The world's grasslands happen in five big areas: The prairies, the pampas, the veldt, and the steppes. Soil associated with the grasslands are mostly Mollisols, which are deep, dark and rich. Most of the grasslands have been disturbed and now are big crop fields of wheat, corn, and other grains. Grasslands are generally found in the center of continents where rainfall is lower. The Pampas covers the central area of Argentina that surrounds the city of Buenos Ares, and is almost 1,000 km. across.
Argentina has a mild climate. Summers are warm, and lasts from late December through late March. The winters are mild, and lasts from late June to September. The north has the highest temperature and the south has the lowest. Argentina lies south of the equator so it's seasons are the opposite from the Northern Hemisphere. Animals that live there are mostly burrowing animals because there are few trees on the pampas. The animals are ungulates, woodrats, chipmunks, lizards, rheas, maned wolves, and pampas deer. The plants are mostly shrubs and short grasses. They are relatively resistant to both fire and grazing because their leaves grow from the base, unlike most plants in which new leaves keep growing from the branch tips. Burrowing is an important adaptation for small animals to hide from predators. The Pampas is largely dominated by grasses, but the average height of the grass is correlated with rainfall.
Köppen's climate classification for the pampas is Bs grasslands with a dry season in the summer of the respective hemisphere. The average temperature is 64° F. The highest temperature is about 77° F the lowest temperature is about 40° F. Winds from the Atlantic Ocean effect the Argentinian climate because the moist air makes summers uncomfortably humid. Pacific winds are stopped by the Andes Mountains.
The average precipitation is about ten to twenty inches a year. The average precipitation a season ranges from four to five inches.
The Latitude Range of the pampas is 30° to 35° South latitude, and ° to ° West longitude.
by Samantha R. S. 2002
Bibliography:
"Temperate Grasslands", http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tempgra ss/tempgras.html (10/29/01).
"The Pampas", http://www.travelvantage.com/orgPam.html , (10/24/01)
"Climate", World Book. vol. A. World Book inc., pg653-653.
Strahler, Arthur N. & Strahler, Alan. Elements of Physical Geography. 3rd Edition. John Wiley & Sons: New York.