastline of the United States during August and September

5. Storms of East Asia • These violent storms, which develop over the Pacific Ocean, are called typhoons. • Whirling typhoon winds blow at a speed of 75 miles an hour or more • The winds and heavy rains they bring can cause major damage.

6. The Influences of Climate • Vegetation • Bamboo • grows unbelievably fast during the wet season in southern China and Japan • It can also survive dry spells by storing food in its huge root system. • Shrubs and many small flowering plants in the deserts of China spring up rapidly after summer rains. Then they disappear when dry weather returns

7. The Influences of Climate • Deciduous (leaf shedding) trees also change with the weather. • Maples, birches, and other trees turn the hillsides of Korea and Japan gold orange, and red once summer gives way to fall

8. The Life of the People • Climate affects life in East Asia • The Yellow River gets its name from the brownish yellow loess that is blown by the desert winds. • The river picks up the loess and deposits it to the east on the N. China Plain. • The loess covers a huge 125,000 square mile area around the river

9. The Life of the People • This is one of the best farming areas in China • Huang He floods • A system of dams helps control the waters • The river can still overflow its banks during the monsoons • Damaging floods gave the Huang He its nickname, “China’s Sorrow.” The river is both a blessing and a curse for Chinese farmers who live along its banks.

10. The Life of the People • The diet of East Asians is also affected by climate and geography. • Rice needs warm weather • It is the main crop—and food—of people in southern China. • In the cooler north, wheat and other grains grow better than rice • —the people in the north eat more flour products.

11. Questions • How would you describe the climates of East Asia? • How does climate determine what vegetation grows in different parts of East Asia? • Where do you think a farmer moving to East Asia would choose to live? Why? Consider the effects of landforms and climate.