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Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia
Climate at Present and in the Historical Past
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Introduction
The climate of Northern Eurasia has two main characteristics: low winter temperatures
over most of the continent and aridity in its southern part. Three main factors are
responsible for the formation of the Eurasian climates: the northern position of the
continent, its remarkable size, and the arrangement of mountainous systems.
Northern Eurasia, defined as the territory of the former Soviet Union (FSU), extends
from 35°N in Central Asia to 78°N in the Siberian Arctic and most of the territory is
positioned in high latitudes, north of the 50th parallel. Northern Eurasia extends from
20°E to the date line and most of it is landlocked. Therefore, the climate of Northern
Eurasia is characterized by a high or extremely high degree of continentality: winters are
very cold and summers are hot. The Arctic and the Pacific Oceans do little to ameliorate
the climate in winter because the Arctic Ocean is frozen and climatically acts as
snow-covered land while the effect of the Pacific is reduced by the steady offshore air
flow. Mountains, with elevations exceeding 5 km, extend along the southern rim of Eurasia.
The mountains limit the transport of moisture into the continental interiors and, more
importantly, affect the general atmospheric circulation in such a way that precipitation
is light over the southern part of Northern Eurasia and arid climates develop, most
notably in Central Asia. Between the Arctic coast and the southern mountains lie the vast
East European and West Siberian plains where a classic pattern of climatic zonality occurs
in the absence of orography. By contrast, Eastern Siberia and the Far East are mountainous
regions and altitude and topography play an important role in the formation of temperature
and precipitation regimes. Finally, the Pacific coast experiences a monsoonal climate with
its distinct alterations of dry winter and wet summer seasons.
<<< The Development of a Zonal Structure in
Modern Landscapes | Physical Geography Index | General Atmospheric Circulation >>>
Contents of the Climate at Present
and in the Historical Past section:
Other sections of Physical Geography of Nortern Eurasia:
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