Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center ELEVATION: 602 to
1,980 feet (184 to 604 m). AREA: 1,182 square miles (3,061 sq
km). CLIMATE: Continental; extreme snowfall along the Lake
Superior shoreline, extremely cold winters. Growing season
ranges from 75 days in the interior to 150 days along the Lake
Superior coast; most of the variation occurs within 10 to 15
miles of the coast (Albert et al. 1986, Eichenlaub et al. 1990).
Extreme minimum temperature ranges from -28½F along the coast to
46½F inland (Eichenlaub et al. 1990). Snowfall is heaviest
inland, averaging 200 inches, and is least along the coast,
averaging 120 to 140 inches. Average annual precipitation is 32
to 36 inches; the heaviest precipitation falls at high
elevations inland. The extreme climatic gradient from the Lake
Superior shoreline to the inland parts of the subsection has an
influence on the biota. One example of this is the presence of
scattered American beech near the shoreline, but not further
inland. BEDROCK GEOLOGY: Large areas of e