Early summer
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| Photography by Dr. Sharon Johnson drsharonjohnson@comcast.net |
Imagery & site design by
Kat G. Kalamaras |
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Early summer |
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| Because rain-bearing storms typically come from the west, east of the Sierran crest the climate is drier. This is effect is known as a "rainshadow" and is reflected in the biomes that develop here. This view towards the Sierran crest from Hwy 395 is at an elevation of about 8,000.' At this elevation on the western slopes one would expect pine or fir forest but here, vegetation is much more sparse and adapted to dry conditions. This is an early summer image so the landscape is still green. There are sheep grazing on these slopes but they are not visible in the image. Trees are confined to stream courses and consist of riparian species like aspen. Shrub species are those common to Western North American steppe environments including sage (Artemisia). | ||||||
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