Cape York Region example essay topic

CLIMATE AND WEATHER OF THE CAPE YORK PENINSULA The Cape York Peninsula has a tropical climate. The Cape York Peninsula is situated in North Queensland Australia, which has two very distinct climates, the wet and the dry. The wet season is from October to March (summer). During this period it is extremely hot and humid. The humidity levels vary from 60% - 80%. The average temperatures range from a maximum of 36 degrees (inland) and 33 degree (coastal) to a minimum of 25 degrees.

This is also the time of year where vigorous flooding occurs and cyclones become a danger. Many rivers in Cape York flood during this time. The wet season is most extreme in January, February and March where daily temperatures can reach the 40's. The Dry season is from April to September.

The conditions are mild to warm with little or no rainfall. If rainfall does occur, it is due to the moist trade winds being uplifted over the coast. The average maximum temperature is 25 degrees with the minimum being 15 degrees. However, in the coastal regions the nights stay relatively warm, hardy dropping below 20 degrees. Humidity ranges from 20% - 60%. RAINFALL Northwest Monsoons bring heavy summer rain.

This, combined with the moist air that the Trade Winds bring, means you " ve got a lot of rain. Rainfall varies from an average of 2400 mm in the northern part of the cape to 800 mm in the south. Many factors effect the rainfall, for instance the local topography, the distance from the coast and rain increases from south to north. In Inland regions 90% of the annual rain falls between November to April, however on coastal regions only 75% falls during summer. Heavy rains thunderstorms and heavy monsoons usually follow tropical cyclones. The Cape York Peninsula only has to endure 20 thunder storm days on the coast and perhaps twice that many inland.

This is substantially less than other tropical areas. In a La Nina year the rainfall increase dramatically across the whole region in an east to west direction. During the dry season along the East Coast the South East winds blow for days at a time. If you " re camping this can prove to be very off-putting.

HUMIDITY The highest humidity occurs during the wet season, while lower humidity occurs in the dry. On coastal areas and the northern half of the peninsula, during February, March and April, humidity is generally above 80%. Even in the drier months it remains above 70%. In the southern half during the wet season the humidity varies between 60% and 70%, and in the drier period drops as low as 40%.

Daily humidity variations are greater inland than on the coast, due to the lack of sea-breeze effects. Variations are also less during summer, however during summer the humidity still varies considerably inland. FLORA AND FAUNA There are seven main types of vegetation found in the Cape York Region. They are Eucalyptus Communities, Melaleuca Communities, Heath Communities, Mangroves, Salt and Marine Plains, Other Grasslands and Vine Forests or Rainforests. The Fauna in this region is extremely diverse and varied, from the smallest insect and birds to the mammals and reptiles. The crocodile is the biggest of animals in the Cape York.

Crocodile warnings are posted on every publicly accessible river, they are in German and English. The tropical rainforest areas are wilderness areas. They are like jungles, untamed. There is a very careful balance in a rainforest, a balance between the plants and the animals. The mountains are covered in thick dense rainforests, which reach all the way down to the sandy beaches. All through the forests are fast flowing, clear streams, with waterfall and gorges.

The Cape York Peninsula is an extremely unique and beautiful area. It is a region unlike any other. If you plan to go there one day, go before the wet season or you won't be able to get around because all the rivers flood. The best time to go is between April and November, although you can still encounter many problems. For instance, right after the wet the roads may still be muddy and at the end of the dry the roads can be seriously corrugated, and dust becomes a serious problem. I plan to go to the very tip of the Cape York Peninsula one-day in the future..