Beautiful places in Kalmykia. New Year holidays in Kalmykia I
I. Literature Review
The influence of arid conditions on the basic physiological processes in plants
II. Materials and methods
Place of growth and objects of study
Determination of water regime indicators
Determination of transpiration rate
Determination of total water content
Determination of growth parameters
Statistical processing of results
III. Results and its discussion
Water regime, growth and productivity of white wormwood and prostrate grass growing in Kalmykia
Comparative characteristics of growth parameters and productivity of the studied plants
CONCLUSIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Biological characteristics of common twig and white wormwood
Taxonomy:
Division: Magnliophyta
Class: Magnolipsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Chenopodiaceae
Type: prostrate
Synonyms.
Salsola prostrata L., Chenopodium angustatum All.
Prutnyak, creeping kochia, red wormwood, sage.
Biological features of prostrate twig:
Xerophytic perennial subshrub, less often spring subshrub, 30-120 cm in height, with ascending branches and a powerful, deeply penetrating root system. The entire plant is slightly or heavily pubescent. Leaves are 0.6-1.5 cm long and 0.05-0.28 cm wide, from lanceolate to linear (filamentous). The fruit is a glomerulus. An exceptionally light-loving and wind-pollinated plant. Flowering and seed ripening ends in October-November. 2n =18, 36, 54.
The species grows in dry-steppe, semi-desert and desert zones, from plains to the upper mountain belt (up to 3800 m above sea level), on sand, salt licks, and sometimes on salt marshes where 90-350 mm of precipitation falls per year. A promising desert forage plant. It is characterized by high nutritional properties and stable yield. It is a long-growing plant (200-230 days in the conditions of Kazakhstan), due to which it can be used as pasture food in almost all seasons of the year. Suitable for use as a perennial component when creating cultivated pastures in extreme conditions of the arid zone.
Taxonomy:
Division: Magnliophyta
Class: Magnolipsida
Order: Asteralis
Family: Astraceae
Genus: Artemisia
Type: Absinthium
Biological features of wormwood (white):
Perennial herbaceous rhizomatous plant, 50-125 cm high, with a strong specific odor. The rhizome is short with a taproot, branched root and adventitious buds located on the basal neck. The leaves and stems are grayish-silver, densely covered with short hairs. The stems are straight, slightly ribbed, branched in the upper part, often forming short, sterile shoots with long petioles at the base. thrice-pinnately dissected leaves, 6-9 cm long, 3-7 cm wide. The middle stem leaves are short-petiolate, twice pinnately dissected, the upper ones are three-incised or entire. The lobules of all leaves are linear-oblong, obtuse-pointed, from 3-5 to 15-20 mm long, 1-4 mm wide.
The inflorescences are spherical drooping baskets 2.5-3.5 mm in diameter, collected on short branches with one-sided racemes, in turn forming a narrow pyramidal panicle. The wrapper of the baskets is tiled; Its outer leaves are linear, the inner leaves are broadly elliptic, obtuse, membranous along the edges. The general bed of the basket has whitish hairs, almost equal in length to the flowers. Each basket has about 85 yellow flowers. All flowers are tubular, small, with no calyx. There are usually 25 marginal flowers, they are narrow-tubular, pistillate; There are usually 60 medians; they are broad-tubular and bisexual. Stamens 5; pistil with lower single-locular ovary, style and two stigmas.
The fruits are brownish, oblong, pointed achenes, about 1 mm long, lacking a tuft. The weight of 1000 seeds is about 0.1 g. It blooms in June - August; the fruits ripen in August - September. In medicine, the herb (flowering leafy tops) and leaves of wormwood are used.
A close species is Sievers's wormwood - Artemisia sieversiana Willd. differs from wormwood in having a strongly ribbed stem and less pubescence, giving the plant a gray-green color. The baskets of Artemisia Sievers are larger - 4-6 mm in diameter, containing up to 100 flowers. Its use in scientific medicine is not allowed.
Natural and climatic conditions of Kalmykia
The region is located in zones of steppes, semi-deserts and deserts and occupies an area with a total area of 75.9 thousand square meters. km., which is larger than the territory of such states in Western Europe as Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands combined.
The republic is located in the south-east of the European part of the Russian Federation. In the west it borders with the Rostov region, in the north and northwest - with the Volgograd region, in the east - with the Astrakhan region, in the south - with the Republic of Dagestan and in the southwest - with the Stavropol Territory. The length of the territory of the republic from north to south is 448 km, and from west to east - 423 km.
On the territory of Kalmykia, three natural and economic zones are conventionally distinguished: western, central and eastern. The western zone covers the territories of the Gorodovikovsky and Yashaltinsky districts, the central zone - the territories of the Maloderbetovsky, Sarpinsky, Ketchenerovsky, Tselinny, Priyutnensky and Iki-Burulsky districts, the eastern zone - the territories of the Oktyabrsky, Yustinsky, Yashkulsky, Chernozemelsky and Lagansky districts. The most favorable soil and climatic conditions are the western zone.
A very large specific territory of the eastern zone is the so-called Black Lands.
From the south, the territory of Kalmykia is limited by the Kuma-Manych depression and the Manych and Kuma rivers, in the south-eastern part it is washed by the Caspian Sea, in the north-east, in a small area, the border of the republic approaches the Volga River, and in the north-west is the Ergeninskaya Upland. Within the territory of the republic, the northern part of the Caspian lowland is called the Sarpinskaya lowland, and in its southern part there are the Black Lands. The dominant type of relief of the republic, occupying most of its territory, is plains.
The climate of the republic is sharply continental - summers are hot and very dry, winters have little snow, sometimes with extreme cold. The continental climate increases significantly from west to east. Average January temperatures throughout the republic are negative: from -7...-9 in the southern and southwestern parts of the republic to -10 -12 in the north. The lowest temperatures sometimes reach -35 and above in the northern regions. A special feature of the climate is the significant duration of sunny days per year - 280. The duration of the warm period is 240 - 275 days. Average July temperatures are 23.5-25.5. The absolute maximum temperature in hot years reaches 40-44.
An increase in air temperature is observed from north to south and southeast of the republic. In winter, there are thaws, on some days there are snowstorms, and sometimes the resulting ice damages agriculture, causing icing of the grass of pastures and winter crops.
A specific feature of the territory of the republic are droughts and dry winds: in the summer there are up to 120 dry wind days. The region is the driest in the south of European Russia. The annual precipitation is 210-340 mm. According to the conditions of moisture supply in the republic, four main agroclimatic regions are distinguished: very dry, dry, very dry, arid.
In the west is the Ergeninskaya Upland. The Kumo-Manych depression stretches from northwest to southeast - the channel of the strait that in ancient times connected the Caspian and Black seas.
Now these are the valleys of the Western and Eastern Manych rivers, the lower reaches of the Kuma River and numerous salt lakes and estuaries. The Gorodovikovsky district of Kalmykia is located on the northern edge of the Stavropol Upland. The highest point of the republic - Mount Shared (222 meters) - is located in the southern part of the Ergeninskaya Upland.
Water resources
The total area of land under water bodies is 327.1 thousand hectares or 4.4% of the land fund of Kalmykia.
The largest lake in the republic is Lake Manych-Gudilo. Important reservoirs are Sarpinsky and Sostinsky lakes, Lake Deed-Khulsun, Small and Big Yashaltinsky lakes.
The largest river on the territory of the republic is the Volga, which crosses the territory of Kalmykia in the area of the village of Tsagan-Aman (12 km). Other large rivers are Yegorlyk (a section of the border of the republic in the extreme southwest runs along the river), Western and Eastern Manych, Kuma (the border with Dagestan runs along the river). On the territory of the republic are the sources of the Dzhurak-Sal and Kara-Sal rivers, the confluence of which forms the Sal River.
The natural water systems of Kalmykia have undergone significant transformation. In addition to natural ones, there are currently 6 large artificial water systems created in the 1960-1970s on the territory of the republic:
- Chernozemelskaya irrigation and watering system;
- Pravo-Egorlyk irrigation and water supply system;
- Kalmyk-Astrakhan irrigation and water supply system.
- Chograiskoye Reservoir (located on the border with the Stavropol Territory) with adjacent main and distribution canals.
Climate
The Republic of Kalmykia is located in zones of steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. The climate in Kalmykia is continental with a transition to sharply continental in the eastern and central regions of the republic. Precipitation averages 200-300 mm per year. The duration of sunshine is 2180-2250 hours a year. Summer is hot and long (+22°C - +24°C), sometimes up to +44°C. In the summer of 2010, on the territory of Kalmykia at the Utta weather station, a new absolute maximum temperature for Russia was recorded +45.4 °C. Winters have little snow (-8° - +3°С), sometimes with short frosts down to - 20°С. The lowest temperatures in the northern regions sometimes reach −35°C and above. Often spring comes early and the temperature in May is +20°C - +23°C. September - early October are warm, with intermittent rain.
An increase in air temperature is observed from the north to the south and southeast of the republic. In winter, there are thaws, on some days there are blizzards, and sometimes the resulting ice damages agriculture, causing icing of the grass of winter crops and pastures.
A specific feature of the territory of the republic are droughts and dry winds: in the summer there are up to 120 dry wind days. The region is the driest in the south of European Russia. The annual precipitation is 210-340 mm.
Most of Kalmykia is a zone of strong winds and has significant wind energy resources.
Soils
Main types of landscapes and soils of Kalmykia:
Vegetable world
Kalmykia is located in 4 natural zones: steppe, dry steppe, semi-desert and desert. The flat terrain and sharply continental climate determine the biodiversity of Kalmykia. The plant biodiversity of Kalmykia includes more than 800 species belonging to approximately 80 families. More than 300 species of them are valuable and economically promising (feed, medicinal, food, technical, decorative, phytomeliorative). Among them, the most intensively used are pasture plants belonging to the families Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Asteraceae. Some of them play a soil-protective role (various types of astragalus, gray teresken, leafless juzgun, giant grate (kiyak), prostrate kochia).
Natural forage lands occupy 5321.0 thousand hectares, which is 71.2% of the territory of Kalmykia and are represented by hayfields and pastures. Hayfields occupy about 107 thousand hectares, or 2% of the total area of forage land. The vegetation of hayfields consists mainly of cereals: common beckmania, creeping wheatgrass. Under the influence of constant anthropogenic processes, the qualitative composition deteriorates, and unproductive forbs grow: elecampane, tenacious bedstraw, and knotweed.
The species composition of plants changes from west to east: steppe communities are gradually replaced by desert ones. The herbage of the dry steppe on chestnut soils is dominated by turf grasses: Lessing's feather grass, Valis fescue. More moisture-demanding types of grasses and forbs are replaced by drought-resistant species: noble yarrow, Austrian wormwood, and less often white wormwood. In the semi-desert zone, wormwood-turf-grass vegetation has formed on light chestnut and brown soils. The vegetation of the desert steppe changes depending on the composition of the soil. A common feature of semi-desert grasslands is that white wormwood and other xerophilous species become the dominant plants in the complexes.
In the eastern part of Kalmykia, sandy loam and sandy soils predominate, with psammophilous species of grasses and herbs.
More than 100 species of medicinal plants grow on the territory of Kalmykia, of which 53 species are used in scientific medicine. The composition of medicinal plants is most diverse in the Ergeninskaya Upland and in the southwestern regions. Of the wild flora of the republic, 16 species of plants are listed in the Red Book of Russia, more than 113 species are classified as rare and endangered plants, 15 of them belong to species prohibited for collection (feathery grass, low onion, short-leaved spargia, Volzhsky maykargan, Korzhinsky licorice, licorice naked, dwarf iris, leathery iris, Belvadia Sarmatian, Schrenk's tulip, two-flowered tulip, feather grass and beautiful, Bieberschnein's zingeria, crimson larkspur).
Animal world
Of the mammals listed in the Red Book, the bandage reliably lives in Kalmykia. Stable settlements of this animal remain in the Lagansky district. Isolated cases of dressing were noted in the Chernozemelsky and Yashulsky districts.
The Republic of Kalmykia is located in the very center of the Black Sea-Caspian bird flyway, which is one of the main ones in the European part of Russia. According to scientists, about 7.04 million river ducks, 5.59 million diving ducks, 953 thousand geese and 2.074 million coots migrate towards the steppes and semi-deserts of the Azov-Caspian Sea.
The nesting fauna of birds includes more than 150 species. Virgin areas and semi-deserts are inhabited by several species of larks.
A large number of species is represented by a complex of aquatic and semi-aquatic birds inhabiting the coasts and islands of inland water bodies and the northwestern Caspian Sea. Background breeding species are mallard, gray duck, red-headed pochard, greylag goose, mute swan, gray heron, gulls, steppe three-tailed gull, herring and black-headed gulls, common gull, sea plover.
In Kalmykia, 16 species listed in the Red Book nest regularly or sporadically (order Copepods - pink pelican, Dalmatian pelican; order Aciformes - spoonbill, ibis; order Anseriformes - white-headed duck; order Falconiformes - long-legged buzzard, steppe eagle, imperial eagle, white-tailed eagle; order Crane-like creatures - avtotka, stilt, avocet, black-headed gull).
The stable state of the population is maintained by the Buzzard. However, the reduction of forest areas leads to a reduction in the capacity of the nesting stages of this species. In the desert part of Kalmykia, the density of nesting pairs of Buzzard remains very low. To some extent, the downward trend in the number of steppe eagle continues.
Aquatic biological resources Kalmykia:
The republic's fishery fund consists of the Volga and Vostochny Manych rivers, the Chogray reservoir (area 185 sq. km), Sarpinsky lakes (Lake Sarpa - 42.6 km², Lake Barmantsak - 25.8, Lake Tsagan-Nur - 23.5, Lake Batyr-Mala - 21.9 km²). The waters of the Caspian Sea adjoin the coast of the republic. The main commercial fish species: sturgeon, herring, bream, pike, pike perch, roach, carp, catfish, rudd, tench, crucian carp, perch.
Minerals
The ancient East European platform on the territory of Kalmykia is represented by the Caspian depression. Parts of the Caspian depression are the southwestern slope of the Astrakhan arch, the Karakul-Smushkovskaya dislocation zone, the Sarpinsky megatrough and the Karasal zone. Each part in turn is much more complicated by other climbs. The thickness of the sedimentary cover within Kalmykia is up to 18 km in the Sarpinsky megatrough, up to 9-12 km on the Astrakhan arch, up to 20 km in the junction zone of the Russian and Scythian platforms.
The main element of the republic’s mineral resource base is fuel and energy resources (oil, gas, condensate), building materials (sand, clay, shell rock), fresh and mineral groundwater, agrochemical raw materials (potassium and rock salts, dolomites), bischofite raw materials and others. Two clay gypsum deposits have been discovered in the Republic of Kalmykia (Yashkulskoye and Leninskoye). The undistributed fund of the Republic of Kalmykia contains: Zunda-Tolginskoye-II deposit of limestone-shell rocks, studied for the production of lime; deposits of building stones (sandstones); deposits of agloporite raw materials. In the Iki-Burul region of the republic, the Cholun-Khamurskoye-II deposit of cement raw materials has been explored. The shell limestones of this deposit meet the requirements for the carbonate component in the manufacture of Portland cement. To obtain cement from limestone, it is necessary to study the clay component.
Ecological situation
Desertification
The main natural components of the desertification process are:
However, the background for Kalmykia was the weak stage of desertification - 71.9%, strong and very strong - 13.3%, whereas in 1987 the first of them in 1987 was only 8.3%. In particular, this was facilitated by a sharp decrease in the number of grazing livestock in the 1990s, and the change from an arid climate cycle to a humid one led to demutation of the vegetation cover of pastures. Since 1989, the amount of precipitation within the region has increased from 180 mm to 320 mm or more, and the number of days with dust storms and hot winds has decreased. The area of open sands decreased to 250 thousand hectares (1998).
Despite this, the problem of desertification in Kalmykia has not lost its urgency, since an increase in anthropogenic load and climate aridity can again cause intensification of desertification processes and, as a consequence, a deterioration in the socio-economic development of the region, which affects the well-being of the population. According to experts, the desertification process is currently intensifying and the condition of pastures is deteriorating.
Secondary salinization
One of the most pressing environmental problems in Kalmykia is secondary soil salinization. In the Republic of Kalmykia, the area of saline arable land amounted to 2824.7 thousand hectares, of which 76.6% are solonetzes. Secondary salinization is spread over 10.2 thousand hectares, of which 8.9 thousand hectares are arable land. Thus, in the area of the Sarpinskaya Lowland alone, about 1,500 thousand hectares of rice paddies were withdrawn from economic turnover in 2000.
The main reasons for the processes of secondary soil salinization in Kalmykia were miscalculations in the design and construction of irrigation systems. Currently, five large watering and irrigation systems are operated in the Republic (Sarpinskaya, Kalmyk-Astrakhanskaya, Pravo-Egorlykskaya, Chernozemelskaya, Caspian). The reclamation fund in the area of operation of the systems is 43,700 hectares, including regular - 19,761 hectares, initiative - 4,764 hectares and estuary - 19,175 hectares. The provision of drainage is less than 15%. Up to 30% of the lands in these systems were initially characterized by poor reclamation conditions due to the high proportion of solonetzes and natural salinization of the root layer.
Almost the entire network of main, distribution and discharge canals of irrigation and water supply systems (IWS) of Kalmykia is made in an earthen channel without impervious screens, which leads to large losses of water, especially on light soils, and contributes to the development of processes of secondary salinization, alkalinization, flooding and waterlogging. In the environmental protection zone, irrigated lands with good reclamation status in terms of soil salinity (in the 0-1 m layer) amount to 2206 hectares (2%), satisfactory - 42017 hectares (37%), unsatisfactory - 69125.4 hectares (61%), of which with an average degree of salinity - 48%. Average soil salinity in a meter layer can vary from 0.2 to 0.6%. In terms of groundwater depth, lands with good reclamation condition occupy 24,451.6 hectares (21.6%), satisfactory - 35,036.8 hectares (30.9%), unsatisfactory - 53,860 hectares (47.5%).
The total area of secondary saline irrigated lands with varying degrees of salinity is about 45 thousand hectares or 85% of the irrigated area. Secondary salinization of strong and very strong degrees is observed in almost all environmental protection systems, except for the Pravo-Egorlyk environmental protection system
Water pollution
Kalmykia, due to its geographical location, has been turned into a disposal site for highly mineralized, chemically polluted water and industrial wastewater. Man-made sources of pollution of the Republic's water bodies are the fuel and energy, metallurgical, chemical and agricultural enterprises of the Volgograd, Astrakhan regions and Stavropol Territory adjacent to Kalmykia. About 3 million m3 of industrial wastewater, containing more than 200 types of compounds of various hazard classes, are annually discharged into the reservoirs of the Republic.
Significant damage to the water resources of Kalmykia is caused by the Sarpinskaya watering and irrigation system, which discharges collector and drainage water from rice paddies without treatment into Lake Sarpa.
The discharge of contaminated wastewater from neighboring regions accounts for 86.3% of the total amount of wastewater entering the region.
For many years in Kalmykia, phenol and its derivatives have been used to sanitize sheep. It was established that phenol entered surface watercourses.
Foci of contamination with organochlorine compounds are observed in the region's groundwater.
In general, in Kalmykia the sanitary and chemical indicators of water are the worst in Russia, which is confirmed by official statistical data given in the state reports “On the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Russian Federation” for 1998-1999. 84.7 percent of water samples do not meet regulatory requirements for sanitary-chemical indicators, 30 - microbiological, and in rural water supply systems, 91 and 52 percent, respectively. Bringing the basic parameters of drinking water to meet the requirements of GOST for the main indicators is hampered by the technical deterioration of existing water supply and sewerage systems, the lack of the necessary complex of treatment facilities, disinfection installations, and, as a consequence, insufficient water treatment and outdated water treatment methods. The drinking water of the city of Elista and the regional centers of the republic does not meet modern hygienic standards in terms of organoleptic indicators, fluorine content, and inorganic substances of hazard classes 1 and 2.
The main factor destroying the habitat of aquatic biological resources of the Caspian Sea is pollution with oil products, wastewater, etc. Rising sea levels and the increasing surge of water masses onto the developed coastal strip in recent years have increased the washout of chemicals and other waste products into coastal waters, worsening conditions for natural reproduction and feeding of fish led to the withdrawal of 300 thousand hectares of farmland from agricultural production, flooding of the city of Lagan, the villages of Buranny, Krasinskoye, Dzhalykovo.
Specially protected natural areas
The system of specially protected natural areas of Kalmykia began to take shape in the early 1960s under conditions of increasing anthropogenic impact on nature.
The system of protected natural areas of republican significance is currently represented
Most of Kalmykia is located on the Caspian lowland below the level of the World Ocean. The main natural zones here are steppe, desert and semi-desert.
There are very few forests in the republic, but there are enough water bodies. The largest lake is Manych-Gudilo, which is a state reserve. There are also Sarpinsky and Sostinsky lakes, the Yashalta salt lake.
The Volga and Manych flow through the territory of Kalmykia. The largest water resource is the Caspian Sea. The republic does not have flashy and lush landscapes, but there is a discreet charm of steppe landscapes, the charm of which is revealed gradually.
Flora of Kalmykia
The vegetation of Kalmykia exists in harsh conditions: saline soils and a sharply continental climate determine the unique composition of the flora. There are many endemics here - plants that grow only here. There are more than 800 plant species in the republic, belonging to 80 families. Of these, about 300 species are of economic importance and occupy pasture lands, and 100 species are medicinal plants. Anthropogenic factors lead to degradation of the flora of Kalmykia: many species degenerate, disappear, becoming completely unviable, 16 species are listed in the Red Book.
To save ecosystems in Kalmykia, the Black Lands reserve was created, which includes Lake Manych-Gudilo. Scientists are trying to preserve plants, many of which play a soil-protective role, for example: astragalus, kochia, grate, teresken, juzgun and others.
The steppes are dominated by cereal plants - feather grass and fescue. Various types of drought-resistant wormwood and camel thorn are common in deserts and semi-deserts. In April, tulips begin to bloom in the Kalmyk steppes. There are several types of them here. The spectacle is unforgettable; many come specially to see the huge flower carpets. They bloom especially beautifully on the shores of Lake Manych. The republic annually hosts a tulip festival.
Fauna of Kalmykia
The republic's fauna includes 60 species of mammals, most of which are rodents. These are gophers, brown hares, hedgehogs, and jerboas. A unique animal, a predatory mammal of the mustelid family, is listed in the Red Book. There are also predators - wolves, foxes, corsacs, ferrets, raccoon dogs.
The wild steppe antelope saiga is the pride of Kalmykia. But it is on the verge of extinction due to poaching and high demand for horns. Human development of semi-desert zones has led to the displacement of saigas into an unfavorable habitat - deserts, where their numbers are steadily declining. There are also a lot of wild boars in the republic.
The Kalmyk Bactrian camel is one of the main values of Kalmykia. It provides milk, wool and meat. Bred in breeding farms.
More than 150 species of birds live here: larks, herons, gulls, swans, geese, many species of ducks and ducks. The Red Book includes the pink and Dalmatian pelican, the long-legged and imperial eagles, the white-tailed eagle and many others.
In Kalmykia, seasonal hunting of predatory and fur-bearing animals, as well as flying and waterfowl is allowed.
Commercial fish species are found in the rivers and lakes of the republic, as well as in the Caspian Sea. These are sturgeon, pike, pike perch, catfish, carp, bream, rudd, crucian carp, perch, herring, roach.
Climate in Kalmykia
The climate in the republic is harsh, sharply continental. This means very dry and hot summers with an average July temperature of 25.5 degrees. Warm weather continues up to 275 days a year. A special feature of the summer period are strong hot winds. Local residents use the energy of dry winds: there are quite a few windmills in the republic. There are even solid investment projects for the use of wind energy resources.
Winter in Kalmykia has little snow and is cold; the average temperature in January is 7 - 12 degrees. In general, winter is unstable, alternating thaws and snowstorms create ice and icing of pastures.
Spring and autumn are more comfortable times, when the steppes bloom, hunting for animals and birds begins, and fishing comes to life.
The climate is normal for seasonal travel. The weather in Elista varies from month to month, because... it is very far from the equator. Cool average annual ambient temperature during the day is +14.5°C, and at night +7.1°C. This is a city in Russia. Below is information about the climate and weather in Elista in winter and summer.
The best months to travel
The high season in Elista is in September, April, May with excellent weather +15.5°C...+27.2°C. During this period, the city receives the least amount of rain, approximately 2 days per month, with 23.5 to 30.0 mm of precipitation falling. The number of clear days is from 17 to 23 days. The monthly climate and temperature in Elista are calculated based on recent years.
Air temperature in Elista by month
The warmest weather in Elista by month and in Russia in general is in June, July, August up to 32.8°C. At the same time, the lowest ambient temperatures are observed in January, February, December down to -7°C. For lovers of night walks, the readings range from -10.8°C to 23.6°C.
Number of rainy days and precipitation
The rainiest periods are December, April, May, when the weather is bad for 4 days, up to 34.5 mm of precipitation falls. For those who do not like humidity, we recommend January, February, June during this period, the average monthly rainfall is only 0 days and the monthly precipitation rate is 16.4mm.
Rest comfort rating
The rating of climate and weather in Elista is calculated by month taking into account average air temperature, amount of rain and other indicators. Over the year in Elista, the score ranges from 2.5 in February to 5.0 in September, out of five possible.
Climate summary
| Month | Temperature air during the day |
Temperature air at night |
Sunny days |
Rainy days (precipitation) |
|
| January | -7°C | -10.2°C | 2 | 0 days (27.1mm) | |
| February | -5.2°C | -10.8°C | 5 | 0 days (16.5mm) | |
| March | +10°C | +1.8°C | 7 | 1 day (34.5mm) | |
| April | +15.5°C | +6.5°C | 17 | 4 days (28.5mm) | |
| May | +27.2°C | +15.4°C | 18 | 4 days (30.0mm) | |
| June | +29.2°C | +19°C | 21 | 0 days (16.4mm) | |
| July | +32.8°C | +22.2°C | 28 | 2 days (17.7mm) | |
| August | +32.8°C | +23.6°C | 26 | 0 days (17.7mm) | |
| September | +22.8°C | +15.5°C | 23 | 2 days (23.5mm) | |
| October | +10°C | +4.4°C | 17 | 0 days (22.6mm) | |
| November | +4.2°C | 0°C | 10 | 1 day (21.2mm) | |
| December | +1.5°C | -2.3°C | 6 | 2 days (20.0mm) |
Number of sunny days
The greatest number of sunny days is observed in September, August, July when there are 28 clear days. These months have excellent weather in Elista for walks and excursions. The least sun is in January, February, December when the minimum number of clear days is: 2.
Republic of Kalmykia- a subject of the Russian Federation, part of the Southern Federal District.
Square— 74.7 thousand sq. km.
Length: from north to south - 448 km, from west to east - 423 km.
Population— 283.2 thousand people (2010 data)
Population density – 3.8 people. per 1 sq. km.
Capital- the city of Elista.
Geographical position.
The Republic of Kalmykia is located in the extreme southeast of the European part of Russia.
Borders:
in the south - with the Stavropol Territory;
in the southeast - with the Republic of Dagestan;
in the north - with the Volgograd region;
in the northeast - with the Astrakhan region;
in the west - with the Rostov region;
in the east it is washed by the Caspian Sea.
Climate.
The climate of Kalmykia is sharply continental - summers are hot and very dry, winters have little snow, sometimes with extreme cold. The continental climate increases significantly from west to east. Average January temperatures throughout the republic are negative: from?7 °C...-9 °C. Minimum temperature in January:?35 °C...?37 °C. The lowest temperatures sometimes reach ?35 °C and below in the northern regions.
The duration of sunshine is 2180-2250 hours (182-186 days) per year. The duration of the warm period is 240-275 days. Average July temperatures are +23.5 °C…+25.5 °C. The absolute maximum temperature in hot years reaches +40 °C…+44 °C. Dry winds are very frequent in summer. There are up to 120 such days a year.
The annual precipitation is 210-340 mm. The Republic of Kalmykia is the driest region of Russia.
Water resources.
Kalmykia is the driest region of the Russian Federation, where the problem of water supply to the population is acute. The republic does not have a sufficient number of its own water sources and is mainly supplied with water from the basins of adjacent rivers: the Volga, Kuban, Kuma, Terek and the Chograi reservoir.
Vegetable world.
The region is located in zones of steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.
Animal world.
About 60 species of mammals live on the territory of the republic. About 130 species of birds nest on the water bodies of Kalmykia and more than 50 species are encountered during seasonal migrations. 20 species of reptiles and 3 species of amphibians. Within the republic, 23 species of birds listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation have been recorded. The saiga population ranges from 270 thousand to 400 thousand heads.
Minerals.
There are hydrocarbon reserves, the main explored and exploited ones being the Iki-Burulskoye and Ermolinskoye natural gas fields. The deposits belong to the Caspian oil and gas province.
Attractions.
Elista city.
Elista is attractive with its national flavor: numerous Buddhist temples and buildings, a chess city, and monuments. The most notable include: The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni Temple. It is a majestic building where prayers, rituals and festive services are held. It is the largest in Europe.
Yashalta Salt Lake.
On Lake Yashalta there is the Salt Lake resort, which occupies one of the leading places in the system of treatment and preventive health resorts in Russia. Yashalta Lake is also attractive for tourists: Tulip Island is located nearby, where you can see a herd of wild horses.
.
The Black Lands Nature Reserve was established on June 11, 1990. Its area is 121.9 thousand hectares. It occupies two territories separated from each other. The main section of the reserve is located in the Caspian lowland, between the lower reaches of the Kuma and Volga rivers, on the territory of the Yashkul and Chernozemelny regions of Kalmykia. The saiga population is being protected and restored in this area.
The second section of the Black Lands reserve is Lake Manych-Gudilo, where rare species of waterfowl and semi-aquatic birds nest and winter (mute swan, greylag goose, red-breasted goose, pink and Dalmatian pelicans, bustard, demoiselle crane and others).
Lake Manych-Gudilo
Lake Manych-Gudilo (Big Manych) —
a unique salt lake, one of the territories of the Black Lands reserve. refers to Kalmykia, Stavropol Territory and Rostov Region. At night the lake hums, hence the name: Manych-Gudilo. The word “Manych” is Tatar and means “salty” or “bitter”. Reservoir area 350 sq. km. Lake Manych-Gudilo is a remnant of the ancient Tethys Ocean, which connected the Azov, Black and Caspian seas. The rarest bird species listed in the Red Book of Russia nest on its islands: pink and Dalmatian pelicans, black-headed laughing gulls, spoonbills and others.
