Re: Northeastern Brazil as mediterranean?
- To: Jason D
- Subject: Re: Northeastern Brazil as mediterranean?
- From: d* f*
- Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 08:10:09 -0800 (PST)
Jason,
I just got through rereading an old issue of Pacific
Horticulture Magazine which discussed the upland
mediterranean climate zones of some of the Hawaiian
Islands! The rainfall in Salvador, Bahia does tend to
be more in their winter,(June and July here in the
northern hemisphere), but it also occurs throughout
the year. Due to latitude, you would have to say that
all of Bahia is tropical, not subtropical, except for
the relatively small areas of high elevation mountains
in the interior. If I recall correctly, in the more
inland and drier areas of Bahia, the rain is heavier
in the hotter months. There is a huge difference in
rainfall patterns within just 50 miles of the coast,
throughout the northeastern portion of Brazil. It is
significant enough to see why the coast of Brazil was
colonized so much earlier than the interior of the
country.
Winter in coastal Brazil is by the normal seasons, not
by wet or dry, but the temperatures fluctuate very
little in Salvador between the seasons and day and
night. Further south, in Rio de Janeiro, there is a
significant drop in temps between summer and winter,
and winter temps tend to be in the 70'sF rather than
90'sF. Just below the city of Rio, Cocos nucifera
reaches the limit of their climatic adaptation, and
even in the Angra dos Reis coastal region, (between
Rio and Santos), coconut palms are infrequent. The
seasonal changes in the Amazon, such as around Manaus,
are mostly one of wet and dry. The level of the
Amazon River can drop over 40 feet between the rainy
and dry seasons. I was there in their winter,
(July/August), and the river was low when I saw it.
Even so, the width of the river at Manaus is still
impressive, the far shore is over a mile if not two
miles away!
The area below Rio, around Santa Catarina, is probably
the most similar to coastal California in terms of
climate and temperatures, but I do not know this area
as well as Rio, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and of course,
Bahia. The Sierra do Mar mountain range which extends
from the south of Bahia to Sao Paulo, flattens out as
you approach Santa Catarina, and the remnant Mata
Atlantica/Atlantic Rainforest, is pretty much
restricted to isolated bits and pieces on the most
inaccessible peaks. Second and third growth forest is
still abundant, but does not have the diversity of the
original forest cover. The nature of the landscape
does tend to preserve large amounts of my favorite
plants, Bromeliads, which can be seen growing in huge
colonies on almost vertical granite rock faces of the
peaks. The area around Rio, and north into the state
of Vitoria,(between Rio and Bahia), is particularly
impressive for its massive granitic domes,(think Sugar
Loaf and Corcovado), and the 3000 to 4000 foot
elevations above sea level are enough to create
cloudforest conditions at their peaks. The mountains
of Rio de Janeiro in the beach side neighborhoods of
Copacabana and Leme are so close and tall, right next
to a narrow 2 to 4 block wide coastal strip, that it
has the feel of being in Yosemite Valley, looking up
at Half Dome. The only other city that I have seen
that comes close for combining such mountains with
buildings is Hong Kong.
Jason, I'm glad you enjoyed the descriptions of my
garden in fall bloom, and you are most welcome to
visit when you're in the area. The plantings are
very crowded, as I have only a small area to garden,
and so many things that I want to try out.
- Jason D <jjuania@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Thanks for the fantastic descriptions. My question
> about that area is whether there is a winter
> rainfall
> maximum or if, like most tropical/subtropical areas,
> most rain falls in summer. I had a friend from
> Salvador who claimed that the cooler season was
> rainy--but I never pinned him down as to whether
> that
> was July or January. If July, we'd be onto a rival
> for
> Hawaii's claim as the only sub-/tropical area with a
> winter rainfall maximum.
> In Guatemala, for example, "winter"= the rainy
> season
> (which we norteamericanos consider astronomical
> summer), in keeping I suppose with Spanish
> colonization heritage.
>
> I'd love to see your garden someday. Your
> description
> of autumn cloudforest bloom is lovely.
> Cheers,
> Jason
>
>
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