Goh Cheng Leong Chapter 23 β Cool Temperate Continental (Siberian) Climate YouTube Lecture Handouts
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Goh Cheng Leong Chapter 23: Cool Temperate Continental (Siberian) Climate
- Broad E-W spread
- Merge with Arctic tundra in north and Steppes in south
- Also called Sub-Arctic β evergreen coniferous β continuous belt in north
- Called Taiga β Siberia β similar climate in N. Europe, Sweden & Finland
- Absent in South Hemisphere β narrowness of southern continents in high latitude & strong oceanic influence
- Coniferous (S. Hemisphere) only in mountain uplands of S. Chile, New Zealand, Tasmania & SE Australia
Climate
- Cold long winters & cool brief summers
- Spring & Autumn are transitional
- Isotherm - 50 for warmest month form poleward boundary of Siberian climate and winter months are below freezing
- Annual range is 54 [ (Moscow) and 73 Churchill β more northerly position]
- Due to extreme of temperature called β cold pole of earth
- N. America β less temperature extreme due to less east west stretch
- Lowest temperature of world in Verkhoyansk
- Known for heavy snowfall
- Frost in Aug-Sept
- Volga River ice covered for 150 days & further north - Ob, Lena & Yenisey River ice covered for 210 days
- Winds β Blizzards of Canada & Buran of Europe 50 mph & at - snowflakes in lower atmosphere reduce visibility
- Siberia is sparsely populated β unbearable conditions
Precipitation
- 15 - 25 inches of annual precipitation
- Rainfall well distributed year round
- Summer maximum from conventional rainfall β interior are heated
- Winters β snowfall β mean temperature below freezing point
- Conifers β require little moisture & transpire less are best suited
- Low temperature, low evaporation & high relative humidity β even small precipitation is good for tree growth
- Factors affecting Precipitation
- Altitude
- Latitude
- Proximity to poles
- Exposure to Westerlies
- Temperate monsoons
- Penetration to cyclones
- European USSR β more than 20 inches β due to westerlies and cyclones
- Poleward & southward β amount decreases (north air is unable to hold moisture) and south has semi-arid steppes
- Permanent snowfields are absent (as in Alps & Himalayas) due to melting in spring & summer
- Frozen rivers are thawed causing rise in water level & floods
- BENEFITS: Snow is poor conductor of heat & protects ground from severe cold above & provide moisture when snow melts in spring
- When ground is ploughed, acidic podzolic soil is improved & some agriculture is possible
Vegetation
- Richest source of softwood β conifers β building construction, furniture, paper, pulp, rayon, matches
- Greatest softwood production β USSR, USA < Canada & Fenoscandian (Finland, Norway, Sweden)
- Wood pulp production (chemical & mechanical) β USA leads
- Newsprint β Canada leads (half of total production)
- Taiga (Siberia) β richest source of temperate softwood
- Occur in pure strands β good for commercial exploitation
- 4 main species β Pine (White, red, Scots, Jack & lodge pole) , Fir (Douglas & Balsam) , Spruce & Larch
Coniferous
Uniform, straight, tall, upto 100 feet, towards poles they are spaced and turn to tundra vegetation
2-Year fructification cycle β seeds pollinated in one year and dispersed in next year
No annual replacement of new leaves as in deciduous β same leaves can remain for 5 years
Food stored in trunks and bark is thick to protect trunk from cold
Conical in shape to prevent snow accumulation & provide little grip to winds
Leaves are small, thick, leathery and needle-shaped
Little undergrowth is seen β acidic podzolic soil with excessive leaching, also due to absence of direct sunlight and short summers
Also seen in mountainous areas in temperate and tropical countries
On very steep slopes β soil is immature and conifers cannot survive
Pine, spruce & fir in north forest while larch in south
Homogenous, saves time and cost in exploitation
Economic Development
- Many areas are untouched in Canada, E. Europe and Asiatic Russia
- Lumbering β transported to saw mills
- Little agriculture β bordering steppes (barley, oats, rye) & root crops like potatoes
- Samoyeds & Yakuts (Siberia) & Canadians β hunting, fishing & trapping
Trapping
- Fur-bearing animals (muskrat, ermine, mink, silver fox) β processed for handbags
Silver Fox
Ermine
Muskrat
Mink
Siberia β squirrels, otters, bears, sables, lynx, marten & fox (fur bearing)
When cold is keenest β quality and thickness of fur increases
Most severe winter has finest furs with highest prices
Canada β trappers & hunters have automatic rifles & live in log cabins to track animals
Canada has fur farms for regular supply of furs (now replaced hunting of wild animals in Siberia)
Lumbering
- Saw-milling β logs processed into timber and plywood
- Timber is pulped to make wood pulp for paper making and newsprint
- 1β4th of worldΥs softwood is burnt for as fuel
- Used as industrial raw material
- Sweden β matches (major export)
- By-product of timber β chemically processed articles (rayon, paints, dyes, resins etc.)
- Occurs in winter when sap ceases to flow β felling becomes simpler
- Snow covered ground makes logging and haulage simple β dragged to rivers and float to saw mills downstream- use cheap HEP for saw mills
- Northern Sea route links Murmansk & Vladivostok via Arctic Ocean
β Manishika