Europe: Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (Germany, Slovakia, Ukraine)
Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians
Photo Credit: NoTricksZone.com
Overview of the Location
The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians started as a 91,681 ha persevered forest throughout Slovakia and Ukraine. However, in 2011, Ancient Beech Forests of Germany was added to the large areas of forests throughout Western Europe. The fifteen installments of forest now cover large portions Germany, Slovakia, and Ukraine. These forests reach just shy of 100,000 ha , at 96,072. Of this area, approximately 73,000 acres is considered protected by national parks, nature parks, protected landscape areas, and biosphere reserves.
Weather and Climate
photo credit: http://www.yr.no/place/Germany/Mecklenburg-Vorpommern/F%C3%B6rsterei_Serrahn/statistics.html
Our weather and climate will come from the city of Serrahn, Germany and surrounding towns. This area encompasses the closest average annual temperature, precipitation and climate of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians. The Average annual low for Serrahn, Germany is 4.57 degrees Celsius and a average annual high of 12.47 degrees Celsius.
The Primeval Beech Forest of the Carpathians average monthly precipitation is 1.84 inches . The largest amount of rain occurs in the time span of June to September at a high of 2.8 inches of rain per month and an average of 2.56 inches. However, the driest months range from February, the lowest at 1.1 inches , to April, only spiking to 1.4 inches. (4)
The Primeval Beech Forest has a moist continental climate type. These climate types are usually located above 40 latitude and receives direct sunlight. (5) Because of this, it is one of the only climates that circulates 4 true seasons. The climate entails cold winters, wet springs, dry autumns, and cool to warm summers. An average winter temperature dips below 27 degrees F during winter, and floats at approximately 50 degrees F for summer. (6)
Annual Precipitation Distribution
The annual amount of precipitation in Teterow, Germany, which is 11 miles to the Northeast of Serrahn, is 21.9 inches. October through January has an average of 1.5-1.8 inches. The driest months are February through April with only an average of 1.0-1.2 inches of rainfall. But the summer months make up for this in May through September where the rainfall ranges from 2.0-2.8 inches, with June and August having the most at 2.8 inches. (1) The Relative humidity of Hamburg, Germany, a city to the west of Serrahn ranges from 43% to 98% humidity. The most humid time period for Hamburg Germany is around November 6th with 96% humidity 3 out of 4 days. The time period around April 28th is the least humid with 50% humidity 3 out of 4 days (3).
Predominant Wind Direction
The yearly average wind direction of Teterow is west, however, throughout the year the wind direction is pretty scattered. Our business is open May through August. In May, the wind direction is west and about 42 mph. The wind speed slows down significantly in June through August with ranges from 22-28 mph, which will be good for our business. In June, the wind direction is south and a little west, and then July and August are both west again. (2)
Graphics from https://www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/teterow
Temperature and Precipitation Regimes
Many distinguished patterns of monthly temperature and precipitation can be recognized across the globe. These patterns are known as regimes. Serrahn’s climate is mild, and normally warm and temperate. The hottest month of the year is July, averaging a temperature of 62.96°F (17.2°C). The coldest month of the year is February, averaging 31.89°F (-0.6°C). The area’s precipitation is substantial, with rainfall throughout even the driest of months. The yearly average temperature is 46.76°F (8.2°C), and the annual rainfall averages 22.67 inches (576 mm). The month with the greatest amount of precipitation is June, averaging 2.59 inches(66 mm). February averages 1.14 inches (29 mm) of precipitation, the month with the least precipitation. (7)
Climate Graph Serrahn
Photo Credit: https: //en.climate-data.org/location/730319/
Global Wind Pattern
The global wind patterns that affects Serrahn, Germany are the prevailing westerlies. The majority of the year the global wind pattern stays constant, coming from the same direction. (8)
Air Masses
Continental Polar Air (cP) affects Serrahn, Germany during the summer. It originates from high latitudes as air flowing out of the polar highs.(9) cP air mass is responsible for clear skies and good visibility as well as cool nights and mornings. Even though the temperatures feel cool, by the afternoon it feels relatively warm. (10)
Weather Systems
The severe weather that affects Serrahn, Germany the most is the rising temperatures, more humid winters and the falling of rain throughout the year. The time of the year when the weather can be an issue is in the summer months of May, June, July. That's when the area experiences massive rainfall. This is caused by the pressure fronts and air masses in Germany. (11)
Climate Effects
On Animals - Animals in temperate deciduous forests have to adapt to changing seasons. They must be able to cope with cold winters and hot summers. Some animals hibernate or migrate during the winter to escape the cold. Animals who do not hibernate or migrate must have special adaptations to deal with higher exposure to predators in the winter. When leaves fall, there is less cover for animals in this biome to hide from predators. [12]
On Plants - Trees and plants in deciduous forests have special adaptations to survive in this biome. Deciduous trees are trees with leaves rather than pine needles, and they dominate temperate forests. As the seasons change each year, so do the leaves. Each year deciduous trees loose their leaves, and grow them back. In the summer their broad green leaves capture sunlight and help the trees make food through photosynthesis. As temperatures cool in the fall, the green chlorophyll breaks down, causing the red, yellow and orange leaf colors of fall. In the winter, deciduous trees and plants go into dormancy. It is too cold for them to protect their leaves from the damage of freezing in the winter, so they loose them and seal up the places where the leaves attach to the branch. The warmer spring days signal to the trees that they can grow new leaves again, and restart the cycle. [12]
Biomes and Eco Regions
Temperature Graph Serrahn
photo credit:
http://forestry-learning.blogspot.com/2012/08/needleleaf-tress-are-about-500-species.html
The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians are temperate forests. The large land area has all zones from seashore, to the forest, down into mountains. The largest biome is the Temperate Broad leaf Forest. Temperate broad leaf and mixed forest is a mellow climate, floating around the mid 50's almost all year around. The area houses conifer and broad leaf trees. This biome emphasizes re-colonization and how the food cycle works in a wet and wooded environment. [13]
Influences in Vegetation & Wildlife
photo credit:
http://weltnaturerbe-buchenwaelder.de/en/world-natural-heritage-beech-forests/ancient-beech-forests-of-germany/mueritz-national-park.html
One factor that influences the Vegetation is the soil consistency. It is a base-poor sandy soil formed during the Ice Age in the Serrahn sub-region. There is a diverse range of insect and fungus species due to the large amounts of deadwood in the forest. Bats are another species that thrive due to the large amounts of tree hollows. [15]
Another factor that influences the vegetation is shade. The Beech Tree provides lots of shade over the forest, especially during the summer. This makes it so few other species are able to survive, so the Beech Tree remains dominant. [16]
Environmental Threats
There are a few negative threats on the location. The Beech forests often are more environmentally vulnerable to wildfires .For example, Germany is expected to become warmer and drier:“According to several climate scenarios, long-term average annual temperature in Germany is projected to rise by 1.6 to 3.8ºC by the year 2080 . Regionally, many scenarios show a particularly strong warming in the south-west , and partly also in the far east of Germany.” 2003 saw a severe period of heat and drought, leading to an increased risk of wildfires. [7]
The area also has susceptibility to illegal poaching of their wildlife, illegal tree cutting, and lack of grass grazing. Finally, there are approximately 15 invasive species in Serrahn, Germany. The largest invasive species is the mallard duck. The Mallard is a threat to native waterfowl all across the northern hemisphere, specifically in Germany, due to their high competition and potential for hybridization. The mallard is also thought to be the largest carrier of Avian Influenza. [14]
Rocks and Geological History
In Hainich, Germany, which is part of the Primeval Beech Forests and just a little south west of Serrahn, there is lots of limestone. The beech forests grow on top of the limestone in the low-mountain ranges. [18]
photo credit : alarmy.com/nature
The oldest rocks found in Germany were formed over 542 million years ago in the Precambrian time. These sedimentary rocks in the crystalline regions were metamorphosed (when the structure of the rock is altered by heat, pressure, or another natural cause) and intruded (when a rock is forced or thrusted into another) by granitic plutonic rocks. During the Silurian period, seas flooded Germany which left many shales and sandstones that are still present today. Limestone, which is mentioned above, came during the Devonian period of about 400 million years ago when the seas deepened to large basins causing sediments to gather. In the Zechstein period of about 250 million years ago, the shallow seas continually transgressed through the north, and when they evaporated, it left limestone, dolomite, and salt in Northern Germany, where Serrahn is located. Later in the Northern Germany the chalk of Rugen limestone and claystone were deposited during the Cretaceous period of 142 to 65 million years ago. [19]
Landform Processes
Though most of the Primeval Beech Forest of the Carpathians is located in land, there are still some landforms on the main lands of Germany. There are bodies of water , mountains, and small islands formed by water rundown, shifting plate tectonics, and even natural disasters such as wildfires. Germany’s setup rises from the northern end to the south. The freshwater streams, rivers, and lakes that surround Germany also wears down the edges to form sandy beaches. [24]
Effects on Landforms
The Primeval Beech Forests survived the last ice age in small portions in the south and south-east of Europe and started to take over large parts of the continent. The ice age affected the landscape and left narrow, small-scale interconnected waterways and moors. The forests have great amounts of biodiversity and exemplifies on-going post-glacial biological and ecological evolution of terrestrial ecosystems. [17]
Weathering and Erosion Processes
The Primeval Beech Forests of Northern Germany sit on the geologic region known as the Central European Depression. This depression is made up of sedimentary rock that is several thousand meters deep. This area’s visible geology is characterized by glacial and erosional processes. Thousands of years ago, individual blocks of earth were thrust up to the surface by salt domes, but over time, eroded down to the bedrock blocks that form small chains throughout Germany.
This weathering process is called "Spheroidal Weathering". This process is the chemical weathering of bedrock and forms the chains of block bedrock, pictured above. [21] Additionally, the glacial process that took place millions of years ago carved depressions and structures throughout Germany and left large amounts of glacial sediment. This sediment is one of the resulting materials of the glacial process, as the excess materials are ground up and pushed along as the glaciers move. [20]
Plate Boundaries
The Primeval Beech Forest of the Carpathians is located on the Eurasian tectonic plate, the forest has convergent plates running through and around its area. The Primeval Beech Forests of Germany, close to Serrahn, do not directly experience major geologic or seismic events. Germany does experience earthquakes and other resulting events; however, almost all of these events have occurred in the southern regions of the country. Most of the quakes occur in a seismically active zone associated with the Rhine Rift Valley. Earthquakes in Germany occur several times a year, but are considered relatively weak. Quakes which are felt by humans, or maybe even cause damages, are rare in Germany. The geology and land forms in the area are affected very little by plate activity. (22)
Benefits Of Water
Low water availability would occur which could leads to restrictions in agriculture and forestry and is detrimental to ecosystems and their biological diversity groundwater recharge is likely to decline due to climate change. This may also lead to limited water availability and even droughts.
Sources:
1. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=101770&cityname=Teterow-Germany
2. https://www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/teterow
3. https://weatherspark.com/averages/28626/Hamburg-Germany
4. https://en.climate-data.org/location/730319/
5. http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter17/moist_cont.html
6. https://sites.google.com/site/climatetypes/humid-continental
7. https://en.climate-data.org/location/730319/
8. https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/teterow
9. http://www.viking.no/e/travels/weather/e-airmasses.html
10. http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wxfacts/Air-masses-and-their-sources.htm
11. https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/ETNL/2015/3/7/DailyHistory.html?req_city=Teterow&req_state=&req_statename=Germany&reqdb.zip=00000&reqdb.magic=232&reqdb.wmo=10177
12. http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/temperateforest.html
13. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1133
15. http://weltnaturerbe-buchenwaelder.de/en/world-natural-heritage-beech-forests/ancient-beech-forests-of-germany/mueritz-national-park.html
16. http://www.bmub.bund.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Pools/Broschueren/buchenwaelder_broschuere_en_bf.pdf
17. https://www.iucn.org/content/germany%E2%80%99s-last-wild-forests
20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Germany
21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheroidal_weathering
22. http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/section/seismic-hazard-and-stress-field/topics/where-in-germany-does-the-earth-quake/seismicity-in-germany-in-global-context/
23.http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/topics/climate-energy/climate-change-adaptation/impacts-of-climate-change/climate-impacts-germany
24. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/geographical-landforms-germany-63513.html