Yukon Geography, Climate & Soil

GEOGRAPHY

The Yukon is part of the Canadian cordilleran region characterized by mountainous terrain and the presence of glaciers and icefields in some areas.

Agriculture is limited to the major river valleys including the Yukon, Takhini, Pelly, Stewart and Liard. For the most part, agricultural activity is located on river sediments. In the Takhini and Dezadeash valleys typical agricultural soils are formed on silts and clays deposited in glacial Lake Champagne.

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CLIMATE

The Yukon has a sub-arctic continental climate with temperatures reaching as high as 36.1 degrees celcius in the summer and as low as minus 60 degrees celcius in the winter. The average frost free period ranges from 93 days in the Watson Lake area to 21 days at Haines Junction. As well as varying greatly geographically, frost free periods variy substantially from year to year at any location. Long hours of daylight during the summer promote rapid growth which compensates to some extent for the cooler summer temperatures experienced north of 60 degrees latitude.

Average annual precipitation ranges from less than 20 cm west of Whitehorse to more than 40 cm in Watson Lake. The Southwest Yukon, where most agricultural production occurs, lies within the rainshadow created by the St. Elias and Coastal mountains. South-west Yukon is subject to droughts between April and July -- a particular problem for crop germination.

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SOIL

Yukon soils are generally deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus. Potassium and sulphur abundance is often dependent on local geology and is difficult to predict. Since 1984 more than half of the soils tested by the Yukon Agriculture Branch have been deficient in potassium. The most common micro-nutrient deficiencies are boron and magnesium. Soils throughout the Yukon are low in organic matter, and salinity has been identified as a problem in some localized areas. Permafrost is found throughout the Yukon varying from sporadic discontinuous in southern agriculture areas and increasing to extensive discontinuous at the northern extreme of agriculture activity in the Yukon.

 

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InFARMation

InFARMation Fall 2006  500 KB