Chapter 10 - The Southern Coastlands: On the Subtropical Margin

Chapter 10 discusses the Southern Coastlands of the United States which are comprised of parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and all of Florida. This environment is categorized as subtropical; the climate is humid, the winters are mild, and the summers are hot. Santa Barbara, in comparison, is a Mediterranean climate which is actually a variety of the subtropical climate.

In contrast to the Southern Coastlands hazards of hurricanes and winter freeze, Santa Barbara's most prevalent hazard would have to be wildfires. The Jesusita Fire on May 5, 2009 burned more than 8,000 acres and destroyed over 80 homes. The fire burned through the Santa Ynez Mountains to the hills above Montecito.

Satellite image of the Jesusita Fire burn scar on May 10, 2009, taken from the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite . Image shows the northern part of the burned area, which stretches from the outskirts of Santa Barbara (hidden beneath clouds) into the Los Padres National Forest.

Santa Barbara takes pride in the many fruit orchards it has all over the county. One successful crop that has cultivated in and around the county are lemons. Lemons are a subtropical fruit that bloom and bear fruit almost all year long. In 2007, over 1500 acres of lemons were grown in the Santa Barbara county.

However, Santa Barbara's most successful crop to date is the strawberry. In 2009, strawberries brought in a total of $299,442, 100.

“Agriculture... continues to provide a strong base for our local economy, and through the multiplier effect, agriculture and related activities had a total contribution in 2008 of more than $2 billion to the economy."





 [Sources]

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/may/14/santa-barbara-endures-its-most-threatening-natural/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesusita_Fire

http://www.cfbf.com/counties/?id=42

http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/041409_strawberries_remain_santa_barbara_countys_top_crop/