Steppe

Lore & Background

Steppes are characterized by a semi-arid or continental climate with extreme temperature variations: summer highs up to 45 °C and winter lows down to −55 °C. Diurnal fluctuations are also significant, with 30 °C days and sub-freezing nights in Mongolia and northern Nevada. Annual precipitation averages 250–500 mm, and the combination of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration defines a steppe climate.

Reader's Guide

Steppes are significant as vast grassland biomes that have shaped human history and ecology. The Eurasian Steppe, the world's largest steppe region, played a notable role in the spread of the horse, the wheel, and Indo-European languages. Steppes are classified by climate into temperate steppe (true steppe in continental climates), subtropical steppe (in Mediterranean climate areas with a short wet period), and cold steppe. They can also be classified by vegetation type, such as shrub-steppe and alpine-steppe. Human impact on steppes is evident: the formation of the forest steppe of Eastern Europe in the fourth millennium BC appeared in the context of the Trypillia culture, and the Błędów Desert in Poland was man-made in the Middle Ages. Notable fauna include saiga, red deer, grey wolf, and steppe eagle.

Did You Know?

• The world's largest steppe region, the Great Steppe, stretches from Ukraine through Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan to the Altai, Koppet Dag and Tian Shan ranges in China.
• Steppes can experience summer temperatures up to 45 °C and winter temperatures down to −55 °C.
• The Eurasian Steppe had a significant role in the spread of the horse, the wheel, and Indo-European languages.
• The Błędów Desert in Poland was formed by human activity in the Middle Ages.