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 Climate sculpts the landscape through heat, cold, humidity, light and wind.
In Canada, the variety of landscapes shows the diversity of our climate. In the north, low precipitation and cold temperatures favour permafrost and suppress vegetation growth, resulting in treeless tundra. South of the tundra, on the Canadian Shield, summers are short and warm, and winters are long and cold. Annual precipitation is abundant, allowing coniferous forests to establish and grow. On the Pacific coast, the combination of heavy rainfall and mild temperatures year round supports temperate rain forests. On the Prairies, the large number of days of sunshine affects the development of the agricultural landscape. In the Maritimes, the Atlantic Ocean moderates the climate such that winters are generally long and mild, and summers are short and cool. These conditions help in the development of forests. Finally, around the Great Lakes and alongside the St. Lawrence River as far downstream as the city of Québec, the climate is characterized by relatively warm summers and cool winters, moderated by surrounding water bodies. These conditions are suitable to the development of mixed wood and broadleaf forests.
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