Harsh climatic conditions of western siberia. Western Siberia climate

For many of our compatriots, and even more so for most foreigners, the concept of Siberia is associated with a very harsh climate. Like many other cliches, this statement is only partly true. Of course, the weather conditions of the Siberian lands do not pamper their inhabitants, but they are not as extreme as it is commonly believed. In addition, the climate tends to change, and Siberia is nowhere near as harsh as 100 years ago.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that Siberia occupies vast territories. O geographical boundaries the entire region is still in disputes (you can read more about this here - Geography and Borders of Siberia), so when characterizing climatic conditions the region we will restrict ourselves only to the boundaries of the Siberian Federal District, conditionally dividing it into the Western, Eastern and Northern parts.

Characteristics of the climate of Western Siberia

We classified the following regions in the western part of Siberia - Omsk, Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Regions, Altai Krai and the Republics of Khakassia and Altai. Perhaps this part of Siberia has the mildest climate. Altai mountains cover the above regions from Kazakh winds, and the extended Vasyugan swamps soften summer heat characteristic of the continental climate. average temperature v winter period ranges from -15 ° C to -30 ° C. Because of strong winds, the frost in these places is felt a little harder. The snow cover is established, as a rule, at the end of November and reaches a thickness of 15-20 cm. The summer period is characterized by a range from + 15 ° С to + 35 ° С, which is somewhat softer than in the Kazakh steppe. So the climate Western Siberia not perfect, but neither can you call it nightmarish.

Climatic and weather conditions of Eastern Siberia

Eastern Siberia within the Siberian Federal District is Irkutsk region, The Republic of Tyva and Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory, as well as the southern part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Climate Eastern Siberia can be described as sharply continental. Average annual temperature is equal to 0 ° C. In winter, temperatures can reach as low as -40 ° C, but due to the lack of winds, the cold is tolerated relatively easily. V winter time of the year, in the north of Eastern Siberia you can observe polar nights. Total darkness reigns, the sun may not appear for a month, or even more. The climate of Eastern Siberia is very sunny summer, during which it rarely rains. Maximum temperature in July-August it does not reach more than + 15 ° С. Snow begins to fall in October, with a height of about 20-25 centimeters. During the year, precipitation falls in an amount of 300 to 500 mm per year, and in mountainous areas about 900-1000 mm.

The climate of the northern regions of Siberia.

Northern territories Krasnoyarsk Territory, including Dolgano-Nenets and Evenki regions - this is practically a real tundra. Here climatic conditions so severe that they could easily become the prototype of the prototype that was formed about Siberian climate... There is practically no summer in these parts, and the winter period is not only long enough, but also frosty. The duration of the time period with an air temperature> 10 ° C is in practice less than one calendar month... In winter, the thermometer can easily drop below -40 ° С, and in summer it rarely rises above + 10 ° С. In mountainous and northern regions, the snow cover lies all year round... Perhaps this is real Siberia, the climate of which is a real test of the will and endurance of a person.

Weather conditions in different regions of Siberia.

except general characteristics climatic conditions of Siberia, we have prepared descriptions of climate and weather for each of the 12 regions of the Siberian Federal District... More information about the weather in a particular city of the Siberian Federal District can be found here:

Western Siberia is a territory stretching 2,500 km from the Arctic Ocean to the dry steppes of Kazakhstan and 1,500 km from the Urals to the Yenisei. About 80% of the area of ​​Western Siberia is located within West Siberian Plain, which consists of two flat bowl-shaped strongly boggy depressions, separated by Siberian Uvaly elevated to 175-200 m. In the southeast, the West Siberian Plain, gradually increasing, is replaced by the foothills of Altai, Salair, Kuznetsky Alatau and Mountain Shoria. The total area of ​​Western Siberia is 2.4 million km2.

Geology and orography
At the base of the West Siberian Plain lies the West Siberian Plate. In the east, it borders the Siberian platform, in the south - with the Paleozoic structures of Central Kazakhstan, Altai and Salair-Sayan region, in the west - with the folded system of the Urals. The northern boundary of the plate is unclear, it is covered with waters Kara Sea.

At the base of the West Siberian Plate is the Paleozoic basement, the depth of which is, on average, 7 km. The most ancient Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks in Western Siberia, they come to the surface only in the mountainous regions of its southeast, while within the West Siberian Plain they are hidden under a thick cover of sedimentary rocks. The West Siberian Plain is a young plunging platform, the rate and magnitude of subsidence of individual sections of which, and, consequently, the thickness of the cover of loose deposits, are very different.

The formation of the West Siberian plate began in the Upper Jurassic, when, as a result of breaking off, destruction and degeneration, a huge territory between the Urals and the Siberian platform sank, and a huge sedimentary basin arose. In the course of its development, the West Siberian Plate was more than once captured by sea transgressions. At the end of the Lower Oligocene, the sea left the West Siberian Plate, and it turned into a huge lacustrine-alluvial plain. In the Middle and Late Oligocene and Neogene, the northern part of the plate experienced uplift, which was replaced by subsidence in the Quaternary. The general course of development of the plate with the sinking of colossal spaces resembles the process of oceanization that has not reached the end. This feature of the slab is emphasized by the phenomenal development of swampiness.

Much remains unclear and controversial about the nature, size and quantity of ancient glaciations in this area. It is believed that glaciers occupied the entire northern part of the plain north of 60 o N. Due to the continentality of the climate and a small amount of precipitation, the glaciers in the West Siberian Plain were thin, inactive and did not leave behind powerful moraine accumulations.

Climate
Western Siberia is located almost at the same distance from both the Atlantic Ocean and the continental center of Eurasia, so its climate is moderately continental. In winter and in summer time When cyclonic activity, and with it the supply of Atlantic air, weaken, Arctic air enters Western Siberia. Deep penetration of the Arctic air masses contributes to the flatness of the area and its openness to the north.

The average January temperature decreases from -15 (C in the southwest to -30 (C in the northeast of Western Siberia. The average July temperature increases from +5 (C in the north to +20 (C in the south. The northeast is the most continental) Western Siberia, where the difference in average temperatures in January and July reaches 45 o.

Hydrography
The rivers of Western Siberia belong to the Kara Sea basin. The largest water artery- Ob with the Irtysh tributary - is one of the greatest rivers the globe. The Ob River is formed at the confluence of Biya and Katun, which originate in Altai, and flows into the Gulf of Ob in the Kara Sea. Among the rivers of Russia, it ranks first in terms of basin area and third in terms of water content. In the forest zone, up to the mouth of the Irtysh, the Ob receives its main tributaries: on the right - the rivers Tom, Chulym, Ket, Tym, Vakh; on the left - the rivers Parabel, Vasyugan, Bolshoi Yugan and Irtysh. Most large rivers north of Western Siberia - Nadym, Pur and Taz - originate in the Siberian Uvaly.

Geographic zoning
Western Siberia covers five natural zones: tundra, forest-tundra, forest, forest-steppe, steppe, as well as low-mountain and mountainous regions of Salair, Altai, Kuznetsk Alatau and Gornaya Shoria. Perhaps nowhere on the globe the zoning of natural phenomena is not manifested with the same correctness as in the West Siberian Plain.

Tundra occupying the northernmost part of the Tyumen region (Yamal and Gydansky peninsulas) and having an area of ​​about 160 thousand km2, has no forests. Lichen and moss tundras of Western Siberia are found in combination with hypnum-herbaceous and lichen-sphagnum, as well as large hillocky bog massifs.

Forest-tundra zone extends to the south of the tundra in a strip of about 100-150 km. As a transitional zone between tundra and taiga, it is a mosaic combination of areas of open woodlands, swamps, thickets of bushes. The northern limit of woody vegetation is represented by sparse crooked larch forests, which occupy areas along river valleys.

Forest (taiga, forest-swamp) zone covers the space between 66 o and 56 o N. a strip of about 1000 km. It includes the northern and middle parts of the Tyumen region, the Tomsk region, the northern part of the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions, occupying about 62% of the territory of Western Siberia. Forest zone The West Siberian Plain is subdivided into subzones of northern, middle, southern taiga and birch-aspen forests. The main type of forests in the zone are dark coniferous forests with a predominance of Siberian spruce, Siberian fir and Siberian pine (cedar). Dark coniferous forests they are almost always found in ribbons along river valleys, where they find the conditions for the drainage they need. On watersheds, they are confined only to hilly, elevated places, and flat areas are occupied mainly by swamps. The most important element landscapes of the taiga - lowland, transitional and upland bogs. The forest cover of Western Siberia is only 30.5% and is a consequence of weak dissection and the associated weak drainage of the entire territory of the region, which contributes to the development of not forest-forming, but bog-forming processes throughout the taiga zone. The West Siberian Plain is characterized by exceptional waterlogging and swampiness, its middle and northern parts are among the most waterlogged areas on the earth's surface... The world's largest bog massifs (Vasyugan) are located in the southern taiga. Along with the dark coniferous taiga in the West Siberian Plain, there are pine forests confined to the sandy sediments of the ancient alluvial plains and to the sandy terraces along the river valleys. In addition, within the forest zone, pine is a characteristic tree of sphagnum bogs and forms a kind of association of sphagnum pine forests on boggy soils.

Forest-steppe zone , adjacent to the deciduous forest subzone of the forest zone, is characterized by the presence of both forest and steppe plant communities, as well as swamps (ryamov), salt marshes and meadows. The woody vegetation of the forest-steppe zone is represented by birch and aspen-birch forests, which are found in islands or in the form of pegs, usually confined to saucer-like depressions, while the main background is formed by meadow and forb-cereal steppe. Only in the Tobol and Ob regions of this zone are natural island pine forests widespread. Characteristic feature The forest-steppe of Western Siberia is characterized by a hryvnia-ravine relief and an abundance of saline drainless lakes.

Steppe zone covers southern part Omsk and southwestern part of the Novosibirsk region, as well as the western part Altai Territory... It includes the Kulundinskaya, Aleiskaya and Biyskaya steppes. Ribbon pine forests grow within the zone along the ancient hollows of glacial waters.

The significant height of the mountains of Western Siberia determines the development here altitudinal zonality... Forests occupy the leading position in the vegetation cover of the mountains of Western Siberia, covering most of the area of ​​the Salair Ridge and Kuznetsk Alatau and about 50% of the Altai territory. The alpine belt is clearly developed only in the Altai mountains. The forests of Salair, Kuznetsk Alatau, northeastern and western parts of Altai are characterized by extensive development of the relict formation of the black taiga, which is found only in the mountains of southern Siberia. In the middle of the black taiga in the Kondoma river basin, there is a relict "linden island" - a section of a linden forest with an area of ​​about 150 km2, considered as a remnant of Tertiary vegetation.

Biodiversity
Higher vascular plants are characterized by the smallest diversity in all zonal areas of Western Siberia. On average, the flora of Western Siberia is about 1.5 times poorer compared to adjacent regions; the gap is especially large for the taiga and tundra zones. The fauna of Western Siberia is characterized by a higher relative diversity. So, in the four main orders of mammals in Western Siberia there are 80 species, for Eastern Siberia and European Russia - 94 and 90, respectively. Species common with Eastern Siberia - 13, with European Russia- 16, common to all three regions - 51; found only in Western Siberia - no. The greatest variety is fauna of birds, the bulk of whose species in Western Siberia are migratory. In terms of the total number of bird species, Western Siberia in no zonal area is significantly inferior to adjacent regions, and surpasses them in terms of waterfowl and semiaquatic.

The main reason for the poverty of the flora and fauna of Western Siberia is most often considered the consequences of the Pleistocene glaciation, which was the most devastating on its territory, as well as the remoteness of mountain refugia that feed the migration flow in the Holocene.

Administrative division
The Tyumen, Tomsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo regions, as well as parts of the Kurgan, Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions and Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories. Most Big City Western Siberia - Novosibirsk (1.5 million inhabitants) is located on the Ob river.

Economic use(resource extraction, forestry)
The most developed industries in Western Siberia are mining (oil, gas, coal) and timber. Currently, Western Siberia provides over 70% of all-Russian oil production and natural gas, about 30% of coal production, about 20% of timber harvested in the country.

A powerful oil and gas production complex is currently operating on the territory of Western Siberia. The largest deposits of oil and natural gas are associated with a thick stratum of sedimentary rocks of the West Siberian Plain. The area of ​​oil and gas bearing lands is about 2 million km2. Forest-swamp landscapes, completely untouched by industrial development and practically unexplored until the 60s, are cut for hundreds of kilometers by pipelines, roads, power lines, dotted with drilling sites, oiled with oil and oil products spills, covered with burnt-out and soaked forests that appeared as a result of the use outdated technologies for oil and gas production and transportation.

It should be noted that Western Siberia, like no other in world region, abounds in rivers, lakes and swamps. They contribute to the active migration of chemical pollutants entering the Ob River from numerous sources, which carries them into the Ob Bay and further into the Arctic Ocean, endangering the destruction of ecosystems remote from the regions of the oil and gas complex.

In contrast to the West Siberian Plain, the Kuznetsk mountain region is distinguished by reserves of coal: the Kuznetsk coal basin is 40% of the industrial coal reserves of the country. The main production centers are the cities of Leninsk-Kuznetsky and Prokopyevsk.

Prepared by E.A. Chelaznova

Siberian summer is dramatically different continental climate... Since Siberia is spread over very long distances, the climate changes depending on the regions. The territory of Siberia is subdivided into Western, Eastern and northern regions Siberia. Therefore, the question of what summer is in Siberia cannot be answered unequivocally.

What summer is like in Siberia

For example, in the eastern part of the Siberian land, summer is quite warm. The average temperature can range from 150C to 350C. It all depends on the cyclones coming from the north or south. Siberians are not surprised if, over a period of two days, the air temperature can change from 300C heat, and the next day it can go torrential rains and warm air can sharply.

Often there are situations when, after hot days, black clouds can suddenly run up and hail will fall on the ground, the size of which can reach chicken eggs... Hail, as a rule, does not last long, but it can cause serious damage to crops.

It's July. Rivers and lakes warm up for comfortable swimming, which Siberian children are happy to do. From morning until late at night, they can spend on the rivers: and they will catch fish home.

On the territory of the Buryat Territory and the region of Lake Baikal, it mainly predominates. Weather these areas are quite mild. The mountain air is clean and fresh. Many people specially go to rest in these areas. It is in these areas that many sanatoriums, resorts and various recreation centers are built.

In Buryatia, for example, there are many sources with mineral water of various composition. people with various diseases of the gastric intestinal tract.

Olkhon Island is located on the territory of Lake Baikal. The weather on the island is quite interesting, it rains very rarely, mostly the sun is shining. The water in the lake warms up for a very long time, the time for comfortable swimming comes only in August.

Therefore, to the questions and doubts of people, what summer is in Siberia, is it worth it, the answer is unequivocal - it's worth it!

Every person, regardless of where he lives: in Moscow, Crimea or Volgograd, should visit the Siberian Territory at least once in his life. Look at the legendary Lake Baikal, the largest lake in the entire world. Visit the famous waterfalls in Buryatia, climb the most high point mountains, visit the monuments of ancient architecture, which are located in Siberia in a large number.

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Eastern Siberia is characterized by pronounced continental climate features. This is manifested in extremely large seasonal differences in air temperature, low, small precipitation on the territory. In winter, it is formed under the influence of a vast area of ​​elevated - Asian. However, the position of the center of the anticyclone, the magnitude of the pressure in it and the area of ​​propagation change significantly during the cold period. This determines the variability, which is associated with the day-to-day fluctuations in air temperature, which is especially typical for the south-west of Yakutia.
Although cyclonic activity is weakened in winter, it significantly affects the weather: it changes, precipitation falls, and it forms.
It is dominated by continental air, which cools in the surface layer, and in December - February it becomes colder in the lower layers of the Arctic. The average in January over the vast area of ​​Eastern Siberia varies from -26 in the southwest to -38, -42 ° in the Central Lowland. In valleys and hollows, it can drop to -60 °.
However, against the background of a very low average monthly temperature with the removal of warmer continental air from Central Asia, relative warming is noted in the Baikal and Transbaikal regions, accompanied by an increase in temperature to -15 ° and higher. With prolonged removal of relatively warm air masses, the daytime air temperature in Eastern Siberia can be above 0 °.

Summer in Eastern Siberia is warm: up to 30 - 40% is spent on heating the air solar heat, and in the south and east of the Central Yakut lowland up to 50%. Therefore, despite the influx of cold air from the seas, from the north and from the sea, the average temperatures in July vary across the territory from north to south from 14 to 18 °. Most high temperatures in these areas are when continental air is removed from China and (35 - 38 °).
In summer, the frequency of occurrence over Eastern Siberia is greater than in winter. They mainly come from the west, southwest and northwest. In the second half of the summer, there are exits southern cyclones associated with significant precipitation.
The relief and features distribute precipitation over the territory. The annual amount of precipitation varies within 130 - 1000 mm, and there is no well-pronounced, as in the European territory of Russia and Western Siberia, a gradual decrease in precipitation to the south. The combination of heat and moisture contributes to the growth of forests in most of the territory of Eastern Siberia. However, the complex relief of this region violates the natural one.
Most favorable conditions(enough heat and moisture) are formed on the territory where precipitation is from 600 to 1000 mm. To the east, on the territory of Central Yakutia, with a decrease in precipitation to 200 - 250 mm, aridity increases. Only here, at latitudes around the 60s, are negative differences between precipitation and evaporation observed, which form steppe. The climate and its coasts are marine in nature, which is determined large size the lake and its isolation from the surrounding territory by mountain ranges. In winter, a focus is formed over Lake Baikal reduced pressure... And from the area high blood pressure they blow over Eastern Siberia towards Baikal. The minimum precipitation is observed in February - March (10 - 20 mm). In Transbaikalia, due to a decrease in precipitation to 300 - 400 mm, aridity increases from north to south. In the southwest and especially in the southeast of Transbaikalia, where the evaporation rate exceeds precipitation by 200 mm, they form. However, great aridity is noted in river valleys, in intermontane basins and on the southern slopes. Unlike other regions of Russia, in Eastern Siberia, on the northern slopes, it enters the southernmost regions of Transbaikalia, and the steppes along river valleys are found north of 60 ° N. NS.