Northeastern Siberia is located east of the Lena valleys and the lower reaches of the Aldan, from the Verkhoyansk Range to the shores of the Bering Sea and is washed by the seas of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans in the north and south. It is found in the eastern and western hemispheres. On the Chukotka Peninsula, there is the extreme eastern point of Russia and all of Eurasia  Cape Dezhnev.

The geographical position in the polar and polar latitudes near cold seas and the dissected relief with a semi-circular orographic barrier from the south, west and east and sloping to the north predetermined the harsh natural conditions of the country with bright, unusually contrasting physical and geographical processes, typical only for this territory.

North-East Siberia is a country of young and ancient structures, expressed by mountain systems, ridges, highlands, plateaus, coastal and intermountain plains. The relief combines ancient glacial forms and modern mountain glaciers, deep terraced valleys with numerous thermokarst lakes. The subarctic climate prevails, almost continuous permafrost, fossil ice and gigantic ice  taryns are developed. Here many rivers freeze to the bottom in winter, and in some valleys, on the contrary, warm sub-frozen waters come out and feed non-freezing water courses throughout the winter. Sparse larch taiga and dwarf cedar thickets are widespread. Large areas are occupied by flat and mountain tundra. There are areas of steppe vegetation up to the north of the Chukotka Peninsula. All these are specific features of the nature of the North-East as an independent physical and geographical country.

Geological structure

Northeastern Siberia belongs to the Mesozoic folding region. The direction of the Mesozoic structures was significantly influenced by ancient massifs оз Paleozoic and pre-Paleozoic,  located within the Northeast and in neighboring territories. The intensity and direction of tectonic processes in the Mesozoic time depended on their stability, tectonic activity and configuration. In the west, the northeast is bordered by the Siberian Precambrian platform, the eastern edge of which had a decisive influence on the direction and intensity of folds in the Verkhoyansk anticlinal zone. The structures of the Mesozoic folding were formed in the Early Cretaceous as a result of the collision of the ancient Siberian continent with the micro-continents of Chukotka and Omolon.

On the territory of the Northeast, there are rocks of different ages, but Mesozoic and Cenozoic are especially widespread. The outcrops of the pre-Riphean basement are composed of gneisses, granite-gneisses, crystalline schists, and marbled limestones and are overlain by Paleozoic and Mesozoic deposits. They are located in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the Chukotka Peninsula (Chukotka Massif), in the upper reaches of the Omolon River (Omolon Massif), on the Taigonos Peninsula (Taigonos Massif) and in the Okhota River basin (Okhotsk Massif). In the central part of the North-East is the Kolyma massif. It lies at the base of the Alazey and Yukagir plateaus, the Kolyma and Aby lowlands. Its pre-Riphean basement is overlain by marine and continental deposits of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. Outcrops of Mesozoic granitoids are developed along the edges of the Kolyma massif.

Geostructures of Mesozoic folding are located between the ancient massifs and the Siberian platform. Mesozoic folded areas and ancient massifs are bordered in the south and east by the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic belt. Its length is about 2500 km, width is 250-300 km. All rocks within its limits are broken through and overlain by dislocated volcanogenic formations of the Lower and Upper Cretaceous, the thickness of which reaches several thousand meters. Cenozoic effusive rocks are poorly developed and distributed mainly off the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The emergence of the Okhotsk-Chukchi belt is apparently associated with the subsidence and fragmentation of the marginal part of the Mesozoic land in connection with the movements of the continental Eurasian, North American and Pacific oceanic lithospheric plates.

Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatism covered vast areas of northeastern Siberia. The metallogeny of this region is associated with it - numerous deposits of tin, tungsten, gold, molybdenum and other metals.

After the completion of folding, the uplifted territory of the Northeast was subjected to erosion. In the Upper Mesozoic and Paleogene, there apparently was a hot climate. This is confirmed by the composition of plant remains (broadleaf and evergreen forms) of the Upper Mesozoic and Paleogene sediments, the coal content of these sediments, and the presence of a lateritic weathering crust.

In the Neogene, under conditions of tectonic rest, the formation of alignment surfaces occurs. The subsequent tectonic uplifts led to the dismemberment of the alignment surfaces, their displacement to different heights, and sometimes deformation. The most intensively rose the edge mountain structures and the Chersky highlands, and some of the coasts sank below sea level. Traces of marine transgressions are known in the river mouths of the eastern part of the Chukotka Peninsula. At this time, the northern shallow part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk sank, the land of Beringia, the New Siberian Islands separated from the mainland.

Volcanic eruptions occurred along the faults. The volcanoes are confined to a strip of tectonic faults, stretching from the Momo-Selennyakh depression to the Kolyma valley. The depression emerged as a rift zone at the site of the expanding Eurasian Plate and the Chukotka - Alaska block of the North American Plate. It stretches, apparently, from the Arctic Ocean from the Gakkel Ridge rift to the young depressions that cut the Chersky Highlands. This is one of the seismic zones in Russia.

The ups and downs of individual land areas led to intensified erosion-accumulative activity: the rivers deeply eroded mountain systems and created terraces. Their alluvial strata contain placer deposits of gold, tin and other minerals. In the river valleys of the North-East, there are up to ten terraces with heights from 2-5 to 400 m. Terraces up to 35-40 m in height were formed in the post-glacial period. River interceptions are associated with a change in the basis of erosion.

Thus, in the development of the relief of the Northeast after the Mesozoic mountain building, two periods can be outlined: 1) the formation of widespread alignment surfaces (peneplains); 2) the development of intense newest tectonic processes that caused splits, deformation and displacement of ancient surfaces of alignment, volcanism, and violent erosion processes. At this time, the formation of the main types of morphostructures takes place: 1) folded-block regions of ancient middle massifs (Alazey and Yukagir plateau, Suntar-Khayata, etc.); 2) mountains, revived by the newest arched-block uplifts, and depressions of the rift zone (Momo-Selenyakhskaya depression); 3) folded and block-folded Mesozoic structures (mountains Verkhoyansk, Sette-Daban, Anyuysk and others, Yanskoe and Elga plateaus, Oymyakonskoe highlands); 4) stratal-accumulative, inclined plains, created mainly by subsidence (Yano-Indigirskaya and Kolymskaya lowlands); 5) fold-block ridges and plateaus on the sedimentary-volcanic complex (Anadyr plateau, Kolyma plateau, Yudomsky, Dzhugdzhur, etc.). As you can see, neotectonic movements determined the main plan of the modern relief.

To the beginning of the Quaternary glaciations the territory had a dismembered relief with significant heights contrasts. This had a significant impact on the development of various types of glaciation. On the plains and in the mountains of the Northeast, traces of several ancient glaciations are known. Many researchers have been and are studying the ancient glaciation of this territory, but there is still no consensus about the amount and types of glaciation, the size of the ice sheets, and their relationship with the glaciations of Siberia and all of Eurasia.

According to V.N. Saks (1948), in the mountains and on the plains there were three glaciations: maximum, Zyryansk and Sartan. In the work of D.M. Kolosov (1947) it is said that on the territory of the North-East there were two types of ancient glaciation - mountain and plain-cover.

Glaciations developed unevenly on different landforms, and therefore several types of mountain glaciation were formed. Glaciation of mountain ranges was expressed in the development valley glaciers with ice collection in carts and through valleys on passes (the length of the glaciers reached 300-350 km). On freestanding mountain domes, ice capsfrom which valley glaciers extended along radii. On the plateaus, huge pass ice fields, combined with the valley glaciers of the dissected plateaus. On the highlands, glaciation assumed a varied character: ice collectors formed on the tops of mountain ranges and massifs, glaciers descended along the slopes of the ridges and then emerged onto the surface of the plateau basement, and even lower valley glaciers descended to the edge of the plateau basement. At the same time, under the influence of climate in different parts of the mountains, the same types of mountain glaciation reached different stages of development. Glaciation of the outer edge of mountain structures, under the oceanic influence, developed to the maximum. The modern glaciation of the southern parts of the Chersky and Verkhoyansky mountain systems is also developing on these mountain slopes.

For the northern plains, one glaciation is assumed, preserved as a relic of the Lower Quaternary ice sheet until the end of the Pleistocene. The reason for this is that there were no conditions for a complete interglacial. Several glacial and interglacial eras have been noted in mountain structures. Their number has not yet been established. There is an opinion about double glaciation, and many authors reject the existence of glaciation on the northern plains east of the Lena. However, a number of authors (Grosvald M.G., Kotlyakov V.M. et al., 1989) convincingly prove the spread of the Zyryansk ice sheet in the Yano-Indigirskaya and Kolyma lowlands. Glaciers, in their opinion, descended south of the New Siberian Islands and the East Siberian Sea.

In the mountains of the Northeast, glaciation, depending on the relief, had a different character: semi-cover, valley-mesh, valley-cara and cara. During the maximum development, the glaciers extended onto foothill plains and shelves. The glaciation was synchronous with the glaciations of all Siberia and, apparently, was caused by global climate fluctuations.

The morphological and geological activity of glaciers and their melt waters in a cold continental climate and permafrost has determined the main types of morphosculpture and Quaternary deposits throughout the territory. The mountains are dominated by relict cryogenic-glacial denudation morphosculptures with erosional processing and Upper Pleistocene glacial deposits, above which, on the slopes of the mountains, colluvial accumulations of different ages are widespread. The plains are covered with lacustrine-alluvial deposits with cryogenic and erosional landforms.

Relief

For the North-East of Russia, in contrast to other physical-geographical countries of Siberia, sharp orographic contrasts are characteristic: medium-altitude mountain systems prevail, along with them there are plateaus, highlands and lowlands.

In the west, the orographic barrier of the country is the Verkhoyansk mountain system. To the south of Verkhoyansk, the Sette-Daban and Yudomsky ridges stretch, separated by the Yudomo-Maisky highlands, and further along the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, the Dzhugdzhur ridge passes. East of the Verkhoyansk Mountains in the northwest direction stretches for 1800 km Chersky ridge.

Between the Chaunskaya Bay and the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk there is a medium-altitude mountain system, consisting of numerous, variously oriented ridges. This entire marginal system of mountains and highlands forms the eastern and southern orographic barriers for the interior regions of the Northeast. The main Pacific-Arctic watershed runs along them, on which the maximum heights of about 2000 m are concentrated. Deep tectonic basins lie between the mountains, reaching out to the sea or separated from it by a mountain barrier. The intermontane basins are lowered in relation to the watersheds by 1000-1600 m. Eastern Chaunskaya Bay, and the Chukotka Upland with heights of 1600-1843 m extends to the shores of the Bering Strait. It also serves as a watershed between two oceans.

In the inner regions of the North-East there are large uplands and plateaus: Yukagir, Alazey, Oymyakonskoe and others. Lowlands occupy coastal territories or narrow “bays” enter intermontane spaces to the south.

Thus, the Northeast is a huge amphitheater, tilted towards the Arctic Ocean. The complex combination of large relief forms is predetermined by the long history of the development of this largest Eurasian peninsula, located in the contact zones of the main continental and oceanic lithospheric plates of the Earth (Eurasian, North American and Pacific).

Climate

The climate of the North-East of Siberia is sharply continental. Many factors influence its formation. Large extent of the territory from north to south between 73 and 55 ° N. predetermines the uneven arrival of solar heat: a large amount of solar insolation in summer and its almost complete absence in most of the territory in winter. The relief structure and the cold waters surrounding the territory cause the free penetration of the cold continental arctic air masses of the Arctic Ocean. Sea air of temperate latitudes comes from the Pacific Ocean, bringing the main amount of precipitation, but its supply to the territory is limited by coastal ridges. The Asian maximum, the Aleutian minimum, as well as circulation processes on the Arctic front, have an impact on the climate.

The northeast is located in three latitudinal climatic zones: arctic, subarctic and temperate. Most of the territory is located in the subarctic belt.

Harsh winter Northeast Siberia lasts about seven months. North of the Arctic Circle, the polar night begins. On the Arctic coast, it lasts from mid-November to late January. At this time, the Arctic North-East does not receive solar heat, and south of the Arctic Circle, the sun is low above the horizon and sends little heat and light, so the radiation balance is negative from October to March.

The northeast cools down strongly in winter, and an area of \u200b\u200bincreased pressure forms there, which is the northeastern spur of the Asian High. The mountainous relief also contributes to the strong cooling of the territory. Cold and dry arctic air is formed here. The Arctic front runs along the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Therefore, the anticyclonic type of weather with a predominance of calm and very low temperatures is typical for intermontane basins and valleys. Isotherms of the coldest month -40 ...-45 ° С outline many intermontane basins. In the regions of Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon, the average January temperature is about -50 ° С. The temperature reaches an absolute minimum in Oymyakon -71 ° С, and in Verkhoyansk -68 ° С. Temperature inversions are characteristic of the interior regions of the Northeast. With a rise of every 100 m, winter temperatures rise here by 2 ° C. For example, in the basin of the upper part of Indigirka on the Oymyakonskoye highlands and on the adjacent slope of the Suntar-Khayata ridge, the average January temperature at an altitude of 777 m is -48 ° C, at an altitude of 1350 m it is already -36.7 ° C, and at an altitude of 1700 m  only -29.5 ° C.

To the east of the Omolon Valley, winter temperatures increase: an isotherm of -20 ° C runs along the eastern part of the Chukchi Peninsula. On the coastal plains in winter it is warmer than in the region of Verkhoyansk, by about 12-13 ° С. In the mountains, tundra and on the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, low temperatures are combined with strong winds. Cyclonic activity is manifested on the Okhotsk coast and Chukotka in connection with the development of the Arctic front.

In the interior of the Northeast, all types of frosty weather form in winter, but frosty weather prevails (strong, hard and extremely frosty). On the coast, the more common weather is moderate and significantly frosty. The frosty and windy weather characteristic of these regions creates a significant winter severity in coastal areas.

A stable snow cover lasts 220-260 days, its height is about 30 cm on the coast of the Laptev Sea and in the region of Verkhoyansk; to the east and south, it increases to 60-70 cm, on the windward slopes of the Okhotsk-Chukotka arc reaches 1-1.5 m. During the period of maximum snow accumulation (March-April), avalanches descend in all mountains. The areas with significant avalanche danger include the Verkhoyansk and Chersky mountain systems. There, in many places, avalanches are widespread and come down all year round. Favorable conditions for avalanches are a sufficient amount of precipitation in the mountains and its redistribution under the influence of strong winds (the creation of multi-meter snow faces and snow cornices), intense solar insolation in the summer, contributing to the recrystallization of snow in firn, slight cloudiness and afforestation of slopes, as well as the spread of shale, the wetted surface of which facilitates the sliding of avalanches.

Summer the influx of solar heat increases. The territory is filled mainly with continental air of temperate latitudes. The Arctic front runs over the northern coastal lowlands. Summer in most of the territory is moderately cool, and in the tundra it is cloudy, cold, with a very short frost-free period. In the mountains from a height of 1000-1200 m, there is no frost-free period, strong winds prevail and temporary snow cover can form in all summer months. The average July temperature in most of the territory is about 10 ° С, in Verkhoyansk - 15 ° С. However, on some days the temperature can rise up to 35 ° C in the inner intermontane basins. With the invasion of arctic air masses, warm weather can give way to cold snaps, and then the average daily temperature drops below 10 ° С. Summers are cooler in the coastal lowlands than in the interior. The weather is changeable with strong winds. The sum of active temperatures reaches a maximum in the basins, but at the same time it is only 600-800 ° C.

The following types of weather are typical for the summer period: cloudy and rainy, with daytime cloudiness and strong heating of the underlying surface; cloudy at night (typical for coastal areas). In July, up to 10-12 days in the depressions, there is little cloudy dry weather. Many mountainous regions are characterized by frosty weather during the period of advective cooling.

Summer precipitation is highly variable from year to year. There are dry years and wet, rainy years. So, in Verkhoyansk for 40 years of observations, the minimum amount of precipitation was 3 mm, and the maximum amount was 60-80 mm.

The distribution of the annual precipitation over the territory is determined by atmospheric circulation and relief. The Pacific Basin receives a lot of precipitation when southerly and southeastern air currents prevail. Therefore, the largest number of them (up to 700 mm per year) is obtained on the eastern slopes of the Taigonos Peninsula and the southern slopes of the Okhotsk-Kolyma watershed. In the basin of the Arctic Ocean, precipitation falls with the arrival of northwestern air masses.

The largest number of them is obtained on the western slopes of the Verkhoyansk mountain system and Suntar-Khayat (718 mm at an altitude of 2063 m), in the mountain system of the Chersky ridge  500-400 mm. Intermontane basins and plateaus, as well as the coast of the East Siberian Sea receive the least amount of precipitation per year - about 200 mm (in Oymyakon - 179 mm). The maximum precipitation occurs in the short warm period of the year  July and August.

Modern glaciation and permafrost

Modern glaciation developed in many mountain systems: the Suntar-Khayata, Verkhoyansk, Chersky ridges (Ulakhan-Chistay ridge) and in the Chukotka Upland. The total glacier area formed by glaciers and large snowfields is about 400 km 2. The number of glaciers is more than 650. The largest center of glaciation is the Suntar-Khayata ridge, where there are more than 200 glaciers with a total area of \u200b\u200bapproximately 201 km 2. The largest number of glaciers is concentrated in the mountains of the Indigirka basin. This is due to the high altitude of the mountains, the dissection of the relief and the abundance of snow.

The formation of glaciation is greatly influenced by humid air masses coming from the Pacific Ocean and its seas. Therefore, this entire territory is attributed to the glaciological region of predominantly Pacific feeding.

The snow line in the Indigirka basin runs at an altitude of 2350-2400 m, on the Suntar-Khayata glaciers it reaches about 2200-2450 m. The ends of the glaciers are in the Indigirka basin at an altitude of about 2000 m. Numerous snowfields are located at various levels. The most widespread are tar and valley glaciers. The length of the glaciers is up to 8 km. There are many hanging glaciers on the steep, steep slopes of the mountains. Currently, the size of glaciers is decreasing. This is evidenced by the division of large glaciers into smaller ones and the retreat of the tongues of glaciers from the terminal moraine to a distance of 400-500 m. However, some glaciers advance, even overlap the terminal moraine and descend below it.

Today's harsh climate is conducive to conservation and development permafrost (underground glaciation). Almost the entire Northeast is covered with intermittent (almost continuous) permafrost, and only small areas of the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk have spots of permafrost among thawed ground. The thickness of the frozen soil reaches 200-600 m. The greatest freezing of the soil with minimum temperatures is in the middle part of the country, in its mountainous area  from the Lena to the Kolyma. There, the permafrost thickness is up to 300 m under the valleys and 300-600 m  in the mountains. The thickness of the active layer is determined by the exposure of slopes, vegetation, and local hydrological and climatic conditions.

Water

Rivers from the territory of the Northeast flow into the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The watershed between them runs along the ridges of Dzhugdzhur, Suntar-Khayata, Kolyma Upland, Anadyr Upland and Chukchi Upland, therefore, the watershed is close to the Pacific Ocean. The largest rivers, the Kolyma and Indigirka, flow into the East Siberian Sea.

River Kolyma begins on the slopes of the southern ridges of the Chersky mountain system, has a length of 2130 km and a basin area of \u200b\u200babout 643 thousand km 2. Its main tributary, the Omolon River, has a length of 1114 km. The high water of the rivers of the entire basin occurs in June, which is associated with the melting of snow. The water level at this time is high, since there is much more snow in its basin than in the Yana and Indigirka basins. The high level is partly due to ice congestion. The formation of powerful floods is associated with heavy rainfall, especially in early summer. The winter runoff of the river is insignificant. Average annual water discharge is 4100 m 3 / s.

River Indigirka originates on the slopes of the Suntar-Khayata ridge, flows through the Oymyakonsky upland, cuts through the Chersky mountain system along deep gorges and goes into the Momo-Selenyakhsky depression. There it receives a large tributary  the Moma River and, bending around the Momsky ridge, goes to the Abyiskaya lowland, and then to the Yano-Indigirskaya. The length of the river is 1726 km, the basin area is about 360 thousand km 2. Its main tributaries are the Seleniy and Moma rivers. Indigirka is fed by snow and rain waters, melting snowfields and glaciers. The rise of water and the main runoff (about 85%) occurs in spring and summer. In winter, the river is shallow and in places on the plain freezes to the bottom. The average annual flow is 1850 m 3 / s.

River Yanabegins in the Verkhoyansk Mountains and flows into the Laptev Sea. Its length is 879 km, the basin area is 238 thousand km 2. In some places it flows through wide ancient valleys filled with alluvium. There are fossil ice outcrops in the coastal cliffs. In lacustrine-alluvial deposits, ice intrusions are widespread - hydrolaccoliths. The spring flood is poorly expressed, since a small amount of snow falls in the Yana basin. Flooding usually occurs in the summer when it rains. The average annual water discharge is about 1000 m 3 / s.

The rivers Kolyma, Indigirka and Yana, at their confluence, form vast low-lying swampy deltas with numerous small lakes. Buried ice occurs in deltas at a shallow depth from the surface. The area of \u200b\u200bthe Yana delta is 528 km 2, the Indigirki area is 7700 km 2. In the mountains, rivers have predominantly narrow valleys, fast currents, rapids. In the lower reaches, all the valleys are wide, the rivers flow through vast swampy lacustrine lowlands.

The rivers of the Northeast freeze in October and open up in late May  early June. The water temperature reaches 10 ° C, but in some places in June-August it can rise to 20 ° C. In many areas in the lower reaches of the river they freeze to the bottom in winter. An interesting and important feature of the winter regime of the rivers of the Northeast  widespread icing (in Yakut  taryny).

Frost is a complex geographic concept. It develops under a combination of hydrological, climatic, permafrost and other conditions. But the ice itself influences the morphology, the nature of the deposits, the microclimate and vegetation of the valley, and also creates its own natural complex.

Naledi of the Northeast are among the largest in the world. Some of them cover an area of \u200b\u200bover 100 km 2. Their formation occurs most intensively in tectonically mobile regions, where they are associated with places of rock disturbances caused by faults. Ice floes grow throughout the winter, filling river beds and floodplains, especially in the mountainous areas of the Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma basins. The largest of them  Momskaya ice  is located on the Mome river and has an area of \u200b\u200b150 km 2. Almost all large ground ice is fed by subpermafrost waters flowing along the lines of tectonic faults. Powerful ascending springs in places of tectonic fractures overcome the cooled soil layer, come to the surface, form ice and feed them all winter, even with frosts of -40 ° C and below. In summer, large ice fields persist for a long time, and some remain for the next winter.

A large amount of water is concentrated in the ice, which flows into the rivers in summer and is an additional source of their food. In winter, ice holes are formed on some mountain rivers. Their occurrence is also associated with the outflows of warm subpermafrost waters. Fogs and frost are formed over them and ice. Sources of subpermafrost waters are, especially in winter, of great practical importance for water supply to the population and the mining industry.

All major rivers of the North-East in the lower reaches are navigable: the Kolyma  from the mouth of the Bahapcha river (Sinegorye village), Indigirka  below the mouth of the Moma river, and along Yana ships go from Verkhoyansk. The duration of navigation on them is 110-120 days. The rivers are rich in valuable fish species  nelma, muksun, whitefish, sturgeon, grayling, etc.

Lakes. In the lowlands, especially in the lower reaches of the Yana, Indigirka, Alazeya and Kolyma, there are a lot of lakes and swamps. Most of the lake basins are of thermokarst origin. They are associated with the thawing of permafrost and underground ice. Lakes freeze in September  early October and are covered with thick ice for a long winter (up to 2-3 m), which leads to frequent deaths and death of ichthyofauna. Ice melting occurs in May and early June, and floating ice on large lakes also occurs in July.

Soils, vegetation and fauna

A variety of physical and geographical conditions (mountainous and flat relief, low air and soil temperatures, different precipitation amounts, low thickness of the active layer, excessive moisture) contribute to the formation of a variegated soil cover. Harsh climatic conditions and permafrost retard the development of chemical and biological weathering processes, and therefore soil formation is slow. The soil profile is thin (10-30 cm), gristly, with a low humus content, peaty and moist. In the lowlands are common tundra-gley, humus-peat-boggy and gley-taiga permafrost soils... On the floodplains of river valleys, floodplain humus-sod, permafrost-gley or permafrost-boggy soils... In the floodplains of tundra rivers, permafrost occurs at a shallow depth, sometimes ice layers appear on the coastal cliffs. The soil cover is poorly developed.

The mountains under the forests are dominated by mountain podbury, taiga permafrost soils, among which on gentle slopes are found, gley-taiga permafrost... Permafrost taiga with slight podzolization are common on the southern slopes. The mountains of the Okhotsk coast are dominated by mountain podzolic soil. In the mountain tundra, underdeveloped rough skeletal mountain tundra soilspassing into stony placers.

Vegetation North-East Siberia consists of representatives three floras: Okhotsk-Kamchatka, East Siberian and Chukchi. The most diverse in species composition is the Okhotsk-Kamchatka flora, which occupies the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Most of the mountains are covered with northern taiga sparse forests and mountain tundra. The lowlands are occupied by tundra, turning into forest-tundra.

The history of the development of the Northeast and adjacent territories (the ancient landmasses Beringia, Okhotia and Eoarctic, connecting the Northeast with Alaska), as well as the climate, predetermined the modern appearance of the vegetation cover of the tundra, forest-tundra and taiga, therefore, in terms of species composition, they differ from similar zones of neighboring territories. Siberia.

On the far north, on the coastal lowland, located tundra... Lichen tundra is not typical for it, since clayey soils are highly waterlogged and peat-bog and peat-gley soils prevail. It is dominated by hummock-hypnum-sphagnum tundra. Its surface is formed by dense bumps of cotton grass. The height of the herbage is up to 30-50 cm. The hummock tundra occupies approximately 30-50% of the area of \u200b\u200btundra groupings. Uneven thawing and freezing of the soil leads to deformation of the soil, rupture of the soil and the formation of bare spots (0.5-1 m in diameter) around the bumps, in the cracks of which mosses, lichens, saxifrage, and creeping polar willow huddle.

Farther south there is a streak forest tundra... It is formed by shrubs of alder, willow, birch, which alternate with tufts of cotton grass and with individual specimens of the oppressed Cajander larch.

All the rest of the plains and lower parts of the mountains covered larch forests on gley-taiga abominable soils and mountain taiga podburs. The main forest-forming tree species is Cajandera larch. From deciduous species in the floodplain forests there are fragrant poplar and relict Korean chozenia willow. Pine and spruce are common only on the southern slopes of the Verkhoyansk Range and rise into the mountains only up to a height of 500 m.

In the undergrowth of larch forests, common cedar dwarf, shrub alder, blue currant, or wild grouse, thickets of birches  Middendorf and lean; the ground cover consists of cowberry, crowberry and lichen shrubs. There are few lichens on the northern slopes; mosses predominate there. The tallest larch forests grow on southern slopes. On the slopes of the northern exposure, the forest-tundra is prevalent.

On the slopes of the southern exposure of valleys and high terraces, steppe plots. They are known in the wide valleys of the Yana (between the mouths of its tributaries Dulgalakh and Adycha), Indigirka (in the estuarine parts of Moma, etc.) and Kolyma, as well as in the Chukotka tundra. The vegetation of the steppes on the slopes consists of steppe sedge, bluegrass, tipets, couch grass, forbs  Veronica, Potentilla. Under the steppes, thin gravelly soils, close to chestnut ones, were formed. On the terraces above the floodplain, there are grass-forb steppes developing in drained areas, and sedge-grass-forb, located in the lowest places. Among the steppe vegetation, local species are distinguished, genetically related mainly to the vegetation of the mountainous regions of Southern and Central Siberia, other species came along the river valleys from Central Asia during the warm interglacial period, and species that have survived from the "tundra-steppe" past of the Bering North.

The predominance of mountainous terrain within the Northeast determines altitudinal zonality in the placement of vegetation. The nature of the mountains is extremely diverse. It determines the structure of the zonation of each system while maintaining the general type of altitudinal belts, which are characteristic only for the North-East of Siberia. They are clearly shown on soil and vegetation maps, as well as on the altitudinal zonation diagram. The light-coniferous taiga (except for the Kharaulakh Mountains and the Chukotka Upland) begins the altitudinal zonation in the lower parts of the slopes, but it does not rise high in the mountains: in the Chersky system  up to 650 m, and in the Dzhugdzhur about 950 m.Above the taiga, a closed shrub belt forms dwarf cedar up to 2 m high with an admixture of dwarf birch.

North-East  one of the main habitats dwarf cedar  a nut-bearing plant that has adapted to the harsh subarctic climate and thin rubble soils. Its life forms are different: bushes 2–2.5 m high grow along river valleys, and single-stemmed trees spread on the summit plateaus and hills. With the onset of frost, all branches are pressed to the ground, and they are covered with snow. In spring, the warm rays of the sun "lift" them. Dwarf nuts are small, thin-shelled and very nutritious. They contain up to 50-60% oil, a large amount of protein, B vitamins, and young shoots of the plant are rich in vitamin C. On the slopes of hills and dwarf ridge an important regulator of flow. Dumplings are the favorite places of many animals of all high-altitude zones, they find shelter and abundant food here.

At the upper reaches of the belt, elfin trees gradually thin out, more and more pressed to the ground and gradually replaced by mountain tundra with stony placers. Above 800-1200 m, tundra and cold deserts with many snowfields dominate. The tundra also descends in separate spots into the lower belts of  dwarf cedar and larch woodlands.

There is no such combination of altitudinal belts in any mountain system of Russia. The proximity of the cold Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk determined the decrease in altitude zones in the coastal ridges, and even at the foothills of the Taigonos Peninsula, cedar tundras give way to hummocky  analogues of the northern plain tundra (this occurs at the latitude of southern Timan and the north of Lake Onega).

Animal world North-East Siberia belongs to the Arctic and European-Siberian subregions of the Paleoarctic region. The fauna consists of tundra and taiga forms. However, many species of animals typical for the taiga do not inhabit the eastern Verkhoyansk Mountains. The fauna of the Chukchi Peninsula is very similar to the fauna of Alaska, since the Bering Strait was formed only at the end of the Ice Age. Zoogeographers believe that the tundra fauna was formed on the territory of Beringia. The Northeast elk is close to the North American elk. Beloshey goose nests on the Chukchi Peninsula and winters off the rocky coasts of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Guillemots are endemic to the Northeast and Alaska. Dallia (black pike) from the order of salmon is found in small rivers, lakes and swamps of the Chukchi Peninsula and in northwestern Alaska. This is the most frost-resistant fish breed. In winter, when water bodies freeze, it burrows into the ground and hibernates there in a frozen state. In the spring, Dallia thaws out and continues to live normally.

Mountain-tundra species of animals along loaches penetrate far to the south, into the forest zone. The most typical of them is the endemic yellow-bellied lemming, which does not penetrate east of Indigirka. Next to them, in the mountain tundra of the Northeast, animals of open spaces of Central Asian origin live. They penetrated here during the xerothermal period and are now preserved here. These include, for example, the black-capped marmot (tarbagan). In the cold season (eight to nine months), he falls asleep in burrows located in permafrost soil. For the same long period, the Kolyma ground squirrel, an inhabitant of the forest zone, falls asleep. Up to the Lena delta, a mountain finch penetrated the open alpine landscapes. Among the predators in the taiga, there are bears, foxes, and ermine. Lynx and wolverine are occasionally seen. The sable was almost completely destroyed. But now it has been restored and in the basins of the Kolyma, Oloy, Yana and on the Koni peninsula there are separate centers of its habitat.

Among ungulates, wild reindeer are widespread in the taiga and tundra, and in the taiga, elk. Musk deer live on the rocky forest slopes of the mountains. The mountain tundra is inhabited by the bighorn sheep (Chukchi subspecies). He lives at altitudes from 300-400 to 1500-1700 m and prefers rocks when choosing sediments. Of the rodents in the mountain forests, the squirrel, which is the main game animal, is widespread. In the past, the Asiatic river beaver lived in the Kolyma and Omolon basins; the northern border of its distribution was about 65 ° N. At present, small rodents are diverse: red vole, root vole, forest lemming, northern pika. In the thickets of river valleys, the white hare is widespread.

Among the birds, it is worth noting the stone grouse, hazel grouse, pike, kiksha, nutcracker and tundra partridge living on stone placers. A very beautiful bird  rose gull was named the pearl of the Arctic. The small swan, white-headed goose, handsome Siberian crane  white crane, white-billed loon, falcons  balaban, gyrfalcon and spas, hawks  white-tailed eagle and golden eagle have become rare.

Mountain regions and provinces

Natural complexes of plains and mountains are developed in the Northeast. On the lowlands there are natural zones of tundra, forest-tundra and sparse taiga. On the territory of the plains, there are two physical-geographical provinces: tundra and forest-tundra Yano-Indigiro-Kolymskaya and Abyisko-Kolymskaya northern taiga. The rest of the territory is occupied by mountains and is subdivided into mountainous areas.

The Yano-Indigiro-Kolyma province is located along the Arctic coast within the Yano-Indigirskaya and Kolyma lowlands.

Zoning is manifested in the distribution of vegetation and soils. The coast is occupied by arctic tundra on gley, peat-gley and bog soils. To the south, they are replaced by typical moss-lichen, which turn into forest-tundra with gley-permafrost soils. A specific feature of the Northeast is the absence of a subzone of shrub tundra. Larch woodlands also appear within the zone of their distribution, which is due to the sharp continental climate. Larch woodlands and shrub tundra alternate with areas of sedge-cotton grass tussock tundra.

The Yano-Kolyma tundras are the main nesting places for many waterfowl, among them the rose gull and the Siberian Crane. Rose gull makes nests on bumps of sedge-cotton grass tundra and on islands near small lakes and channels. After nesting (late July  early August) adults and juveniles fly to the north, northwest and northeast. The area of \u200b\u200bwinter migrations of rose gull runs from the Bering Strait to the southern islands of the Kuril ridge. The main nesting sites of the Siberian Crane are low-lying, highly moistened, lakeside tundras between Yana and Alazeya. Birds fly to Southeast China for the winter.

Abyisko-Kolyma province is confined to the largest intermontane depression. The surface of the watersheds here is covered with sparse larch forests, sedge-cotton grass swamps and lakes. In river valleys, swampy meadows, thickets of bushes are developed, and in drier areas there are forests of larch, poplar and chozenia.

Verkhoyansk region occupies a marginal western position. The altitudinal zonality of the soil and vegetation cover is most fully expressed on the Suntar-Khayata and Setta-Daban ridges. The lower zone is represented by northern taiga sparse larch forests, which rise up to 1200-1300 m along the northern slopes, and up to 600-800 m along the southern slopes. Lichens predominate in the ground cover; the shrub layer is formed by lingonberry, crowberry and wild rosemary. A dwarf birch from Middendorf birch is developed. Gallery forests of fragrant poplar and chozenia with an admixture of larch, birch, aspen and Siberian mountain ash stretch along the river valleys on sandy-pebble deposits.

Above the upper border of the larch crooked forest, thickets of dwarf birch, shrub alder, and dwarf pine in combination with lichen-shrub tundra dominate. The next belt is mountain-tundra with taryns. Its upper boundary should be drawn at the ends of the glaciers (1800-2100 m). Above are high mountain deserts with glaciers and snowfields. In autumn, winter and spring avalanches come down.

Anyui-Chukotka region stretches from the lower reaches of the Kolyma to the Bering Strait for almost 1,500 km.

The tundra of Chukotka differs from other tundra of the Arctic coast of Russia in that its main part is mountain tundra with stony placers, rocks and thickets of shrubs, and the coastal tundra is grassy-dwarf shrub and hummock tundra with cottongrass vaginalis and wild rosemary.

The flora of vascular plants of the Chukchi tundra contains about 930 species and subspecies. This is the richest flora in the Arctic region. Chukotka was a part of Megaberingia, and this had a significant impact on the composition of the flora of its plant communities. On the southern slopes of ridges and above-floodplain terraces, mountain-steppe vegetation has been preserved - the remains of the Beringian tundra-steppe landscapes. North American plant species grow there: among the dryad tundras, on limestones, there are the Meckenzie penny, the cat's paw is dense, and in the willow-herbaceous communities there is balsamic poplar and edible viburnum. In the nival tundra, the egalik primrose is widespread. Lensky fescue is widespread in the steppe areas. B.A. Yurtsev calls it the emblem of the steppe complexes of the North-East of Siberia. Once upon a time, horses, bison, saigas and other herbivores lived in the tundra and steppes of Beringia. Now the problem of sunken Beringia is attracting the attention of various specialists.

In Chukotka, near the Beringian coasts, there are thermal springs with temperatures ranging from 15 to 77 ° C. They create favorable conditions for the development of lush and varied vegetation. There are up to 274 plant species here. In harsh climatic conditions, the flora at the hot springs has a subarctic and temperate character with a predominance of arcto-alpine elements  mountain shrub-moss communities. Among them grow cassiopeia, diapencia, loiselaria, phyllodoce, Kamchatka rhododendron, etc., as well as mountain-tundra Asian-American or Beringian species  anemone, chrysanthemum, primrose, saxifrage, sedge, etc.

Anthropogenic impact on nature

The nature of the Northeast is experiencing a noticeable anthropogenic impact due to the work of off-road vehicles (all-terrain vehicles), construction, geological surveys and mining, reindeer grazing and frequent fires.

Fur farming and fur trade for squirrels, arctic fox, ermine, white hare, muskrat are developed on the territory. Plain and mountain tundra and forest tundra are good reindeer pastures. One of the main food for reindeer in winter is bushy lichen-kladonia (deer moss). The restoration of its reserves takes five to seven years. Due to the anthropogenic impact, the pasture fund is decreasing, therefore, strict adherence to the pasture load and a careful attitude of the entire population to reindeer pastures are necessary.

The main commercial fish  vendace, muksun, nelma, omul, whitefish, etc.  are concentrated in the lower reaches of the Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma rivers. In warm areas of the valleys of Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma and other rivers, early varieties of cabbage, potatoes and other vegetables are grown with special agricultural techniques.

The active development of the territory contributed to a change in natural landscapes, a decrease in the number and ranges of many species of animals and plants, for example, the Chukchi bighorn sheep, Siberian crane and shovel, nesting only in Russia, Bardov's sandpiper, present shoe, etc.

The nature of the Northeast is very vulnerable, therefore, with increased human activity, whole natural complexes (ecosystems) die. For example, during the development of alluvial deposits, they completely destroy large areas of floodplains, where a wide variety of animals and plants are concentrated. On the territory of this huge physical and geographical country, there is still only one reserve  Magadansky, several complex and branch nature reserves (nesting of waterfowl) and natural monuments, and among them  a protected zone of mammoth fauna.

Scientists propose to create a number of protected areas here, for example, the Buordakh Natural Park with the basins of the left tributaries of the Moma and Mount Pobeda. Among the unique geographical features of this region are the world's largest ice, Ulakhan-Taryn (Momskaya), which does not completely melt every year, and in the valley on gravelly slopes of the southern exposure  the Yakut mountain steppes, turning into steppe alpine lawns and mountain tundra. It is also proposed to create the Central Yakutsk Nature Reserve as a biosphere, where the Chukotka bighorn sheep have survived on the rocky shores of Lake Elgygytgyn, where there are places of calving of wild reindeer  the only large population in the entire Northeast. Here, at the limit of distribution, there are poplar-chozenia valley forests, steppe areas have been preserved.

The climatic conditions of Eastern Siberia are largely determined by its geographic location within the Asian continent. The Siberian anticyclone, which forms in the center of Asia in winter, a high-pressure area, a powerful spur of which occupies the whole of Eastern Siberia, has a great influence on the climatic conditions of the region. In conditions of a stable anticyclonic type of weather, winter is characterized by low cloudiness and a predominance of calm, which entails strong cooling. Clear, harsh, little snow, stable and long winters and rather dry, short and hot summers - these are the main features of the climate in Eastern Siberia. Frosts, for example, in the region of Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon reach -60, -70 °. These are the lowest air temperatures that are observed on the globe, therefore the area of \u200b\u200bVerkhoyansk and Oymyakon is called the cold pole. Average monthly air temperatures of the coldest month - January - range from -25 -40 ° in the south of the region to -48 ° in Verkhoyansk. In summer, daily air temperatures sometimes rise to 30-40 °. Average monthly temperatures of the warmest month - July - in the northern part of the region (in the tundra zone) are about 10 °, in the south, in the upper reaches of the Yenisei (Minusinsk depression), up to 20.8 °. The transition of air temperature through 0 ° in the extreme north is observed in mid-June, in autumn - in mid-September, and in the southern parts of the region (Minusinskaya depression) - in the twenties of April and in mid-October. The arid Minusinsk Basin stands out sharply in terms of its climatic conditions; its climate approaches the climate of the steppes of the European part of the USSR.

Little precipitation falls. In the predominant part of the district, their number does not exceed 200-400 mm per year. The Leno-Vilyui lowland (200 mm) is extremely poor in precipitation. Even less precipitation falls in the north, in the Subpolar Sea Lowland, where their annual amount does not exceed 100 mm. So, for example, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe river delta. Lena falls only about 90 mm per year. Approximately the same amount of precipitation falls on the islands of the Arctic zone (Novo-Siberian Islands, Wrangel Island). Precipitation is more abundant in the Sayan Mountains, where their annual amount reaches 600-700 mm, and in some places even 1200 mm.

Most of the precipitation (70-80%) falls in the summer in the form of rains, which are usually heavy. In the cold part of the soda there is little precipitation - no more than 50 mm.

The snow cover is not very thick; only in the Yenisei basin and within the Central Siberian Plateau does a relatively large amount of snow fall. The least amount of snow falls in the Yana and Indigirka basins.

In the conditions of the harsh climate of Eastern Siberia, with its long, little snow and cold winters, a characteristic feature of the region is the widespread distribution of permafrost. The thickness of the permafrost layer in the northern and central regions reaches 200-500 m and more. In the southern parts of the region (Transbaikalia, the upper Yenisei basin), the permafrost thickness decreases, more or less significant areas devoid of permafrost (taliks) appear.

The presence of permafrost creates complex hydrogeological conditions. Groundwater reserves in most of Eastern Siberia are very poor; groundwater is mainly represented by the upper water, which does not participate in river feeding. Outputs of subpermafrost waters are relatively rare and are confined to areas of young faults in the earth's crust and karst areas (upper reaches of the Aldan).

In a number of places (the Lena-Vilyui lowland, the lowlands of the estuarine sections of the rivers Kolyma and Indigirka, etc.), buried ice occurs at a shallow depth from the surface, occupying significant areas; their thickness sometimes reaches 5-10 m and more.

The harsh climate and permafrost determine the uniqueness of the water regime in the territory of Eastern Siberia. With the complete impermeability of frozen soils, low losses for filtration and evaporation, the surface runoff is relatively high here, despite the small amount of atmospheric precipitation. Permafrost is the reason for the poor recharge of rivers with groundwater and the widespread freezing phenomenon, as well as the formation of ice. Under permafrost conditions, erosion processes also develop in a peculiar way. Soils bound by permafrost are difficult to erode; therefore, deep erosion develops poorly. Lateral erosion predominates, leading to widening of the valleys.

Research carried out in recent years has shown that modern glaciation has a significant distribution in the territory of Eastern Siberia. It is found in the most elevated parts of the Verkhoyansk and Chersky ridges - in the upper reaches of the Yana and Indigirka basins. The area of \u200b\u200bglaciation reaches 600-700 km 2, which is approximately equal to the area of \u200b\u200bmodern glaciation in Altai. The glaciers are small. The largest glacier of the Sauntarskaya group (on the watershed of Indigirka and Okhota) is up to 10 km long.

Eastern Siberia is part of the Asian territory Russian Federation... Located from the borders of the Pacific Ocean to the Yenisei River. This zone is characterized by an extremely harsh climate and limited fauna and flora.

Geographical description

Eastern and occupy almost two-thirds of the territory of Russia. They are located on the plateau. The eastern zone covers an area of \u200b\u200babout 7.2 million square meters. km. Her possessions stretch up to the Sayan mountain ranges. Most of the territory is represented by the tundra lowland. The mountains of Transbaikalia play a significant role in the formation of the relief.

Despite the harsh climatic conditions, there are quite a few large cities in Eastern Siberia. The most attractive from an economic point of view are Norilsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Achinsk, Yakutsk, Ulan-Ude, etc. Within the zone are the Trans-Baikal and Krasnoyarsk Territories, the Republics of Yakutia, Buryatia, Tuva and other administrative regions.

Taiga is the main type of vegetation. It stretches from Mongolia to the borders of the forest-tundra. Covers more than 5 million sq. km. Most of the taiga is represented by coniferous forests, which make up 70% of the local vegetation. Soils develop unevenly relative to natural areas. In the taiga zone, the soil is favorable and stable, in the tundra zone it is stony and frozen.

Insignificant swamps are observed within the interfluve and lowlands. However, there are much less of them than in the same Western Siberia. But in the eastern region arctic deserts and deciduous plantations are often found.

Terrain characteristics

Eastern Siberia of Russia is at a high level above the sea. All the fault of the plateau, which is located in the middle of the zone. Here the platform height varies from 500 to 700 meters above sea level. The relative averaging of the area is noted. The highest points are the interfluve of the Lena River and the Vilyui Plateau - up to 1700 meters.

The base of the Siberian platform is represented by a crystalline folded basement, on which there are huge sedimentary layers up to 12 kilometers thick. The north of the zone is determined by the Aldan shield and the Anabar massif. The average thickness of the soil is about 30 kilometers.

Today the Siberian platform contains several main types of rocks. These are marble, and crystalline schist, and charnockite, etc. The oldest deposits date back 4 billion years. Igneous rocks were formed as a result of eruptions. Most of these deposits are found in and also in the Tunguska depression.

The modern relief is a combination of lowlands and uplands. Rivers flow in the valleys, swamps are formed, conifers grow better on higher elevations.

Features of the water area

It is generally accepted that the Far East faces the Arctic Ocean with its "facade". The eastern region is bordered by seas such as the Kara, Siberian and Laptev seas. Of the largest lakes, Baikal, Lama, Taimyr, Pyasino and Khantayskoye are worth highlighting.

Rivers flow in deep valleys. The most significant of them are Yenisei, Vilyui, Lena, Angara, Selenga, Kolyma, Olekma, Indigirka, Aldan, Nizhnyaya Tunguska, Vitim, Yana and Khatanga. The total length of the rivers is about 1 million km. Most of the inland basin of the region belongs to the Arctic Ocean. Other external water areas include rivers such as Ingoda, Argun, Shilka and Onon.

The main source of food for the inner basin of Eastern Siberia is the snow cover, which melts in large volumes under the influence of sunlight since the beginning of summer. The next most important role in the formation of the continental water area is played by rain and groundwater. The highest level of basin runoff is observed in summer.

The largest and most important river in the region is the Kolyma. Its water area occupies more than 640 thousand square meters. km. The length is about 2.1 thousand km. The river originates in the Verkhnekolymsk Upland. Water consumption exceeds 120 cubic meters per year. km.

Eastern Siberia: climate

The formation of the meteorological features of a region is determined by its territorial location. The climate of Eastern Siberia can be briefly described as continental, consistently severe. There are significant seasonal fluctuations in cloudiness, temperature, and precipitation. The Asian anticyclone forms vast areas of increased pressure in the region, especially this phenomenon occurs in winter. On the other hand, severe frost makes the air circulation changeable. Because of this, temperature fluctuations at different times of the day are more significant than in the west.

The climate of North-East Siberia is represented by variable air masses. It is characterized by increased precipitation and dense snow cover. This area is dominated by continental currents, which rapidly cool in the ground layer. That is why in January the temperature drops to a minimum. Arctic winds prevail at this time of the year. Often in winter, you can observe air temperatures down to -60 degrees. Basically, such minimums are inherent in depressions and valleys. On the plateau, the indicators do not drop below -38 degrees.

Warming is noted with the arrival of air flows from China and Central Asia to the region.

winter time

It is not without reason that Eastern Siberia is considered to be the most difficult and severe. The table of temperature indicators in winter is proof of this (see below). These indicators are presented as averaged values \u200b\u200bfor the last 5 years.

Due to the increased dryness of the air, the constancy of the weather and the abundance of sunny days, such low rates are more easily tolerated than in a humid climate. One of the defining meteorological characteristics of winter in Eastern Siberia is the absence of wind. Most of the season there is a moderate calm, so there are practically no blizzards and snowstorms here.

Interestingly, in the middle of Russia, the frost of -15 degrees is felt much stronger than in Siberia -35 C. Nevertheless, such low temperatures significantly worsen the living conditions and activities of local residents. All living quarters have thickened walls. Expensive fuel boilers are used to heat buildings. The weather begins to improve only with the onset of March.

Warm seasons

In fact, spring in this region is short, as it comes late. The eastern one, which changes only with the arrival of warm Asian air currents, begins to wake up only by mid-April. It was then that the stability of positive temperatures in the daytime was noted. Warming begins in March, but it is insignificant. By the end of April, the weather begins to change for the better. In May, the snow cover completely melts and the vegetation blooms.

In summer, the weather in the south of the region becomes relatively hot. This is especially true of the steppe zone of Tuva, Khakassia and Transbaikalia. In July, the temperature here rises to +25 degrees. The highest rates are observed on flat terrain. It is still cool in the valleys and in the highlands. If we take the whole of Eastern Siberia, then the average temperature in summer here is from +12 to +18 degrees.

Features of the climate in autumn

At the end of August, the first frosts begin to envelop the Far East. They are observed mainly in the northern part of the region at night. During the day, the bright sun is shining, there are rains with sleet, and sometimes the wind is stronger. It should be noted that the transition to winter is much faster than from spring to summer. In the taiga, this period takes about 50 days, and in the steppe area - up to 2.5 months. All these are characteristic features that distinguish Eastern Siberia from other northern zones.

The climate in autumn is also represented by an abundance of rain coming from the west. Wet Pacific winds blow from the east most often.

Rainfall

Relief is responsible for the circulation of the atmosphere in Eastern Siberia. Both the pressure and the speed of air mass flows depend on it. The region receives about 700 mm of precipitation annually. The maximum figure for the reporting period is 1000 mm, the minimum is 130 mm. The level of precipitation is not clear-cut.

On the plateau in the middle lane it rains more often. Due to this, the amount of precipitation sometimes exceeds 1000 mm. The driest region is the Yakutsk. Here the amount of precipitation varies within 200 mm. The least rainfall is from February to March - up to 20 mm. The western regions of Transbaikalia are considered optimal zones for vegetation with respect to precipitation.

Eternal Frost

Today in the world there is no place that could compete in terms of continentality and meteorological anomalies with a region called Eastern Siberia. The climate in some zones is striking in its severity. There is a permafrost zone in the immediate vicinity of the Arctic Circle.

This area is characterized by light snow cover and low temperatures throughout the year. Because of this, mountain weather and soil lose a huge amount of heat, freezing to whole meters in depth. The soils are mostly rocky. Ground waters are underdeveloped, often freeze over for decades.

Vegetation of the region

The nature of Eastern Siberia is mostly represented by taiga. Such vegetation extends for hundreds of kilometers from the Lena River to the Kolyma. In the south, the taiga borders with The local possessions are untouched by man. Nevertheless, due to the arid climate, the threat of large-scale fires always hangs over them. In winter, the temperature in the taiga drops to -40 degrees, but in summer, the indicators often rise to +20. The amount of precipitation is moderate.

Also, the nature of Eastern Siberia is represented by the tundra zone. This zone is adjacent to the Arctic Ocean. The soils are bare, the temperature is low, the humidity is excessive. In mountainous areas such flowers as cotton grass, gravilat, poppy, saxifrage grow. Of the trees in the region, spruce, willow, poplar, birch, and pine can be distinguished.

Animal world

Almost all regions of Eastern Siberia are not distinguished by the richness of fauna. The reasons for this are permafrost, lack of food and undeveloped deciduous flora.

The largest animals are the brown bear, lynx, elk and wolverine. Foxes, ferrets, ermines, badgers and weasels can sometimes be found. Musk deer, sables, deer and bighorn sheep live in the central zone.

Because of the ever-frozen soil, there are only a few species of rodents here: squirrels, chipmunks, flying squirrels, beavers, marmots, etc. But the feathered world is extremely diverse: capercaillie, crossbill, hazel grouse, goose, crow, woodpecker, duck, nutcracker, sandpiper, etc. ...

Eastern Siberia - this is the eastern, mountainous part of Siberia between Western Siberia and the Far East of Russia. The region stretches from the borders of Mongolia and China in the south to the polar seas in the north. Eastern Siberia covers an area more than 7 million km².

This vast territory was annexed to the Russian state in the second half XVIII century... In our time, Eastern Siberia is still the least populated region of Russia.

The formation of the climate in Eastern Siberia is influenced by its territorial location and relief features.

The territory is located in a sharply continental climate.

Eastern Siberia is located in arctic, subarctic and moderate belts.

The continentality of the climate is manifested in a large amplitude summer and winter temperatures (it reaches 40-65 ° C, and in Eastern Yakutia - up to 100 ° C), as well as in sharp temperature fluctuations during the day and in a relatively small amount of precipitation.

The position of Eastern Siberia almost in the center of the vast continent affects the features of the circulation of air masses.

In winter, a vast area of \u200b\u200bhigh atmospheric pressure dominates the cooled earth's surface - Asian anticyclone... Therefore, in winter, clear, slightly cloudy and dry, but very cold weather prevails. The average air temperature in January in the vast area of \u200b\u200bEastern Siberia varies from -26 ° С in the south-west to -38 ... -42 ° С in the Central Lowland. In valleys and hollows, the air temperature can drop to -60 ° C.

Although cyclonic activity is weakened in winter, it significantly affects the weather: air masses change, precipitation falls, and a snow cover forms. The height of the snow cover does not exceed 30-50 cm; such a layer of snow does not protect the earth's surface from deep freezing.

In summer, when the land warms up quickly, the air pressure decreases. Therefore, colder arctic air masses from the north or more humid Atlantic air masses from the west move here.

In summer, when the weather is clear, the area receives a large amount of solar heat. Therefore, despite the influx of cold air from the Arctic seas, from the north of Western Siberia and from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, average temperatures in July vary across the territory from north to south from +14 to +18 ° С.

In the valley of the Vilyui River, for example, at a latitude of almost 65 °, the average July temperature is about + 19 ° C, and the maximum temperature reaches + 38 ° C! It is the hottest summer at this latitude in the Northern Hemisphere.

Average annual temperatures in Eastern Siberia are almost everywhere below 0 ° C.

The climate of the territory is rather dry. The average annual precipitation is 150-400 mm. They fall mainly in July and August.

The relief has a great influence on the distribution of precipitation. A striking example of this is the Khamar-Daban ridge: its northwestern slopes facing Lake Baikal receive 800-1400 mm of precipitation per year, and less than 300 mm falls on the southeastern slopes per year.

The large extent of the territory causes great differences between different regions of Eastern Siberia. Some areas in the south receive solar heat no less than the southern regions of Ukraine. About a quarter of the region's territory is located beyond the Arctic Circle, where the polar night reigns in winter and the sun does not rise above the horizon for two months.

But due to the great dryness of the air, the abundance of clear, sunny days and the absence of winds, severe frosts are tolerated in Siberia relatively easily. Residents of Irkutsk or Chita consider a frost at -30 ° C to be as invigorating as Muscovites do at ten degrees.

The most important consequence of the sharply continental climate of the region can be considered the widespread permafrost.

Permafrost has a huge impact on the formation of landscapes in Eastern Siberia. In some areas, the thickness of the permafrost layer reaches hundreds of meters. For example, in the Vilyui river basin it is 600 meters, and in the south of the territory it is about 5-10 meters. In summer, the upper layer of permafrost in the north thaws only 20-40 cm, in the south it thaws up to several meters of soil. The rocks lying below keep temperatures below zero for thousands of years.

Permafrost is the main cause of wetlands. And also the reason for the formation of permafrost-taiga soils here.

Sea coasts formed by fossil ice strata have a specific character. In the tundra, sinkhole (thermokarst) lake basins are formed.

For your information, thermokarst - the process of uneven subsidence of soils and underlying rocks due to thawing underground ice... As a result, craters and dips are formed.

In many areas there are hydrolaccoliths - characteristic domed hills with an ice core. The Yakuts call them Bulgunnyakhs.

Hydrolaccoliths

Climatic differences in the region.

On the territory of the Central Siberian Plateau, the most favorable conditions are formed (sufficient heat and moisture), there falls from 600 to 1000 millimeters of precipitation. To the east, on the territory of Central Yakutia, with a decrease in precipitation to 200 - 250 millimeters, aridity increases. Only here negative differences between precipitation and evaporation are observed, which forms the steppe landscapes. The climate of Lake Baikal and its coasts is of a marine nature, which is determined by the large size of the lake and its isolation from the surrounding territory by mountain ranges. In winter, a center of low pressure forms over Lake Baikal. And from the area of \u200b\u200bincreased pressure over Eastern Siberia, winds blow along the river valleys towards Baikal. The minimum precipitation is observed in February - March (10 - 20 millimeters). In Transbaikalia, due to a decrease in precipitation to 300 - 400 millimeters, aridity increases from north to south. In the southwest and especially in the southeast of Transbaikalia, where evaporation exceeds precipitation by 200 millimeters, steppes are formed. However, great aridity is noted in river valleys, in intermontane basins and on the southern slopes of the mountains. Unlike other regions of Russia, in Eastern Siberia the forest on the northern slopes enters the southernmost regions of Transbaikalia, and the steppes along river valleys are found north of 60 ° latitude.

A unique place. The Minusinsk Basin is a large ancient intermontane trough bounded from the east by the Eastern Sayan, from the west by the Kuznetsk Alatau, from the south by the Western Sayan, and from the north by the low Arga ridge.

Interesting climatic features observed here in winter are temperature inversions, that is, the inverse vertical distribution of temperature: its increase from bottom to top instead of its usual decrease. Inversions are especially typical for intermontane basins, where masses of heavy cold air stagnate. With a predominance of clear and frosty weather, intense radiation from the surface of a large amount of heat occurs here, which explains the especially low temperatures of winter months in intermontane basins.

In terms of the number of sunny warm days, the Minusinsk Basin differs significantly from the rest of Eastern Siberia. The warm climate allows these places to be called Siberian Italy. Here they are successfully engaged in the cultivation of not only grain crops, but also gardening and melon growing.

For the development of plants in the rest of the territory, moisture is sufficient due to its accumulation above the layer of permafrost, which thaws seasonally.

In the Far North, where moisture is excessive and there is little heat, only focal farming and greenhouse-greenhouse farming are possible. For example, rye, barley, oats are not too heat demanding, and therefore they can be grown in the north of the region.

In the steppe and forest-steppe zone of Central Siberia, the moisture is sufficient, and the sum of temperatures is from 1600 to 2200 °, here you can grow wheat, corn, buckwheat, various vegetables, including sugar beets, fodder crops for the needs of animal husbandry.

In open ground on the southern slopes of valleys and ravines, protected from the cold north wind, potatoes, radishes, and dill can grow.

The climate of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is sharply continental. Due to the large length of the region in the meridional direction, the climate is very heterogeneous. Stretching from the shores of the Arctic Ocean to the mountains of southern Siberia, the region is distinguished by an exceptional diversity and richness of natural conditions and resources. On a vast territory, there are 3 climatic zones: arctic, subarctic and temperate. Within each of them, changes in climatic features are noticeable, not only from north to south, but also from west to east. Therefore, the western and eastern climatic regions are distinguished, the border of which runs along the valley of the Yenisei River.

Cheap flights to Krasnoyarsk

The climate in the northern part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is extremely harsh. Here, practically, all year round, winter, with very low air temperatures. The coast of the Taimyr Peninsula, located in the far north of the region, is cut by numerous bays and bays of the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. The central part of the peninsula is occupied by the Byrranga mountains, which abruptly drop off in the south to the very swampy, with a large number of lakes, the North Siberian lowland (called, within the region, the Yenisei-Khatanga depression).

The central part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, mainly flat, with island forest-steppe and fertile soils, is characterized by a relatively short hot summer, long cold winters, and rapid temperature changes. In the south of the region - warm summers and moderately severe winters with little snow. Dry clean air, an abundance of sunny days in summer, healing waters of springs and numerous lakes create favorable conditions for the construction of resorts, sanatoriums and recreation centers.

In the northern part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, winter begins in September. For 8 months a year the region has an average negative air temperature, the period of persistent frosts lasts about 280 days a year; more than 130 days with snowstorms are observed. Large cities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, such as Dudinka, Norilsk, located in the far north of the region, have a subarctic climate. Winters are long and harsh here; frosts can reach -50 ° C or more.

Thaws in winter are excluded. December, January and February are the coldest months. The average daily temperature in January is -36 ° C. A feature of the Krasnoyarsk winter of the subarctic climate is the frequent occurrence of frosty weather, combined with strong and very strong winds, which is why the effective temperature, that is, the temperature of the body's sensation of air, is sometimes -101 ° C (!!!). With the coldest frost (-64.3 ° C) and the highest possible wind speed, the effective temperature can even be -118 ° C!

Norilsk - one of the coldest cities in the world, much colder than Murmansk, located at almost the same latitude. The average annual air temperature in Norilsk is -16 ° C, the temperature range is 96 ° C. Norilsk is the thirty-second, in terms of absolute minimum temperature, settlement in the world (it ranks 22nd in the list of the coldest cities in Russia), and the fourth of the windiest cities in the world, along with Dudinka and the Antarctic Vostok station, in terms of maximum, from average to year, wind speeds. The climatic winter lasts until early May, and frosts are possible here all year round.

In the southern part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the climate is much milder than in the northern one. The central and southern parts of the region belong to the temperate climatic zone. But, despite this, the climate is more severe here than in other regions of the country located at the same latitudes. This is due to the great remoteness of the central and southern parts of the Krasnoyarsk Territory from the seas and oceans. Winter here begins in early October and ends in late April. Winter is characterized by frosty weather, thaws are rare.

A stable snow cover forms in October, on different dates, depending on the latitude of the area, and melts only in April. In the mountains of the Eastern and Western Sayan mountains, in some years, snow persists all year round. Here the snow lies at an altitude of 2400 - 2600 m, in the Putorana mountains - at an altitude of 1000 - 1300 m. The snow cover is highest (16 cm, on average) in February.

December is colder than February, while its average temperature is slightly closer to February than to January. The coldest winter month is January, with an average temperature of -20 ° C. But, in any of the winter months, the temperature can drop below -40 ° C, and for these latitudes such a low air temperature is more the rule than the exception. Weather conditions are often complicated by snowstorms and icy conditions, leading to serious road accidents. Gusty winds penetrate to the very bones, making it difficult to tolerate low temperatures. By the way, the Yenisei does not freeze in winter, as the hydroelectric power station is based on it.

Spring in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory begins only in mid-May, when the snow begins to melt actively. In the largest cities of the subarctic zone, the average daily air temperature in May rises to +5 - + 7 ° C, on the islands of the Arctic seas, the temperature is still negative.

In the central and southern regions of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, spring begins in early April. In general, the Krasnoyarsk spring is quite cold, snow can still fall even in May, sunny weather, as a rule, is rare. In early April, it is rapidly warming, massive snow melting begins. At the same time, it rains more frequently. However, there is more precipitation than in winter, but the relative humidity is lower (58% in April and 55% in May). Nature comes to life: young grass is breaking through from under the frozen ground, green leaves are "pecking" on the trees, birds singing rejoicing in spring are heard everywhere. May is the only month when there are no severe frosts at night, during the day the thermometer is close to +16 - +17 ° C.

On the Arctic islands of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, summer, as such, does not happen. In the warmest month of the year - July, the daytime air temperature does not exceed +5 ° C. With such a temperature, it is difficult to talk about summer, it is so cold and very short that the earth does not have time to thaw, and the few Arctic mosses and lichens only slightly dilute the dull landscape of the Arctic. But in summer there is a polar day here, and day and night is light.

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In the northern continental cities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, such as Norilsk, Dudinka, summer begins, on average, only at the end of June, when the average daily temperature begins to steadily exceed + 15 ° C. At these latitudes, the polar day lasts 67 days, the polar night lasts only 46 days. In general, summer is characterized by warm weather and the highest rainfall. The warmest time is the second half of July - at this time the air temperature can warm up to + 25 ° C. But July is also considered the wettest month. The summer, which has just begun, ends rather quickly, and from the second half of August we can safely say that autumn has come to this region.

In the southern regions of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, summer begins in early June. Summers at these latitudes are short but rather warm. In summer, there is a large number of hours of sunshine, not inferior, in terms of their number, to the Crimean Peninsula. The weather is mostly comfortable, there is no stuffiness and sweltering heat. The average daily temperature of the hottest month, July, is + 20 ° С. Sometimes the weather indulges in hot days, in which the thermometer crosses the +27 -28 ° С mark. Despite this, in the evening the temperature drops quite strongly, to +10 - +15 ° С, it becomes cool. In the mountains, in the evening, the temperature can drop to negative levels, and you need to be prepared for this. In the second half of summer, the amount of precipitation begins to increase. On average, in July, precipitation falls slightly less than 6 times more than in February. With a decrease in precipitation, nature gradually leads to another season - autumn.

On the Arctic islands of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, we can say that autumn begins in early August. Although the air temperature is just smoothly moving from "summer" (+ 5 ° C) to autumn (0 ° C). Autumn is developing rapidly. By the end of the month, strong winds are raging, there are heavy snowfalls, in general, everything that can be imagined in autumn, all this can be seen here in August.

In the northern regions of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the climate is still a little better. Here autumn begins in the second week of August, it is a little more protracted than in the Arctic, that is, it rains heavily for some time before it starts to snow and the wind will drive snowstorms. But, autumn is cold, at night the air temperature is negative, and closer to October, and the daytime temperature becomes negative. In the second half of September, it snows more and more often, which very actively replaces rain. In early October, we can say that a long, harsh winter has already begun at this latitude.

In the southern part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, autumn comes in early September. It is noticeably colder and rains become more frequent. By the beginning of October, the leaves fall from the trees, and it snows more and more often. A thoroughly snow cover manages to settle down in mid-October. And from that time on, we can safely say that winter has come ...

The vast territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory belongs to the zone with sufficient moisture. Precipitation occurs mainly in summer. Their number ranges from 200 - 300 mm per year in the north, up to 400 - 600 mm on the Central Siberian plateau, and 800 - 1200 mm on the northern slopes of the mountains of South Siberia; in the intermontane basins of the southern part - 250 - 300 mm. Permafrost is widely developed in most of the region, especially to the north of Nizhnyaya Tunguska.

When to go to the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The Krasnoyarsk Territory is distinguished by amazing natural and climatic conditions. Rest is available here from passive, which consists in spending time by the water, to active - extreme walks on water or mountain skiing, participation in various excursion and ecological tours, and just recreation with a health purpose. Thanks to the healing properties of the waters of underground and surface springs, lakes in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, many rest houses, sanatoriums are comfortably located. It is in the Krasnoyarsk Territory that you can start your journey to the North Pole. From here you can get to the area where the Tunguska meteorite fell.

Of course, the best time to relax in the Krasnoyarsk Territory will be the summer period, from June to September. At this time, the rest on the banks of the mighty Yenisei is extremely good, a large number of tourist centers will make the rest more comfortable and interesting. Hiking along the Sayan ridges, climbing to the peaks and rafting along the rivers of the mountain slopes are included in the standard set of excursions at many recreation centers in Krasnoyarsk and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Summer is the best time to visit famous reserves such as the Krasnoyarsk Pillars and the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve, where there are excellent conditions for observing wildlife.

In winter - from November to April, the Krasnoyarsk Territory is unusually beautiful. Frosty winters paint nature with unique patterns, this time is impressive and exciting. In winter, amateur skiing and tobogganing is extremely popular here. The Sayan peaks are covered with snow all year round. Fans of active, extreme recreation can try themselves in the role of climbers, and climb mountain peaks, accompanied by an instructor. It is worth remembering that winters are harsh and very cold here, sometimes even the warmest clothes do not save. Therefore, you should avoid traveling on extremely cold days.

May and September are great times to visit cities, learn about culture and customs. Krasnoyarsk is a favorite city of tourists, definitely worthy of your attention. The Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local Lore, which has been functioning for almost a century and a half, and the largest shopping and entertainment center in Siberia - "Planet", will appeal to many.

The sanatorium recreation centers work all the year round, which provide treatment with the healing waters of the Krasnoyarsk lakes, as well as other comprehensive programs for improving and cleansing the body. This is a fairly popular tourist destination, people even come here from abroad. Stunning clean air, in a cocktail with healing mineral springs, has a beneficial effect on the body.

If you love extreme view rest, or your old dream - to visit the Arctic - then you should think about a trip to the Taimyr Peninsula. Of course, visiting such an interesting and unfriendly, in terms of climatic standards, place is worth, exclusively, in "summer time", when the air temperatures allow you to travel around this area, and the polar day is around the clock. You should definitely visit the Great Arctic Reserve here. It covers a huge territory, it is one of the largest reserves in the world, and in Russia it is the largest. For lovers of rafting, the reserve is attractive because it is here that you can make the world's northernmost rafting down the Khutuda-Bige River (which translates as a river rich in life). Diving is organized in the coastal zone of the Arctic Ocean.

The climate of the Republic of Khakassia

The climate of the Republic of Khakassia is sharply continental. Khakassia is located almost in the very center of Asia, between the Sayan and Kuznetsk Alatau mountains. The creation in the 60s - 80s of two reservoirs - Krasnoyarsk and Sayano-Shushensky slightly softened the sharply continental climate of the republic, due to its location far from the oceans. This climate is characterized by frosty long winters and short but warm summers. The openness of the territory from the north facilitates the penetration of arctic air. The amplitude of temperature fluctuations, in some years, exceeds 80 ° C (from -40 ° C to + 40 ° C).

Cheap flights to Abakan

By the nature of the relief, the mountain (eastern slopes of the Kuznetsk Alatau and Abakan ridge) are distinguished, the northern slopes of the Western Sayan - up to 2930 m high) and the plain (Minusinsk, Chulym-Yenisei hollows) parts. Plain areas are confined to wide river valleys and are called steppes (Abakanskaya, Koibalskaya and others). Sayan mountains, the height of which sometimes exceeds 2000 m, occupy two-thirds of the territory and are located in the west and south of the republic.

The Republic of Khakassia is a sunny land. It is no coincidence that the name "sunny Khakassia" is used, indeed, there are more sunny days in Khakassia than in Sochi. On average, there are 311 absolutely clear and sunny days here. In the Abakan lowland, where the largest number of sunny days, ripen watermelons and apricots, pears and even grapes. There are four distinct seasons in the year: winter, spring, summer and autumn.

Winter in the Republic of Khakassia begins in early November. As a rule, winters are long and rather cold, although they do not indulge in heavy snowfalls. The snow cover forms in early November. At the same time, freeze-up is formed on the rivers. In December, air temperatures are still relatively low, but this month, as a rule, a lot of snow falls, and snowstorms are frequent. Ice is extremely rare.

The average temperature of the coldest month - January, in the eastern republic reaches -18 ° С, in the mountainous part it rises to -14 ° С. Freezing of the soil, due to the insignificant height of the snow cover (15 -20 cm) and the blowing of snow into the ravines and hollows, occurs to a depth of 2 m or more.

February is also a very cold winter month, the temperature difference, compared to January, is only + 2 ° С. March is still a winter month, but due to the large influx of sunlight it becomes noticeably warmer, and in the daytime, snow is abundant.

Spring in the Republic of Khakassia begins in early April. At the beginning of the month, ice drift begins on the rivers. At this time, snow melts in most of the territory, although in the forest, in the mountains, in some places it lasts until July. Spring time is characterized by strong winds, up to 15 m / s. The transition of the average daily air temperature through + 5 ° С begins at the end of April. Slow soil warming in spring retards the development of microbiological processes. The spring period is characterized by a relatively low relative air humidity, which, with a lack of moisture in the soil, causes a complex soil-air drought.

In May, everything blooms around, active vegetation of plants begins. In May, the daytime air temperature reaches + 18 ° C, but despite such a high temperature, frosts are often observed at night. Frosts end at the end of May, in the mountains at the end of June.

Cheap hotels in Abakan

Summer in the Republic of Khakassia begins in early June, in the mountains - in early July. In general, the summer in Khakassia is warm, with rare periods of real heat. June is a moderately warm month, this harsh land warms up, forests come to life, and nature is riot with colors.

The hottest month of the year is July, its average daily air temperature reaches + 25 ° С. It is in this month that the most frequent intrusions of this drying heat, hell, with temperatures up to +35 - +37 ° С. For people who are accustomed to experiencing severe cold and frost for most of the year, it is quite difficult to endure such heat, plus a great danger for agriculture at such a temperature is drought.

In August the temperature decreases, this month the heat is rare and the largest amount of precipitation falls (more than 55% of the annual norm), mainly in the form of torrential rains. The main reason for the dryness of the climate this month is the influence of mountain ranges that create rain shadow.

Autumn in the Republic of Khakassia begins in early September. In September, dry, sunny weather predominates. A fairly comfortable temperature, in the evening, is replaced by severe frosts, and in the middle of the month, at all, the night temperature can drop below zero. The end of the month is characterized by the beginning of cold drizzling rains.

October is the second and last autumn month. It is a gloomy gray time, with endless drizzling rains, a cold gusty wind that fiercely picks off the last leaves from the trees, and strong frosts on the ground. In the second half of the month, slightly negative air temperatures are often observed, and drizzling rain often changes to snow. This is a time of very unstable and changeable weather, but nature says one thing is true: winter is coming soon. And winter really comes in early November, a long, harsh winter ...

There is little precipitation in the Republic of Khakassia and their distribution is extremely uneven, both by year and by the growing season. The minimum amount of precipitation falls in the lower parts of the Minusinsk hollows - 275-375 mm; in the forest-steppe - 380-500 mm, in the forest belt - 1,000 mm; the largest amount - up to 1,500 mm - falls on the high mountain ranges of the Western Sayan Mountains. Most of the precipitation falls in the warm season, in May - September (up to 75%), in October - April about 25% of the annual precipitation falls.

Throughout the year, winds prevail in Khakassia, mainly from the south-west and north directions. The average annual wind speed is 2.6 m / s. The maximum wind speed (over 15 m / s) is observed during the transitional seasons, in spring and autumn. In winter, almost throughout the entire territory of the Republic of Khakassia, south and south-west winds prevail, and in summer north-west winds prevail.

When to go to the Republic of Khakassia. Khakassia has everything a traveler could want: high snow-capped mountains, forests that have not heard the sound of an ax, cool and clean rivers, endless fragrant steppes and a huge number of various reservoirs. And of course, the best time to visit all these majestic beauties of nature will be the warm summer time - from June to September. The water resources of Khakassia are supplemented by 300 lakes, salty and fresh, the most famous of which are the healing lakes Shira, Belyo and Khankul. Here you can spend time by the water, relax in the wilderness, swim and fish. Pensions and rest houses of Khakassia offer tourists a wonderful vacation in these places. The magnificent mountains attract and beckon climbers, trekkers and hikers. The mountains are covered with dark coniferous taiga, there are sharp peaks and snow-capped loaches, and create a truly beautiful landscape around.

May and September are cooler months for outdoor recreation, so they should be devoted to sightseeing in the republic. About 30 thousand historical monuments are located under the Khakass sky - ancient settlements, mounds, rock paintings, menhirs with runic inscriptions of the ancient Khakass, sanctuaries and even the most ancient astronomical observatory of Sunduki.

Winter time - from December to mid-March is great for outdoor activities. Winter sports enthusiasts will find modern ski resorts and tourist recreation centers in Khakassia, which are located in the Western Sayan Mountains. Located on the slopes and at the foot of the mountains, they delight vacationers with their ski slopes and many other entertainments. Real taiga, mountain taiga rivers add the flavor of Siberian exoticism to your rest.

Not the best time to visit Khakassia is autumn October and winter November. The most inclement weather in these parts happens in October, and if you do not want to completely ruin your vacation, it is better not to come here at this time. November is the first winter month here, the temperature is more predictable, but nevertheless, an unsettled weather background can bring certain surprises, and a small snow cover will not allow you to actively engage in winter sports.

April is a transitional spring month, rains, mud and slush are provided, so it is better to avoid this time for travel. It is strictly forbidden to climb the mountains in April and May - the risk of avalanches is very high, since, albeit slowly, spring also begins in the mountains.

The climate of the Republic of Tuva

The climate of the Tyva Republic is sharply continental. Tuva is one of the few regions of our planet where such a variety of natural conditions can be found in a small area. Located in the very heart of the Asian continent, Tuva combines elements of two natural zones at once. South Siberian tundra and forests coexist with sandy Central Asian deserts, and reindeer live alongside wolves and camels. The alpine meadows of Tyva delight with a riot of colors and colors, and in the highlands, where harsh conditions reign, rare animals live: local yaks and snow leopards.

Cheap flights to Kyzyl

The climatic conditions of the Tyva Republic, due to the harsh, sharply continental climate, have left their mark on the nature of this region. Sharp deviations in weather conditions in some years - dry periods, worsening conditions for seed germination and seedling development, late spring frosts until June 15, and early autumn frosts from August 15, significantly reduce the period of active vegetation. Low temperatures in winter up to - 48 - -53 ° С, causing deep frost cracks, strong winds up to 20 m / sec and more, causing windbreaks and windblows, in combination with low natural soil fertility, negatively affect the growth and development of plantations, especially young stands and forest crops. The mountains play the role of a wall that isolates from external climatic changes, which determines the climate of Tuva - sharply continental, with cold winters and hot, sunny summers.

Winter in the Republic of Tuva begins in early November and lasts 5 months. Winter is characterized as frosty, windless and with little snow. A stable snow cover is established at the end of October and reaches 15 -20 cm, and in the mountains up to 1-2 meters. The number of days with snow cover varies from 140 to 190 days, with an increase in the height of the terrain above sea level. The severity of the winter regime is determined by the predominance of the anticyclonic weather regime with frequent lulls, persistent frosts, which are not interrupted by thaws for whole months.

The coldest winter month is January. Average daytime temperatures in January are from -25 ° C to -34 ° C, sometimes frosts down to -55 - -58 ° C. On some days, in the eastern part of the valley-steppe zone, the temperature can drop to -60˚С (Saryg-Sep). The air temperature at the tops of the mountains, as a rule, is 20 ° C higher than at the bottom of the hollows. All 5 winter months, sunny and rather frosty weather prevails in the region, persistent frosts stop only in the third decade of March.

Spring in the Republic of Tuva begins in the first half of April and lasts only 2 months. Snow melting begins in the first ten days of April, the last snow melts only in the middle of the month, and in the mountains, at all, only in mid-May. Spring in the Republic of Tuva is a relatively short time of the year, characterized by clear, dry and slightly windy weather.

The transition of the average daily temperature through 0 ° С occurs in the third decade of April, however, night frosts continue until the end of May and are often possible in early June, up to 12-13 June. The transition of the average daily temperature through + 5 ° С, which means the beginning of the growing season, occurs only in the middle or end of May.

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Summer in the Republic of Tuva begins in early June and lasts, on average, 85 days. Summers are dry, warm, even hot in intermontane basins, and short and cool in the mountains. The hottest summer month is July. The average daily temperature in the flat part of the republic is +20 - + 30 ° С, on some days it reaches + 40 ° С in the basins, and +25 - + 30 ° С in the mountains. The period with temperatures above + 10 ° С is 100-125 days in the valleys, and at an altitude of 1400 meters no more than 80 days. The main amount of precipitation (60-70%) falls, namely, in the summer months. After August 15, frosts begin, which indicates the beginning of the autumn period.

Autumn in the Republic of Tuva begins in the second half of August, towards the end of the month, and lasts until the end of October - early November. Autumn is dry, sunny, the best time of the year. Autumn comes quickly. The first half of September is the velvet season. Warm autumn days are accompanied by clear sunny weather and secondary flowering of herbaceous vegetation in intermontane basins. Nevertheless, night frosts in September are frequent, while, during the day, the air temperature can rise quite significantly up to + 33 ° С (Kyzyl city). After warm sunny days, cold, snowless weather sets in, followed by rapid leaf fall. Snow begins to fall in late September - early October, and in the second half of October a stable snow cover is already established, winter begins ...

Precipitation in the Tyva Republic is not numerous and unevenly distributed. The basins receive 150 - 400 mm of precipitation per year (in the Tuva basin - 200 - 220 mm, in the Todzha basin - 350 - 400 mm), in the mountainous regions from 400 - 600 mm to 800 - 1000 mm per year. Permafrost areas are widespread on the territory. Relative air humidity, which characterizes the degree of air saturation with water vapor, varies widely throughout the year, from 30 -50% in May and up to 70 -75% in December-January. Tuva has 36 to 72 dry days per year (days with relative humidity less than 30%). The number of wet days with a relative humidity of 80% or more varies from 22 (Erzin) to 72 (Kyzyl), with fewer in the west and more in the east.

Winds over Tyva are weak, especially in winter. In spring, there is an increase in wind activity, the maximum speed often exceeds 15 m / s, in some years it reaches 20 -25 m / s. Strong winds also occur in summer, usually in the afternoon.

When to go to the Tyva Republic. The best time to travel to Tuva is, of course, the warm summer months - from June to September. The beauty of the Tuvinian nature is striking in its magnificence. High mountains, numerous waterfalls, rivers and lakes are really conducive to ecological tourism and serene relaxation in the lap of nature.

Tuva is a favorite place for hunters and fishermen. Here are the world's largest bears and reindeer. The most popular for fishing and hunting are the Sorug River and Choigan-Khol Lake, located at the spurs of the Eastern Sayan Mountains. The water resources of Tuva are very great. In addition to the numerous rivers of the Upper Yenisei basin, there are up to half a thousand lakes, where eighteen species of fish live. Here you can catch big grayling, burbot, taimen, lenok, pike or perch.

Pensions in Tuva invite vacationers to experience the healing power of this land. The Tuva Republic is the birthplace of medicinal springs. The most famous of them are the hot springs Tarys and Ush-Beldir in the mountains of Eastern Tuva, in which hot water with a temperature of +52 - + 82 ° С comes out of the ground. The republic also has its own Dead Sea - Lake Svatikovo (Dus-Khol). This is a salty lake that has no runoff, and its medicinal properties even surpass, in this respect, the Dead Sea and Lake Tuz. Many diseases are effectively cured here, including diseases of the joints, skin, and nervous diseases.

May and September are a great time for sightseeing tours in the Tyva Republic. At this time it is not so hot, the weather is pleasant, sunny. Tuva is a very ancient land, as evidenced by ancient petroglyphs, and stone outcrops in the desert south, and the burial mounds of the Scythian kings, who have been sleeping here for over two and a half thousand years. A journey into the depths of time will deliver an unforgettable experience, you can make amazing discoveries.

The winter months, from November to mid-March, are a good time to travel through the snowy, untouched nature of the republic. There are no large ski resorts here, which is why there are few tourists in the region, and this is one of the best places to be alone with the unique mountain nature. However, the winter is very harsh here, when going on a trip at this time of the year, you should carefully plan your wardrobe, because thaws in the region are extremely rare.

It is not worth visiting the Republic of Tuva during the transitional months - April and October. At this time, the weather is unstable, the region is rather dirty and cool, it is unlikely that you will experience the pleasure of being outdoors in bad weather. In addition, gloomy gray colors will not allow you to experience delight and feel all the beauty of this region.

Climate of the Irkutsk region

The climate of the Irkutsk region is sharply continental. This is facilitated by the remoteness of the Irkutsk region from the seas, and its location in the center of the Asian continent. Compared to the territories located at the same latitudes, in the European part of Russia, the Irkutsk region has the longest winter, a record number of hours of sunshine, a large annual absolute amplitude of air temperatures, high pressure and rapid weather changes in spring and autumn.

Flights to Irkutsk

Lake Baikal and the Angara reservoirs play an important role in shaping the climate of the Irkutsk region. The huge mass of water and the area of \u200b\u200bthese reservoirs smooth out the sharp average annual and daily average drops. From atmospheric processes, the formation of climate is influenced by the western transport of air masses and the Asian anticyclone. Air masses from the seas of the Far East do not reach the region. Warm air masses from the south and southwest rarely penetrate and cause short-term warming in winter. The average annual air temperature throughout the region is negative, except for the coast of Lake Baikal (Peschanaya Bay).

The maximum annual drops in air temperature can exceed 80 ° C, and daily - 30 ° C. Closer to the northern regions, the temperature differs in the winter-summer period and, also, a large difference in temperature is observed during the day and night. The frost-free period on the territory of the region is much shorter than in the regions of the European part of Russia, which lie at the same latitude. This is due to the intense loss of heat from the earth's surface at night, and the invasion of cold air masses. In the southern districts of the region the frost-free period lasts 80-100 days, in the north - 57 days, while in Minsk the frost-free period lasts 157 days, and in Ryazan - 145 days. In most areas of the region in the summer, including even in July, there are frosts. Permafrost is widespread in a significant part of the region's territory; its conservation is facilitated by a small thickness of snow cover and low air temperatures in winter.

In terms of the number of sunny days, the Irkutsk region is not inferior to the Crimea and the North Caucasus. The annual number of hours of sunshine, depending on the area, ranges from 1,700 to 2,500 hours. For example, in Kislovodsk - 2007 hours of light per year, and on the southern coast of Crimea - 2300 hours of light.

Winter in the Irkutsk region begins in late October - early November. In winter, calm, clear and frosty weather is established on the territory of the Irkutsk region, with characteristic temperature inversions and high atmospheric pressure. The duration of winter in most of the Irkutsk region is about 180 days, and in the northern regions and in the mountains - up to 200 days. Stable snow cover is established in October - in the north of the region, and in November - in the south, and lasts for 160 -175 days (in the north - 185 - 206 days). The height of the snow cover, in most of the territory, is 30 - 40 cm (in the north, 50 - 60 cm). In some places, the cover may be zero, in other regions it can reach 60 cm or more. The snow cover of 1000 cm is recorded in the mountains. The duration of the freeze-up is 160-200 days, and the maximum ice thickness can reach 1,000 mm.

At the beginning and at the end of the winter season, there is often a long period of snowlessness, which leads to severe freezing of the ground and soils. These are the most unfavorable periods for plants. Early snowfall protects plants from freezing and the soil from drying out. The cold, dense winter air, driven by gravity, accumulates in low places and creates a kind of cold zones. At the same time, higher temperatures are often observed in higher places.

January is the coldest winter month of the year, the daytime air temperature reaches -18 ° С in the south, and in the northern part of the region up to -35 ° С. In some northern regions, the temperature may be below -50 ° C on the thermometer. In winter, Baikal is much warmer than far from it, since a large, in volume, water mass gives off heat to the surrounding space and softens the climate. However, the Irkutsk winter is not characterized by uniform cold weather throughout the entire winter period. In winter, there are often repeated warmings caused by the passage of cyclones from the west, southwest and northwest.

February differs from January in air temperature, about 2 - 3 degrees warmer than in January, but the general background of a sunny frosty winter persists until mid-March, sometimes interrupted by short thaws.

In the northern and northeastern parts of the Irkutsk region, there are permafrost zones. Some of its sections at different depths can be found in the southern regions of the Irkutsk region: Nizhneudinsky, Kachugsky and other regions. The permafrost is preserved by negative average annual temperatures.

Spring in the Irkutsk region begins in early April. Spring is a symbol of youth and beauty, this is the shortest season (30 -35 days), when the average daily air temperature goes over 0 ° С to + 10 ° С. In the south of the region, spring begins in the first decade of April and ends in the third decade of May, in the north it begins at the end of April and ends in late May or early June. The beginning of spring coincides with the complete clearance of open areas from snow. The soil thaws at a depth of 10 -20 cm, crops wintering under the snow awaken. At the same time, rivers are cleared of ice.

Spring - This is the period of awakening of nature from a long dormancy, under the influence of the ever-increasing influx of solar radiation. Snowdrops appear on the southern slopes - the first spring flowers. Spring is characterized by an increase in solar radiation, an increase in daytime air temperatures and an increase in daily amplitudes, periodic returns of cold weather, instability of weather conditions, and a small amount of precipitation.

The average daily temperature, in most of the Irkutsk region, goes to a stable positive, only in early May. The end of spring, as a rule, coincides with the end of bird cherry flowering, the end of regular spring frosts, and the beginning of sowing grain crops.

Under the influence of warming the earth's surface and an increase in air temperature, the effect of passing anticyclones weakens, air pressure decreases, and favorable conditions are created for cyclonic activity. The passage of cyclones creates unstable spring weather, however, in the second half of spring, generally clear dry and windy weather prevails.

Cheap hotels in Irkutsk

Summer in the Irkutsk region begins in late May and lasts 90-110 days. Summers are short but can be very hot. The surface of the earth heats up quickly, a low pressure area forms above it and a cyclonic type of weather sets in, although the first half of summer is usually hot and dry.

The hottest summer month is July. Its average daytime air temperatures range from + 20 ° С to + 25 ° С. According to the temperature indicators in July, the region is approaching the summer air temperatures of the southern part of Belarus. But the maximum summer temperatures in most areas of the Irkutsk region can exceed +30 ° С. The increase in the average daily air temperature occurs mainly due to the daily warming of the soil. At this time, flora and fauna are rapidly developing.

At the end of July and in August, long rains are often observed. At this time, up to 85% of the annual precipitation can fall. On rivers, there is a rapid rise in water levels and an increase in its consumption. The process of evaporation from the surface of the earth reaches its maximum development, moisture circulation increases.

Autumn in the Irkutsk region begins on August 25-30 in the north, and September 6-9 in the south, and ends on October 15 in the north and October 25 in the south of the region. Its characteristic feature is that sharp daily temperature fluctuations occur and early frosts begin. The first autumn month is September, a very pleasant season that justifies its name "golden autumn". In autumn, the number of clear days increases, the transparency of the air increases, and the range of visibility increases. At this time, the height of the sun above the horizon decreases, the length of the day decreases, and the daily air temperature decreases markedly. On clear autumn days, from the heights of the western outskirts of the city of Irkutsk, the snow-capped peaks of the Khamar-Daban and Kitoi loaches are clearly visible.

In the second half of autumn, the Asian anticyclone begins to form, and the amount of precipitation decreases compared to summer. At the end of September, snow may fall, and in October the height of the snow cover in the north reaches 10 cm, in the south at this time there may be no snow. In mid-October, the average daily air temperature drops below zero.

Autumn drags on on the shores of Lake Baikal, where the water heated over the summer continues to give its warmth to the surrounding space. Here the snow cover is established later. Most of the rivers freeze over by November. The freezing period ranges from 7 to 21 days.

The distribution of precipitation in the Irkutsk region is uneven, both over the territory of the region and over the seasons. In terms of the amount of precipitation, the region is close to the southeast of the European part of Kazakhstan. In the cold season, only 15-20% falls, in the warm season, 80-85% of the annual precipitation. This largely distinguishes the climate of the region from the climate of the southeast of the European part of Russia. On the flat territory, on average, 300-400 mm of precipitation falls per year, in the mountains - over 600 mm. In the Eastern Sayan and on the North Baikal Upland, precipitation falls from 650 mm to 1400 mm, on Olkhon Island, only 197 mm. As the height of the terrain above sea level increases, the amount of precipitation increases. Precipitation falls in the form of rain, snow and hail. The rains in the summer are both heavy and heavy. The hail falls rarely and relatively in small areas.

In comparison with other regions of the Russian Federation, lying at the same latitudes, the Irkutsk region is distinguished by the prevalence of high atmospheric pressure in the year, which reaches 770 mm. This is due to the fact that the territory of the region is located in the zone of action of the Arctic Ocean. Air pressure decreases in the summer, when the sun's rays warm up the earth's surface and air, however, this pressure remains high, compared to other areas (719 mm). As air temperatures drop in autumn, the pressure rises again.

When to go to the Irkutsk region. The best time to travel to the Irkutsk region is the warm summer months, from June to September. In summer, many walking excursions are offered to the protected corners of the coast of Lake Baikal, in the warm season it will be pleasant to go on a cruise on the lake, to relax with savages in tents in the bosom of pristine nature, and make a horse trek. The Eastern Sayan Mountains are the best place for ecotourism and wildlife lovers. The beautiful national parks of the region and the most beautiful places in Eastern Siberia are located, namely, in the Irkutsk region.

And how wonderful summer vacations are on the shores of the famous Baikal. In some places of Lake Baikal, the water warms up so much that it is quite possible to swim. Baikal is a unique lake in all respects, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is the main attraction for tourists from all over the world to the Irkutsk Region. But it is worth remembering that in summer, at the key tourist points of Lake Baikal - Listvyanka, Slyudyanka, Olkhon, Maksimikha or Enkhaluk - there are a lot of tourists, places and tickets should be booked in advance, prices for everything are quite high, and normal service is often lost in the hustle and bustle and the atmosphere of the place.

May and September are the most suitable months for sightseeing tours of the region's cities, sightseeing, and leisurely walks in nature. The weather is favorable, the sun does not beat down mercilessly, the air temperature is usually very comfortable, but do not forget that frosts are possible in the morning, as well as at night. You should always have warm clothes and shoes with you.

Winter - the period from November to the second half of March is an excellent time for winter sports enthusiasts. In winter, ski resorts are open here and a variety of winter activities are offered, such as snowmobiling on the ice of Lake Baikal, or ice fishing. In winter, Lake Baikal dresses in a thick layer of unusually transparent ice. And this itself is already an attraction for tourists. Everyone who sees the Baikal ice for the first time, flop on their stomachs and try to spy out something in the depths of the lake. Ice, from the purest Baikal water, has a bluish tint, sometimes even bright blue, almost blue. Winter Baikal, without exaggeration, is the largest ice rink in the world. And the most beautiful one. In addition, it is smooth and very slippery - you can only walk on it in ordinary shoes with small steps. So skates are an ideal means of transportation around Lake Baikal for short, and even long distances.

But the most popular action on Lake Baikal in the winter season is fishing! The Baikal ice fishing season begins in January, when the bays freeze over. At this time, you can catch fish, which the locals scornfully call sorova - perch, sorog, pike, dace. The colder, the thicker the ice, the farther the fishermen move from the coast. Riding snowmobiles and "cheesecakes" around Lake Baikal, individual excursions, championships in all kinds of sports - from golf on ice to curling, exhibitions of ice sculptures and an eventful program in open-air museums - all this awaits you in the Irkutsk region in winter season. It is also worth mentioning about the absence of large crowds of tourists, and about reasonable prices in tourist places. But you shouldn't also forget that the Irkutsk region is Siberia, and in Siberia the winters are cold ...

You should not come to the Irkutsk region during the transitional months of April and October. At this time, unstable weather persists, with rather abundant lingering precipitation and a gray gloomy sky. Chilly weather, combined with mud on the roads, and the general rather low air temperature, can spoil the mood of even the most optimistic travelers. All the beauty of these places can be appreciated only in good weather, and this should be taken into account when planning your trip to these unique places.

Tours to Baikal – specials of the day

Climate of the Republic of Buryatia

The climate of the Republic of Buryatia is sharply continental. The remoteness of the territory of Buryatia from the seas and oceans, its location in the center of the Eurasian continent and the mountain-basin relief, have determined a peculiar and unique climate. A unique feature of the climate is a sharp and frequent spatial variability: the presence of mountain ranges of different heights and orientations, the existence of intermontane depressions and intermontane valleys - all this greatly affects the local circulation of air masses, dramatically changing the main climatic indicators throughout the year and day. The climate of the republic is extremely heterogeneous, with large annual and daily fluctuations in air temperature, and with an uneven distribution of atmospheric precipitation over the seasons. This mountain-taiga land, located in the central part of the Asian continent, is characterized by cold winters and hot summers.

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The climate is formed under the influence of three contrasting components: the dry and cold climate of the northern regions, the hot and dry climate of the Mongolian deserts, and the humid Pacific climate. The average annual temperature in the Republic of Buryatia is negative - and is -1.6 ° С. And such regions as Barguzinsky, Bauntovsky Evenki, Kurumkansky, Muisky, Okinsky, Severo-Baikalsky, in terms of their climatic characteristics, are generally equated to the regions of the Far North. A distinctive feature of the climate of Buryatia is the long duration of sunshine, approximately 1900 - 2200 hours per year, which even exceeds some of the southern regions of Russia.

Winter in the Republic of Buryatia begins in early November. Buryat winters are cold, with dry frost and little snow. In the cold season, the development of a powerful northeastern spur of the Siberian anticyclone is observed, which appears in September - October and disappears only in April - May. Therefore, winter in the Republic of Buryatia is characterized by a large number of sunny days and low air temperatures, which, however, are rather easily tolerated due to dry air.

In winter, cloudy, little wind or calm weather prevails with a minimum amount of precipitation per year. The lowest air temperatures are observed in river valleys and depressions, where stagnation and intense cooling of air occurs. Throughout the entire winter period, the air temperature rarely changes, there are practically no thaws in this region. As a rule, the average air temperature in winter in Buryatia is -22 - - 23 ° С. The coldest winter month is January (midwinter), its average daily air temperature is -25 ° C. Several times, during the winter period, the weather "hardens the degree", and very severe frosts come to the region, with a temperature of -45 - -55 ° С.

Lake Baikal is a huge heat accumulator, therefore, winter near the lake is always warmer, and summer is colder. The thawing effect of Baikal reaches 40-50 km from its water area. The average monthly temperature in December, on the coast of Lake Baikal, before freezing, is 13-15 ° C higher than in points located hundreds of kilometers away. Often, in November, there are days when in 60-100 km from the lake there are frosts up to -20 ° С and higher, while on the shores of Lake Baikal the temperature remains no more than -8- - 10 ° С.

The huge thickness of the water keeps heat for quite a long time; nevertheless, Baikal freezes in winter. Freezing occurs gradually. First, the water surface is covered with a thin ice crust. Then, ice banks are formed near the coast - near thick ice strips that freeze when storm waves roll onto the coast. On the coastal cliffs, during storms, ice crusts and ice icicles-stalactites - "sokui" hang down from the freezing spray, they remain as a natural decoration for the whole winter. In open water, the process of ice crystallization, invisible at first, to the eye, takes place. Water cannot freeze completely, due to constant wave mixing, but small lenses and needles, several millimeters in size, are formed in it.

With the onset of frost, when the air temperature is below -20 ° C, in the first 3-4 days, the ice grows 4-5 cm per day. At the end of October, shallow bays freeze, and in the first half of January - deep-water areas. In the southern part of Baikal is closed for 4 - 4.5 months, in the northern part - 6 - 6.5 months. Along the northwestern coast, and in the Small Sea, transparent ice free of snow forms, through which the bottom can be seen in shallow water. The ice thickness ranges from 70 to 120 cm, and the more snow, the thinner the ice. Ice 50 cm thick can withstand a weight of up to 15 tons, therefore, in winter, on the ice of Lake Baikal, you can freely move around in cars. In 1904, an ice railway even operated between the port of Baikal and the Tankhoi station.

Nevertheless, moving on the ice of Lake Baikal is a risky business. The danger is created by cracks and crevices in the ice, 0.5-4 m wide, extending for tens of kilometers. Many of these cracks do not freeze all winter, periodically narrowing or widening. Covered with a thin crust of young ice, they often represent insidious traps, very dangerous when driving over the ice in cars and even on horses. In many places of the lake, during winter, local ice melting from below is observed, and the formation of proparins, which also poses a threat to travelers.

Long frosty, but sunny winter rages in these parts for almost 5 months. The February air temperature is only 2 - 3 ° C warmer than the January one; in general, the same stable frosts remain. And only at the end of March in the air you can feel the imminent approach of spring ...

Spring in the Republic of Buryatia begins in early April. Siberian spring begins to be felt already at the end of March, but the first greenery breaks through only at the end of April. Buryat spring is windy, with frosts and almost no precipitation. The barometric pressure, during this period, decreases, and streams of cold air rush into the territory from the northern regions of Siberia. This contributes to the return of cold weather and the appearance of long and strong winds.

Spring is divided into 2 stages: the stage of ice warming up and the stage of soil warming up. The stage of under-ice warming begins in early April in areas with little snow on the western coast of Lake Baikal, and in mid-April in snow-covered coastal eastern areas. Ice cracking starts from Cape Bolshoy Kadilny, as ice begins to melt under the influence of rising streams of warm waters from underwater sources. The ice cover becomes fragile, darkens, and in May Baikal is completely free of ice, but ice fields and individual ice floes float across Baikal until June.

The stage of soil heating begins after the ice melts. All the energy of the spring sun, before that, was spent on melting the snow and ice, and when, finally, most of the ice and snow melted, it was time to heat the earth. In May, the most pleasant part of spring begins, the average air temperature increases every day, the sun begins to pleasantly bake the earth's surface, trees wake up, the grass turns green. Birds sing in the forests and many animals wake up from hibernation. Flowers bloom, and trees dress in bright green young foliage. Despite the rather warm and sunny weather during the day, frosts persist in the region at night, almost until mid-June.

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Summer in the Republic of Buryatia begins in the first half of June. Summers are short, with hot days and cool nights, with heavy rainfall in July and August. Summer heat is felt only at noon hours, and the morning and evening hours are quite cool. June is characterized by dry and sunny weather, and often, even with dry winds that have developed in Mongolia. Solar activity is high since the first days of June, but the air masses are still not warming up enough. Average daily air temperature in June is + 20 ° С.

The second half of summer is much warmer than the first and rainy; July and August account for 60 -70% of the annual rate. In July, cyclonic activity gradually intensifies, as a result of which moist air masses come from the Pacific Ocean. July is the warmest month of the year, its average daily air temperature is +23 - + 25 ° С, but at night the temperature drops sharply.

The warmest month near Lake Baikal is August, not July, when temperatures are more stable, for the same reason, September is much warmer, which can be considered a "velvet season", since it is quite warm both day and night. In summer, near Lake Baikal, the temperature is 7 - 10 ° C lower than in the rest of the region. Most often the temperature difference is about 5 ° C. The highest daytime temperatures in the sun are recorded from the second half of July, and it is this time that is most favorable for swimming in the clear waters of Lake Baikal. Good for swimming and August. At this time, the water near the coast of the lake is still quite warm. The surface temperature in open areas of the lake reaches, on average, up to + 16 ° С in July, and up to + 18 ° С in the first half of August. In bays and coastal zones, the water temperature reaches + 20 ° С in July, and in the first half of August it reaches +22 - + 24 ° С.

Autumn in the Republic of Buryatia begins in late August - early September. It comes imperceptibly, without a sharp change in the weather, and in some years it can be long and warm. The air temperature in Buryatia is often higher at this time of the year than in the European regions of the country.

Despite the rather high air temperatures during the daytime, frosts are observed at night. In general, autumn is accompanied by sharp daily fluctuations in temperature. Already in September, the first snow comes to the region, and in October, snowfalls are more the rule than the exception. But we must admit that the autumn time in Buryatia is not rich in precipitation.

On the coast of Lake Baikal, and near it, as a rule, pleasant sunny weather remains; here it is several degrees warmer than in the rest of the region. Baikal "cools down" slowly, the water gives off its warmth at this time of the year. Therefore, even in October, the autumn weather is quite comfortable here.

The average annual precipitation in Buryatia is, on average, 400 mm. The distribution of precipitation throughout the year is extremely uneven. For the 5 warmest months of the year (May - September), more than 90% of the annual precipitation falls, and the remaining 7 months account for less than 10%. The rainiest months are July and August. The maximum amount of atmospheric precipitation (1,000-1,500 mm per year) falls on the eastern coast of Lake Baikal, primarily on the Khamar-Daban ridge.

When to go to the Republic of Buryatia. Buryatia is one of the most beautiful regions of Eastern Siberia.It surprises with an amazing variety of its nature, which harmoniously combines endless taiga expanses, sparkling snow peaks of the Sayan ranges, and deep rivers with the majestic power of Baikal.

It is best to go to Buryatia during the warm season, from June to September. At this time, more recreation centers work, it is easier to get to remote areas. It offers hiking and horseback riding, river rafting, a great vacation on Lake Baikal with yachting, surfing, water skiing and more. Since July, the water in Lake Baikal warms up well enough and you can swim. But it is worth remembering that Baikal water quickly cools the human body, so the maximum bathing time is 10 minutes, otherwise there is a risk of hypothermia. Summer time is perfect for fans of ecological tourism and outdoor enthusiasts. Numerous tour bases, at this time of the year, offer interesting routes. Khamar-Daban and the Big Sayan are majestic mountain ranges that stretch for many kilometers. In the east of the Sayan Mountains, the Tunkinsky Loaches stretch for more than a hundred kilometers, which, due to their similarity with the Alps, were named the Tunkinsky Alps. This mountain range is, in fact, a place of virgin nature.

Hunting enthusiasts will not be disappointed either. The taiga forests of Buryatia are home to a huge number of animals and game birds. Among them you can hunt brown bear, elk, Siberian roe deer, red deer and red deer, wild boar, lynx, wolf, fox, Barguzin sable, wood grouse. The tourist bases of Buryatia will offer you exciting hunting and professional huntsman support.

April is not the best time to travel around the region, as the snow cover is melting everywhere, and it can be very dirty in Buryatia, and in some parts of the region it is simply impossible to drive. But this time is perhaps the best for ice fishing on Lake Baikal, so avid fishermen rush to these places, namely, in April. In the rivers and lakes of Buryatia there are omul, sturgeon, grayling, whitefish, bream, pike, catfish, perch, carp, soroga.

May and September are a great time for travel, sightseeing and cultural values \u200b\u200bof Buryatia, as well as getting to know the customs and traditions of the region. At this time in Buryatia there is a cool sunny weather, very pleasant for excursion trips. Here you can walk along the path of Genghis Khan, study the paths of the first Russian explorers, visit one of the oldest museums in Siberia - the Museum of the History of Buryatia named after M.N. Khangalova. Fans of educational tours can visit the traditional home of the Buryats and get acquainted with their way of life, which is based on a large number of customs, beliefs and rules. In addition, September is a great time on Lake Baikal for artists and photographers. At this time, the mixed forests of the coast near the Peschanaya Bay and in the Chivyrkuisky Bay are especially beautiful.

The whole warm period of the year, from May to the end of September, is very suitable for healing and strengthening the body in these parts. Here, in the valley of the Zhom River, there are many healing springs, which are not inferior in their healing properties to the famous mineral waters of the Carpathians and the Caucasus. People suffering from various diseases regularly improve their health on the carbonic waters of the Arshan resort, the ferrous springs of Khongor-Uula, the siliceous radon springs of the Nil Desert, the methane springs of the Pearl mineral springs, the carbonic radon springs of Shumak. There are also deposits of curative mud and silt in Buryatia - the mineral lakes Bormashovoe and Kiran. This region is one of the richest in Eastern Siberia in terms of the variety and number of health-improving places.

Winter time - from November to the end of March, is also very attractive for travel in Buryatia. Winter is frosty and very sunny here. In winter, the tourist bases of Buryatia will offer you tours to the taiga regions on a snow and swamp-going vehicle or a motor-snowmobile, riding on a Russian troika, and magnificent ski slopes. But, it is worth remembering that in November and December the daylight hours are very short, it begins to get light at the ninth hour and after five in the evening it quickly gets dark. In January Baikal freezes completely, and I must say - this is the largest ice rink on the planet. If you like skiing, traveling on gullies, ice skating, then come to Buryatia in the second half of winter - at this time, it is never cold on the ice of Lake Baikal. But, when traveling on ice, you need to follow the safety rules: you should not ride cars, snowmobiles and other vehicles outside the approved winter roadsin addition, you should not develop too high a speed, as you may not notice a crack in the ice.

The least suitable for a trip to Buryatia are the transitional months of the year - April and October. At this time, the weather is extremely unstable; it is difficult to plan any trips in the region. Although April itself is an ideal month for fishing, in October there are usually warm autumn days on the coast of Lake Baikal.

Climate of the Trans-Baikal Territory

The climate of the Trans-Baikal Territory is sharply continental. The continentality of the climate of Transbaikalia is expressed much more sharply than at the same latitudes of Western Siberia and the Far East, not to mention the Voronezh region, at the latitude of which the middle part of the Chita region is located.

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The Trans-Baikal Territory occupies an inland position, but its distance from the oceans is not the same. The seas of the Pacific Ocean - Okhotsk and Yellow are removed from the Trans-Baikal Territory by 850 - 1,000 km. The nearest of the seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Laptev Sea, is 1,700 km away from the edge. The Trans-Baikal Territory is the eastern part of the vast Central Asian world watershed of the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Here originate the upper sources of the main waterways of Siberia, the Far East and Central Asia - the Amur, Lena and Yenisei.

Despite the fact that most of the territory belongs to the zone of temperate latitudes, due to its location in the depths of the Asian continent, remoteness from the oceans and seas, significant elevation above sea level, the climate here is very harsh. In terms of the severity and dryness of winter, the territory of the region is close to Yakutia. In some areas, the annual range of temperature fluctuations is 94 ° C or more. Kalarsky, Tungiro-Olekminsky and Tungokochensky regions are equated to the regions of the Far North. But, the combination of the severity of the climate of Transbaikalia with the bottomless blue sky, the unique landscapes of snow-capped loaches, mountain taiga, wide strips of forest-steppes, intermontane depressions and hilly high steppe plains, an abundance of clean mountain rivers and streams cutting through the mountain taiga, and systems of large lakes create an unusually attractive an environment that will fascinate any person.

For the entire territory of this region, the climate is characterized by long, frosty, little cloudy, calm winters and warm, in the south, moderately warm or even cool, in the north, and in mountainous areas, in summer. The geographical latitude and the considerable extent of the region, in the direction from north to south, determine the duration of the sunshine. With increasing latitude, its noticeable decrease occurs. The duration of sunshine in Chara, per year, is 1,873 hours, as you move to the south, it increases to 2,163 hours (Middle Kalar), and reaches 2,535 - 2,618 hours in the southern regions (Kyra, Borzya), which is comparable to resorts of the Black Sea coast of Russia - 2,154 hours (Sochi).

Winter in the Trans-Baikal Territory begins at the end of October in the southern regions of the region, and in mid-October in the northern regions. Winter is long and harsh, lasting almost 6 months. The winter period is characterized by little cloudiness, duration of sunshine, and persistent frosts, thaws, practically, do not happen. At the same time, winters in Transbaikalia are calm and with little snow. Even weak winds, in the first half of winter, are rare. November and December are characterized by short daylight hours and, accordingly, little sunshine, which is why both months are rather cold, with low temperatures.

In January, daylight hours noticeably increase, and the number of hours of sunshine also increases. Under these conditions, the earth's surface loses a lot of heat as a result of radiation, which explains the temperature inversions and the prevalence of persistent frosts. In most of the territory of Russia, January is the coldest month of the year, and Transbaikalia, in this case, is no exception. The average daily air temperature in January is -23 ° C - in the south of the region, and -35 ° C - in the north of the region, and the absolute minimums reach -50 - -58 ° C.

February and March are less frosty months, the average daily air temperature is about 4 - 7 ° C higher than January, but these winter months are considered the most windy, so the difference in negative temperatures between mid-winter and the end of the winter period is practically not felt. During the entire winter period, little precipitation falls, and the snow cover itself is distributed extremely unevenly. The thickness of the snow cover is not very great, even in the mountain taiga, and in some steppe basins of Eastern Transbaikalia it is only 5 - 10 cm.

Spring in the Trans-Baikal Territory begins in early April - in the south of the region, and in mid-April - in the north of the region. Spring is rather short and windy, with strong frosts at night. In spring, the usual phenomena here are storms, which include winds with a speed of 20 - 30 m / s, squalls, snow drifts, blizzards, storms, dusty drifts, especially in the southeast of the region. In April, intense snowmelt begins, and windy weather will only contribute to the rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil surface. Cold returns are often observed, significant precipitation falls in the form of snow, sleet and rain. Nevertheless, there is little precipitation in spring, and therefore, droughts are observed in the steppe regions.

In late April - early May, rivers open up. In early May, the ice drift begins and at this time floods on the rivers can be expected. But, floods due to the amicable melting of snow and ice are not typical for Transbaikalia. If there is a spring flooding of rivers, it is because of ice jams. By mid-May, as a rule, most watercourses are cleared of ice. At this time, the first swifts arrive in Transbaikalia, and we can already talk about the imminent approach of summer ...

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Summer in the Trans-Baikal Territory begins in early June - in the south of the region, and in mid-June - on the server of the region. Summer is short, only 2.5 - 3 months. The Trans-Baikal summer is hot, the average daytime air temperatures are +23 - + 25 ° C, and at times the heat reaches +35 - + 40 ° C, which contributes to the occurrence of massive forest and steppe fires, which are repeated almost every year. The first part of summer (June) is very dry, with almost no precipitation. The second part of summer (July and August) is hotter and wetter. At this time, up to 70% of annual precipitation falls.

The hottest month of the year is July, its average daily air temperature is + 15 ° C - in the north of the region, and + 24 ° C - in the south of the region. The absolute maximum + 42 ° С was registered in the village of Novo-Tsuruhaytui, Priargunsky district. In mountainous areas, at an altitude of 1,500 - 2,000 m, the average daytime temperatures in July are +10 - + 14 ° C, and frosts occur even in July and August. Summer northwestern cyclones cause a decrease in temperature, cloudy, cloudy and rainy weather, with insignificant precipitation, and southern and southwestern ones - the same weather conditions as northwestern ones, but with a large amount of precipitation and significant temperature changes.

Autumn in the Trans-Baikal Territory begins in early September - in the south of the region, and in mid-August - in the north of the region. As a rule, the Transbaikal autumn is short, moderately humid, with, often, early frosts at night, sometimes with returns of warm, dry and light wind in the daytime. September is a rather pleasant month, nature paints taiga forests with indescribable colors. In the southern regions of the region, it is a warm sunny calm month, and in the northern regions, at this time, it is already quite late autumn, with snowfalls and inclement weather.

In the first ten days of October, sediments and sludge are formed on the rivers of the Lena basin (Chikoy, Vitim), in the second - already on most of the region's rivers. In October, an elevated atmospheric pressure is established in Transbaikalia. In late October - early November, the rivers are covered with ice. The duration of the freeze-up is, on average, from 160 (Onon River) to 212 (Chara River) days.

Most rivers freeze to the bottom in winter. At the same time, the runoff may be absent for up to 100 days a year, or more. In the northern part of the Trans-Baikal Territory, a winter period sets in from October, a stable winter cover falls, a negative air temperature prevails in the air. The average October temperature here is already -10 - -12 ° С, reaching -20 ° С by November.

Most of the territory of the Trans-Baikal Territory belongs to the zone of insufficient moisture. The distribution of precipitation is uneven: up to 60-70% of them falls on the summer-autumn period. In the steppe regions of Transbaikalia, there is 200 - 300 mm of precipitation, in the mountain-taiga zone - about 450 - 600 mm. The predominant source of moisture intake is liquid precipitation, in the form of rain. Rain food is over 50%.

When to go to the Trans-Baikal Territory. Transbaikalia is great! Here, tourists are presented with 64 unique natural monuments, such as the glaciers of the Kodar ridge, extinct volcanoes, thermal springs, Lake Arey and others. The center of attraction for tourism in the Trans-Baikal Territory is Mount Alkhanay, with a complex of Buddhist monuments and healing springs-arshan, consecrated by the Dalai Lama.

The best time to travel to this unique region is during the warm summer months, from June to September. At this time, you can relax by the rivers and lakes, practice water sports, and visit interesting places. Fans of ecological tourism will be pleased with the two most famous nature reserves in the region - Daursky and Sokhondinsky. Rare animals are found in the Daursky Reserve - Pallas' cat, Dzeren, Daurian hedgehog, and also, herds of Mongolian kulans and Przewalski's horses graze. The Sokhondinsky Reserve is no less populated - musk deer and elk, Siberian weasel and sable, ptarmigan and mountain horse feel at ease here.

The summer months also attract fishermen to the region. The region is rich in water resources, vast rivers and small clean lakes. Here you can catch ide, grayling, lenok. Lake Nichatka is especially rich in fish; perch, taimen, Davatchan, goby, burbot and others, including salmon species, are found here. Fish Lake - this is how Nichatka is called in another way, it is a must and rich catch of fish.

The warm season - from May to early October, is favorable for health tourism. The resorts of the Trans-Baikal Territory are a real find for everyone who wants to improve their health in conditions created by nature itself. On the territory of the Trans-Baikal Territory, almost all the main types of cold mineral cold carbonic and thermal nitrogen waters of Russia are found and there are about 300 springs.

May and September are the best times to travel to the cities of the region and see local attractions, of which there are many in the region. In Chita alone it will be interesting to admire the Shumovsky Palace, the Kazan Cathedral, the Chita Datsan, the Museum "Church of the Decembrists".

Winter time from November to the end of March is suitable for lovers of winter sports and outdoor activities. Cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding, skating, sledging, hockey will bring a lot of pleasant impressions. And the contemplation of the winter taiga forest and the white snow caps of the mountains sparkling in the sun, the incomparable, purest Siberian air will have a beneficial effect on the body and calm the nervous system. But it is worth remembering that the Siberian winter is very cold. You need to dress as warmly as possible. Do not overcool the body, the lower back, legs, respiratory organs and ears should be warm.

The most unsuitable months for travel are the transitional months - April and October. Strong gusty winds, unstable weather and large fluctuations in air temperatures will cause a lot of discomfort. Abundant snow melting leads to impassability, and it will simply be impossible to drive to many places in Transbaikalia. If you want to visit the mountains, then you can safely add September to these two months, in the mountains it is a very rainy cold autumn month.