Physical Geography of San Francisco, Essay Example

San Francisco is a commercial, cultural, and financial hubbub in the northern part of California that was founded on June 29, 1776 when Spanish colonists founded Presidio of San Francisco at the Mission San Francisco de Asis named after Saint Francis of Assisi (O’Day). It is considered to be the sole consolidated city-county in the state of California (“Board of Supervisors”). San Francisco is located at the tip of the peninsula approximately halfway up along the coast in northern California at the coordinates 37.7833 degrees North, 122.4167 degrees West. According to the 2010 Census, San Francisco has a population of approximately 800,000 people, which means the city has a high population density. The city itself is quite compact, as it is approximately forty seven square miles and it is located one hundred and fifty five feet above sea level. Locals refer to the layout of San Francisco as “seven-by-seven” because of how tightly organized the city grid and layout is.

The climate of San Francisco is quite predictable in accordance with the seasons and time of year. Under the Koppen climate classification system, San Francisco is located within the Mediterranean climactic zone, meaning it can be described as have dry-summer subtropical climate. The shifting elevation often causes wide gradations in the sky conditions and air temperature throughout the city. The cool currents from the Pacific Ocean preserves moderate temperatures that oscillate between seventy and seventy five degrees Fahrenheit or below forty five degrees. As such, San Francisco has been dubbed “The Air-Conditioned City” and maintains the coldest minimum, mean, and maximum temperatures during the summer (“San Francisco”). The average temperatures during January lingers at fifty two point three degrees Fahrenheit; in August around sixty two point four degrees, which puts the annual average at approximately fifty eight point six degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the fact that temperatures are somewhat constant throughout the year, two distinctive seasons occur–dry and wet–which is why the majority of the annual precipitation–over eighty percent–materializes between the months of November and March. The most distinguishing feature of the local climate in San Francisco repositories of fog that roll off and trickle from the ocean, pervading virtually the entire city. As quickly as it covers various parts of the city, it also dissipates quite fast as well. Summer mornings are when the fog is most commonly seen as it emanates from the cooler ocean and retreats against the hills, although it also germinates from cooler areas inland during the winter season. The fog impacts varying elevations in different amounts and hovers over the city in mosaic patterns of sunshine and fog (“San Francisco”). Rising hot air during the summer months in California cultivates a low-pressure area that brings in winds from the Northern Pacific to the Holden Gate Bay, which is where the fog and cool winds so characteristic of the city germinate. Prevailing westerly winds are thus evident because San Francisco is located on the western side of the United States. Humorously, the fog in San Francisco is so renowned that local denizens created its own Twitter account entitled @KarltheFog, which has a very high following.

San Francisco is located in the Chaparral Biome, which is also commonly referred to as the Mediterranean biome. Biomes are large areas of land that exhibit similar ecological conditions and characteristic flora and vegetation, usually, adopting the name of major types of the vegetation contained in the region (Audesirk et al. 607). As such, Chaparral translates to “evergreen Oak” in Spanish, and some of its flora includes scrub oak, cacti, poison oak and trees. Fauna found in this biome are forced to adapt to warmer conditions and include ladybugs, alligator, coyotes, horned toads, honey bees, mule deer, lizards, and jack rabbits. These animals retain the ability to adapt to warmer conditions, yet productivity in the Chaparral is quite low due to the dryness and hot temperatures. As such, the soil quality is also low because it lacks nutrients. The primary threat to the Chaparral biome itself is anthropogenic activities and human development since people desire to reside in a warmer climate that is located near the coast line. Such activities encroach on natural habitats, which endangers native species to the area. Moreover, pollution is a major problem as a result of carbon dioxide emissions from cars and factories, which further puts the biome at risk. Another threat is fires caused by the dry air and flammable plants. As such, arson or natural fires are common in these areas (607).

San Francisco is enveloped by three bodies of water: the San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the Golden Gate Straight. The city is quite hilly, as it is laid out over a grid that contains over fifty hills, sometimes climaxing over one thousand feet (“San Francisco”). Twin Peaks are a couple of hills that constitute the highest points within the city and remains a popular lookout spot for denizens and tourists alike, as it climbs up to nine hundred and twenty five feet. It formed by tectonic plates converging thousands of years ago and has historically been used for a variety of purposes. It remains one of the sole preservation reserves in the region for endangered species to various forms of wildlife and natural resources. Birds, flora, fauna, and vegetation all thrive there  San Francisco is located on two major fault lines–the San Andreas Fault, and the Hayward Fault–which are responsible for the majority of the earthquake activity that takes place in the Bay Area (Smith). High earthquake activity in the area directly impacts how the infrastructure in the city is constructed, especially with regards to bridges, buildings and water supply systems. The city is comprised of smaller buildings, although even those are vulnerable to earthquake damage in the event of a seismic one. Nonetheless, building codes are updated on a very frequent basis, and auxiliary electrical and water supply systems are maintained in case an earthquake hits the city.

Works Cited

Audesirk, T., Audesirk, G., and B.E. Byers. Life on Earth. San Francisco: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Print.

“Board of Supervisors–Does San Francisco have a City Council?” SFGov. 26 Jul. 2010. Web. 29 Jul. 2015. http://sf311.org/index.aspx?page=262

O’Day, Edward F. “The Founding of San Francisco.” San Francisco Water. Oct. 1926. Web.

“San Francisco Geography and Climate.” City-data.com. N.d. Web. 29 Jul. 2015. http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/San-Francisco-Geography-and-Climate.html

Smith, Charles. “What San Francisco Didn’t Learn from the ’06 Quake. San Francisco Chronicle. 15 Apr. 2006. Web. 29 Jul. 2015.