San Diego Climate and "June Gloom"

San Diego is considered to be a semi-arid steppe climate. Since San Diego has this type of climate you can predict that it will not get very much rainfall and has mild and sunny weather throughout the year. On average the temperature will range from around 57 degrees Fahrenheit, in the winter, to about 72 degreed Fahrenheit, in its summer months.

The picture above shows the average sunshine, rainfall, and temperatures for every month of the year. 

Image from: http://www.worldexecutive.com/locations/north_america/usa/california/san_diego/weather.html

Although San Diego does not have a large amount of rainfall, water is still present in the atmosphere. On average, San Diego has a relative humidity of 68.8% throughout the year. In addition to its humidity, the city also goes through a period from May to June where San Diego has a large amount of Advection Fog. This fog forms from westerly winds and a cold current colliding near the Pacific Coastline. Temperatures during this time are relatively low, however, if Santa Ana winds occur, easterly winds bringing hot dry air, the temperature can rise above average.

This image demonstrates marine layer covering the coast of California. 

Image from: http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/continued-cool-california_2010-08-10

Stratus clouds can be at fault for this "June Gloom". Their horizontal layering can identify these clouds. Stratus clouds usually do not usually create rain, but they can bring a large amount of drizzle, fog, and mist. Stratus clouds form when weak, uplifting currents lift a thin layer of air high enough up in the atmosphere to a point where condensation can occur. In addition, they can be formed when a layer of air is cooled from below to its dew point and water vapor condenses into liquid droplets. "June Gloom" does not have much affect on the population of San Diego, however, it has the ability to ruin an intended beach day for locals and for vacationers. Therefore, San Diego has a relatively nice climate but can experience large amounts of fog and stratus clouds from May-June.

The photo above shows the formation of "June Gloom".

Image from:http://ironmitch3.blogspot.com/2008/07/june-gloom-satelite-cam-go-east-young.html

Sources:

http://www.mapsofworld.com/referrals/weather/atmosphere/stratus-clouds.html
http://www.san-diego.us/san-diego-climate.html
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wstratus.htm

San Diego Water and Soil

Seven of the eleven major watersheds lie in the city of San Diego: San Diego, Pueblo, Los Peñasquitos, Sweetwater, Otay, San Dieguito, and Tijuana. Watershed is all of the water, below and above the ground, that drains into a body of water. In San Diego this specific body of water is usually the Pacific Ocean. This can be direct or through lakes. Lake water can flow directly into the ocean or seep into the groundwater. The water inputs into the ocean through precipitation from the atmosphere or flow age from streams and groundwater. The output of the water then evaporates into the atmosphere then subduction occurs into the Lithosphere. 

The map above shows watershed paths that occurs from inner San Diego out into the Pacific Ocean, El Capitan Reservoir,  San Vincente Reservoir, Lake Murray, or Santee lakes. Map from: http://www.sdwatersheds.org/wiki/San_Diego_Watershed

When San Diego gets a large amount of rainfall it is easy for it's valleys to become flooded. An area that is prone to flooding is Mission Valley. However, management of this can prevent people from health and safety risks. A storm water conveyance system has been used to try to direct water to natural or man made features. 

This video demonstrates a case of flooding in Mission Valley, San Diego and shows how this can be very trying on people in the area. 

Video from: youtube.com

This flooding is due to high drainage density and low permeability of the soil. The water in San Diego leads to moderate expansive soils. Expansive soils are soils that expand when water is added and shrink when water is taken away. This affects people in the area in that their houses and workplaces may be ruined and need fixing. San Diego also contains many river washed soils that are eroded by water and cannot be used. 

In addition to River washed soils, San Diego has other types of poor soils as well. These Alfisol soils are lacking many minerals because it is a coastal desert. Two minerals that are lacking in the soil are Iron and Phosphorous. Also, there is too much clay and too little water in the soil sometimes making it hard for certain plants to grow. 

This picture shows a soil that has clay in it and you can see a tiny color variation from soil that does not contain clay. 

http://www.lawn-care-academy.com/clay-soil.html 

References: http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Battle/Destroy/Hydrology/HydrologyBasics.html, 

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Battle/Destroy/Hydrology/hydrocycle.html

http://www.10news.com/weather/1207741/detail.html

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5632085_san-diego-soil-types.html

http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/genplan/pdf/peir/hydrology.pdf