Factors the influence a biomes location

Biomes are communities of plants and animals that extend over large areas due to similarities of climate within the area of the biome.

Forest

Grassland

Desert

Tundra

Aquatic

Span of latitudes – Australia is 10 S (Cape York) and approx. 43 S (South Cape Tasmania), as a result the areas where latitudes are closer to the equator are wetter and warmer. Whilst higher latitudes (further away from the equator) are cooler and drier.

Size of continent – Australia is a large continent 8.6 million km², the size of the continent means that areas within Australia are a long way from the ocean which will impact the amount of precipitation that is received to an area which impacts the ability for plants and animals to flourish. 

Topography - Mountain ranges create barriers that alter wind and precipitation patterns. Mountains and hills force prevailing winds up and over their slopes. As air rises, it also cools. Cooler air is capable of holding less water vapor than warmer air. As air cools, this water vapor is forced to condense, depositing rain or snow on windward slopes. This creates an effect known as a rainshadow on their leeward (protected) sides, where the air contains very little moisture. Most of the world’s great mid-latitude deserts are located in rainshadows. Additionally, land at higher elevations, such as mountains or plateaus, are naturally cooler due to a phenomenon known as the environmental lapse rates, resulting in Alpine Tundras

Distance from ocean - The sea affects the climate of a place. Coastal areas are cooler and wetter than inland areas. Clouds form when warm air from inland areas meets cool air from the sea. The centre of continents are subject to a large range of temperatures. In the summer, temperatures can be very hot and dry as moisture from the sea evaporates before it reaches the centre of the land mass.