Denver

Weather and climate

Biogeography

By: Ellie Tushar

Landforms & water

BACKGROUND

Denver is a large city located in the center of Colorado, at the foothills

of the Rockies. It is the Capitol of Colorado, creating a hub of political action.

Denver is one of the largest Cities in the Western U.S. also called the “mile

high city”, Denver’s biogeography is known to be diverse and experience extreme climate. FOr more information regarding weather and climate, see below.

https://ambereverywhere.com/denver-vs-boulder/

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Climate type:

Highlands

Denver is located in the middle of Colorado, in the foothills

of the giant Rocky Mountains. Denver, also called the Mile High City

is 5,280 feet above sea level (cite). Highland climate types are categorized

by high elevations, causing weather change rapidly over a short distance {1}.

Due to the strong variability of this climate type, Denver, just like other

highland areas are experiencing drastic changes in weather patterns due to

climate change.

Temperature and Precipitation:

Over the course of a year the average temperatures

for Denver Co, are between 30 degrees to 89 degrees [2].

This large variation is due to the highland climate type which

causes drastically low temperatures in the winter

and high temperatures in the summer. In 2023, the lowest

average temperature was 30 degrees Fahrenheit In December [2].

The highest average temperature was 74 degrees in July 2023 [2].

Although these average temperatures were deemed moderate,

there were multiple instances of extreme heat and cold throughout

2023. In February 2023, there was an outlier of negative 30 degrees

Fahrenheit [2] In contrast, the hottest day of 2023 was 105 degrees

Fahrenheit in July[2]. Here we can see that due to the highlands

climate type and climate change, Denver experiences both extreme low and high temperatures throughout the year

https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/united-states-of-america/colorado/denver-1515/

In 2023 Denver’s average Precipitation overall was

18.9 inches. This is much higher in comparison to the previous

years such as 2015 where Denver experienced a much lower

annual amount; 11.3 inches [3]. Denver experiences more

rain precipitation than snowfall, however, the city consistently

ranks in the top 10 cities with the heaviest snowfall in the US[3].



https://denvergardeners.wordpress.com/2021/11/12/winter-watering/


https://www.cleanpng.com/png-rain-cloud-storm-weather-clip-art-rain-635297/

Humidity and Wind:

Since Denver is in a mountainous region, humidity levels vary.

From 2000-2015 Denver averaged “comfortable” levels of low humidity,

around 35 to 40 % [4]. However, due to climate change, there have

been record levels of humidity in the Denver area [5]. The average

percent of humidity was anywhere from 40 percent to 62, a large increase

in range and percent from previous years [4].

Denver is an area with High wind speeds reaching gusts of over 100 mph throughout the year [6]. The reason for these high wind speeds is due to the location of Denver, at the foothills of the rocky mountains. this landscape causes a flat tunnel-like system for the air to be pushed through, causing high wind speeds[6]. The average wind speed in 2023 was 11.2 mph, higher than the national

average of 10 mph [6]. The dominant wind

direction in Denver, CO was westerly winds [4].This

correlates with the fact that Denver receives

westerly winds as their main wind pattern. These winds change

over the year, and are most frequent during the winter

months, from December through febuarary.

https://weatherspark.com/y/3709/Average-Weather-in-Denver-Colorado-United-States-Year-Round

Air Masses:

Air masses from 4 different areas affect Denver

  1. Arctic air- brings cold fronts from Alaska and

Canada

2. Moist air - from the Gulf of Mexico coming from the south

3. Warm Dry air - from Mexico and southwestern deserts

4. Pacific air - comes from the west through mountain passage

Severe Weather in Denver

In 2023, Denver had one of the wettest mays in recorded history.

It was the most precipitation denver had ever received, the second most

being in 1882. [8]. It was the 10th wettest may ever recorded in history[8].

Scientists believe climate change is causing this increasing in precipitation

and can lead to damaging floods and mudflows.

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/tornado-clipartt

Although denver iis in the highland region, it recieves

multiple tornados throughout the year. in 2023,there were 76

recorded tornadoes in colorado, a new high record for the state.

These tornados also bring strong hail storms causing millions,

sometimes billions, in damage [9]

BIOGEOGRAPHY AND LANDFORMS

Ecoregions of Denver:

The primary biome that occupies the Denver area is

Alpine. However, since it sits at the base of the Rocky

Mountains Denver also experiences aspects of other biomes such as grasslands and temperate desert [10].

Topography

The southern Rocky Mountains lay directly west of Denver with the High Plains to the East. Due to this, Denver sits at an extremely high elevation for a city at 5,280 feet above sea level [11]. This creates a harsh area for survival for both plants and animals. Plants expedite their process of photosynthesis at higher elevations since they are typically exposed to more sunlight. Genetically animals have developed stronger lungs as well as other physical adaptations

Rock Types and Faults

Due to its mountainous region, Denver has a large variety of rock types. It possesses both felsic and mafic rock types with the most common being; gneiss, schist, and quartzite. This means that most of the rocks in the geologic area are metamorphic as a result of heat and pressure when the mountains were formed.

[12]. Denver has at least two faults that lie under the city and over 100 that are in Colorado [13].

Researchers believe these Rocky Mountains formed as a result of tectonic uplift!


Weathering

Not only has the uprift from tectonics caused the mountains of Colorado, but the weathering has also helped shape the alpine and grassland biomes of the Denver area. Weathering has occurred through sandstorms, rainstorms, high winds, etc. Weathering in this region causes there to be more exposed rock yielding rough rocky cliffs and surfaces [14].

Wildlife and Plant life

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=7b51d27d4ac39895&rlz=1C1UEAD_enUS1041US1041&q=colorado+faults&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi8p6nilPKDAxXwmLAFHQ7-AHIQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1494&bih=765&dpr=1.5#imgrc=XFIm7WVCZzh5x

There is a large variety of animal life throughout Colorado including Elk, Black Bears, and more. However, since Denver is an urban area the most common animals are squirrels, foxes, skunks, bats, and snakes [15]. Since Colorado is such a mountainous area, all animals have to withstand extreme elevation which can impact their lungs and breeding habits [16].

Since the climate varies so drastically from wet to dry and hot to cold, animals in the Denver region have developed certain physical adaptations such as thick furs, raised hoves, and water preservation behaviors as well as drastic migration patterns to survive [17].

Common plants in Denver include an abundance of wildflowers such as Fireweed and tall grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and Feater Reed. This is because Denver is the meeting between grasslands and alpine regions. The Colorado River acts as a large water source for plants creating a large plant diversity!

References


1) https://wrcc.dri.edu/Climate/narrative_co.php

2) https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=96427&cityname=Denver-Colorado-United-States-of-America

3) https://www.weather.gov/bou/SeasonalSnowfall

4) https://weatherspark.com/h/y/3709/2023/Historical-Weather-during-2023-in-Denver-Colorado-United-States

5) https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/humidity-annual.php

6)https://www.weather.gov/bou/highwind

7)https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/2001-denver-colorado-den#:~:text=Air%20masses%20from%20four%20different,over%20mountains%20to%20the%20west.

8)https://climatecheck.com/colorado/denver#:~:text=By%202050%2C%20about%207.3%22%20of,15.0%22%20to%20about%2015.8%22.

9)

https://www.9news.com/article/weather/severe-weather/colorado-busy-tornado-year/73-20641d2e-8b0a-4235-aa0c-f15068d57a17#:~:text=With%2076%20tornado%20reports%20so,any%20other%20in%20recent%20memory.

10) https://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/resource-sharing/state-pubs-blog/colorados-ecosystems/

11) https://en-us.topographic-map.com/map-199t6/Denver/

12}https://coloradogeologicalsurvey.org/geology/colorado/#:~:text=The%20dominant%20metamorphic%20rock%20types,schist%2C%20amphibolite%2C%20and%20quartzite.

13)http://www.coemergency.com/2010/01/colorado-earthquake-information.html

14) https://www.usgs.gov/centers/southwest-biological-science-center/science/wind-erosion-and-dust-emissions-colorado

15)https://www.westword.com/news/denver-urban-wildlife-guide-meet-your-neighbors-10743311#:~:text=%22The%20most%20common%20urban%20wildlife,rattlesnakes%20%E2%80%94%20and%20I%20include%20deer.