When you hear the word "desert", what is immediately coming to mind? Most people have a desert causes images of infinite sandy spaces, high temperatures and shrub vegetation. To some extent, such a representation is accurate. Many deserts of the world are characterized by plenty of sand and high temperatures (at least in the bright time of the day).

However, there are arctic deserts that are radically different from the rest of the desert. There is no sand, and the temperatures are often not hot, but on the contrary minus.

If you know anything about the Arctic, it is likely that you wonder who came to mind the idea to name this region of the desert. In the end, in the Arctic there is the Northern Arctic Ocean. Nevertheless, the Arctic temperatures are so low that the ocean is almost always covered with ice. Strong frost also means that the air is not able to retain moisture. Thus, the air is dry, as in the classic desert.

Another weighty argument is a small amount of precipitation in the form of rain or snow. In fact, the Arctic gets about the same amount of precipitation with sugar. All the factors described above were the reason for the appearance of the concepts of "Arctic or Cold Desert".

Natural conditions for the zone of arctic deserts

To determine the natural conditions of the Arctic desert, the following is a brief characteristic and table of the main factors (geographical position, relief, soil, climate, natural resources, flora and fauna), which influence the lives of people of this natural zone.

Geographical position

Arctic desert on a map of the main natural zones of the world

Legend: - Antarctic desert.

The natural zone of the Arctic desert is located above 75 ° of northern latitude and adjoins the North Pole of the Earth. It covers the total area of \u200b\u200bmore than 100 thousand km². The Arctic Desert covers Greenland, the North Pole and a few islands, many of whom are inhabited by people and animals.

Relief

The relief of the Arctic desert consists of various physical features: mountains, glaciers and plain areas.

The mountains: The Arctic desert contains mountain areas where a cold and dry climate prevails. The view of some mountains of the region, remind the mountains in Central America.

Glaciers:due to extremely low temperatures, the Arctic desert is replete with numerous glaciers of different shapes and sizes.

Plain sections: They constitute the bulk of the region and have a distinct patterned texture, which is the result of melting cycles and water freezing.

If you watched the series "Game of Thrones", then the land behind the wall gives a general idea what the Arctic desert looks like. These scenes were removed in Iceland, which is not officially considered part of the Arctic desert, but has an external similarity with it.

Soil

On the main part of the territories of the natural zone of the Arctic desert, the soil remains frozen most of the year. Eternal Merzlota reaches 600-1000 m deep, and makes it difficult to drain the water. In summer, the surface of the Arctic desert is covered with lakes from the molten water of the upper soil layer. Crushed stone and rocks, due to the movement of glaciers are scattered throughout the natural zone.

The soil horizon of the Arctic desert is very thin, poor on nutrients, and also includes a lot of sand. In warmer districts, there are soil types containing some organic substances, and capable of maintaining the growth of small shrubs, algae, mushrooms and mosses. One such types of soil are brown soils.

Climate

The climate of the natural zone of the Arctic desert is characterized by a long, very cold winter and short cool summer. In the cold months (as a rule, from December to January), the temperature may be lowered to -50 ° C. In the warm months (as a rule, July), the temperature can rise to + 10 ° C. However, for many months, The average temperatures range in the range from -20 ° to 0 ° C.

The Arctic Desert receives very little precipitation. The average annual precipitation is below 250 mm. The precipitates are usually falling out in the form of snow and a small hemorrow, more often in the warm season.

Throughout the summer months, the Sun in the Arctic Desert does not enter at all. In fact, within 60 days, the sun is around the clock above the horizon line.

Animals and plants

A total of about 700 species of plants and about 120 species of animals are found in the natural zone of the Arctic desert. Flora and fauna adapted to survive and even flourish in such extreme conditions. Plants were able to adapt to the poor to nutrients soils, low ambient temperatures and a small amount of precipitation. As a rule, have a thick layer of fat and thick wool to protect against cold. They breed during the short summer and often fall into hibernation or migrate in winter. Birds usually fly south during the cold winter months.

Only about 5% of the territories of the Natural Zone of the Arctic Desert has vegetable cover. Although it is not surprising if you take into account the status of the desert. Most of the plant life consists of the following plants: lichens, mosses and algae, which can survive in extreme conditions of the Arctic.

Every year (especially in the warm season), some kind of low (from 5 to 100 cm) shrub plants bloom. As a rule, they include sources, liver, grass and various types of colors.

The life of animals in the Arctic desert is very diverse. There are many mammals, birds, fish and insects. All these animals are adapted to extremely low temperatures. Here are some examples of animal native arctic desert zone:

  • Mammals: Sands, polar bears, wolves, squirrels, hares, arctic voles, lemming, reindeer, seals, walruses and whales.
  • Birds:crows, falcons, Gagars, Kuliki, Bekasovye, Colt and various types of chaps. Most of these birds are migrant (i.e., only a part of its life cycle in the Arctic desert).
  • Fish: Trout, Salmon, Kambala and Cod.
  • Insects:

Natural resources

The Arctic includes significant reserves (oil, gas, minerals, fresh water and fishing species of fish). In recent years, interest in this region has increased significantly from tourists, which also provides additional economic benefits.

The untouched and endless deserts of the Arctic play an important role in preserving biodiversity due to the growing presence of a person, as well as fragmentation of vital habitats. Arctic deserts are especially susceptible to the depletion of soil cover and disruption of the habitat of rare animals characteristic of the region. The Arctic also contains 20% of worldwater reserves.

Natural Zone Table Arctic Desert

Geographical position Relief and soil
Climate Flora and fauna Natural resources
Arctic regions located above 75 ° Northern latitude and receiving a small amount of precipitation (less than 250 mm per year). More relief is flat, but sometimes mountainous areas are found.

The soil is very poor on organic nutrients, as well as most of the year remain meant.

The climate is dry and cold. The average temperatures range from 0 ° to -20 ° C. In winter, the air temperature may fall below -50 ° C, and in the summer ride to + 10 ° C. Animals

mammals: polar sands, white bears, wolf, reindeer, hares, squirrels, voles, lemmings, walruses, seals and whales;

birds: crows, falcons, gagars, huts, snacks, paints and seagulls;

fish: Trout, Salmon, Kambala and Cod;

insects: Grasshoppers, arctic bumblebees, mosquitoes, moths, midges and flies.

Plants

shrubs, herbs, lichens, mosses and algae.

oil, gas, minerals, fresh water, fishing types of fish.

Peoples and culture

The most numerous inhabitants of the Arctic desert are inuits. If the word "Inuit" is incomprehensible to you, then most likely you heard about Eskimos.

Inuit adapted their lives to the difficult conditions of the Arctic desert. As a rule, there are practically no building materials in the Arctic. Eskimos build snowy huts called the needle. In the summer, when the needle is tall, they live in tents made from the skins and bones of animals.

Given the extreme conditions of the desert, the Inuit do not grow grain and vegetable crops. They feed in main meat and fish. Thus, their main sources of food are fishing, as well as hunting for seals, walrles and whales.

For movement, inuit usually use dog harness. Sanya are made of skins and bones. They are pulled strong, hardy, driving breeds of dogs (husky, Malmouth, Samoyed). When moving on the water, they use kayaks or umica. Kayaks - small vessels suitable for transporting one or two people. Umica is large enough to carry several people, dogs and materials.

Eskimo communities are in different parts of the Arctic desert and. In Greenland, they are known as inopiats or Jupics. In Russia they are called Eskimos. Regardless of the name or geographic location, the Inuit speaks in the same language injectite. They also have similar cultural traditions and life.

Meaning for man

In recent years, the Arctic Desert is experiencing a growth in tourism. Cold Desert visitors come here for the sake of a unique ecosystem and fascinating snow landscapes. Lakes, rivers, streams and mountains, provide additional leisure for tourists from around the world. Some entertainment activities include sea cruises, boating, sport fishing, mountaineering, hunting excursions, rafting, hiking, dog sledding, skiing, snowshooting walks, and much more. Optical sun during the period of Arctic summer is another reason for the interest among tourists who visit the Arctic desert for the sake of this irrealistic phenomenon. Visitors also receive the experience of culture and life will also attend their settlements. The Arctic Desert, being the polar region of the planet, plays a key role in regulating the land climate.

Ecological threats

The population of people in the natural zone of the Arctic desert and the areas adjacent to it is rather low. The most pronounced threat comes from exploration of mineral deposits and their production. Global warming also has a negative impact on the environment of the Arctic desert, disturbing the fragile balance of this ecosystem. As the temperature of the planet increases, it heats up and melts, as a result of which carbon is released from the soil into the atmosphere, which speeds up climate change processes. Because of the global warming, polar ice is melted, which contributes to an increase in sea level and increases the threat of flooding coastal regions of the planet. The melting of ice hats also threatens polar bears. Ice need to hunt them, and melting ice cuts and shares their hunting grounds into fragments. In addition, larger cubs have even lower survival rates, since they are left to the arbitrariness of fate.

Protection of Arctic desert

To protect the natural zone of the Arctic desert, it is necessary to assist, cooperation, coordination and interaction between states with the participation of communities of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic on the sustainable development and environmental protection of the region.

The main objectives of the protection of the Arctic desert include:

  • Preservation of rich biodiversity of the region;
  • Sustainable use of renewable natural resources;
  • Reducing the level of environmental pollution and waste consumption.

To solve the goals set, it is necessary to focus international attention on the following problematic aspects:

  • Marine environment;
  • Freshwater;
  • Biodiversity;
  • Changing of the climate;
  • Pollution;
  • Oil and gas.

Only political will and the interaction of states are able to give a positive result in the struggle for the preservation of the natural zone of the Arctic desert and the nature of the world as a whole.

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Arctic deserts (polar desert, icy desert), a variety of deserts with extremely sparse meager vegetation among the snow and glaciers of the Arctic and Antarctic belts of the Earth. The most part of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, as well as on other islands of the Arctic Ocean, on the northern coast of Eurasia and on Islands near Antarctica.

In the Arctic desert, small isolated plots are growing with preferably with moss and lichens and herbal vegetation. They look like peculiar oasis among the polar snow and glaciers. In the conditions of the Arctic Desert there are some types of flowering plants: Polar poppy, breadth, buttercup, stone, and others. From animals, lemming, sands and a polar bear are common, and in Greenland - a musky bull. Numerous bird markets. In Antarctica, this landscape takes less than 1% of the territory and is called the Antarctic Oasis.

The area of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic desert occupies the most northern outskirts of Asia and North America and the island of the Arctic basin within the polar geographical belt. The climate of the Arctic zone, cold, with long harsh winter and short cold summer. Seasons are conditional - a winter period is connected with a polar day - summer. The average temperatures of winter months range from -10 to -35 °, and in the north of Greenland to -50 °. In the summer they increase to 0 °, + 5 °. The precipitation falls a little (200-300 mm per year). This zone is also called the kingdom of eternal snow and glaciers. For a short summer, only small sites of sushi with stony and swampy soil are released. They grow mosses and lichens, occasionally flower plants. The animal world is poor - the little rodent of the Pestrushka (Lemming), Lescent, Polar Bear, from birds - Cayra, etc.

Even more harsh conditions in the Antarctic deserts. On the coast of Antarctica, the air temperature even does not happen higher than 0 ° C. Occasionally grow mosses and lichens. Animal world is represented by penguins, but numerous animals live in the waters of Antarctic (according to P.P. Vashchenko, E.I. Schipovich et al.).

Arctic desert within Russia

The icy zone (the area of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic desert) is the northernmost on the territory of our country - is located in high latitudes of the Arctic. The extreme south is about 71 ° C. sh. (Wrangel Island), and north - under 81 ° 45 "s. sh. (Islands of Franza Iosifa Islands). In the limits of the zone, the land of Franz Joseph, the North Island of New Earth, North Earth, Novosibirsk Islands, Wrangel Island, Northern Painting The Taimyr Peninsula and the Arctic Seas located between these sections.

High geographic latitude determines the exceptional severity of the nature of the ice zone. Landscape its feature - ice and snow cover, lying almost throughout the year. Positive average monthly air temperatures close to zero are observed only on lowlands, and more than two or three months per year. In August - the most warm month - the average air temperature is not rising above 4-5 ° in the south of the zone. Annual amount of precipitation 200-400 mm. The overwhelming part of them falls in the form of snow, inlet and frost. Snow cover even in the south of the zone lies about nine months a year. Its power is relatively small - on average no more than 40-50 cm. A large cloudiness, frequent fogs and strong winds exacerbate unfavorable to life of an ice zone climate.

The relief of most islands is complex. Flat low lounge plains, on which the zonal landscape is best expressed, characteristic of coastal sites. The internal areas of the islands are usually occupied by high mountains and table plateau. The maximum absolute marks on the Earth Franz Joseph reaches 620-670 m, on the North Island of the New Earth and on the Northern Earth are close to 1000 m. The exception is the Novosibirsk Islands, which have a flat relief everywhere. Due to the low position of the snow border, significant spaces on Franz Joseph, the new land, the northern earth and the de Long Islands are engaged by glaciers. They cover 85.1% of the Earth Franz Joseph, 47.6% of the Northern Earth, 29.6% of the New Earth.

The total area of \u200b\u200bglaciation on the Islands of the Soviet Arctic - 55,865 km 2 - more than 3/4 of the area of \u200b\u200bthe entire modern olelion of the territory of the USSR. The fibrine food zone in the south-east of the Franz Joseifa lands begins a height of 370-390 m; Single below - from 300-320 to 370-390 m - lies the nutrition zone "superimposed" ice on a new earth - above 650 - 680 m, on the northern earth - at an altitude of 450 m. The average thickness of the ice shield on the new earth is 280-300 M, on the northern land - 200 m, on the Earth Franz Joseph - 100 m. Miscellaneous Ices are descending to the coast and, having rolled out, form icebergs. The entire space of sushi, free from ice, has a perennial Merzlot. The maximum power of it in the north of the Taimyr Peninsula - more than 500 m. Fossil ice ice and partly of the guttlers (on the new land) of origin are found.

The sea of \u200b\u200bthe ice ocean, washing islands and archipelagoes are a special, but integral part of the ice zone landscape. Most of the year, they completely covered with ice - a perennial Arctic pack, moving in the south of the coastal dut. At the junction of Poka and soldering, in areas with the prevailing removal of ice, the stationary wormwings are formed width of tens and even hundreds of kilometers. The Canadian and Adlant Massifs are distinguished by perennial ocean ice with a section of the section in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Lomonosov Underwater Ridge. An anticyclonal circulation system (clockwise), the ice of the atlantic array is characterized by younger and less powerful ice-array (clockwise), a cyclone-opening system (counterclockwise), in which they are partly with the help of the East Greenland flow to be taken out into the Atlantic Ocean. V.N. Kleetsky (1961) proposes to distinguish between the landscapes of drifting ice of the central Arctic and the low-tech of the Arctic, the gape ice, the ice of the mainland slope and stationary feeding wormsters. The last two types of landscapes are characterized by the presence of outdoor water and a relatively rich organic life - an abundance of phytoplankton, birds, the presence of a polar bear, seal, walrus.

Low air temperatures contribute to the vigorous development in the ice zone of frosty weathering, dramatically slowing the intensity of chemical and biological weathering processes. In this regard, the soils and soil consist here from rather large wreckage of rocks and almost deprived of clay material. A frequent transition of the air temperature in 0 ° with a close occurrence of permafrost causes an active manifestation of solifluction and soils. These processes in combination with the formation of frostic cracks entail the formation of so-called polygonal soils, the surface of which is disseminated by cracks or rollers from stones on the right polygons.

The water erosion processes in the zone are greatly weakened due to the short period of brevity. However, and here, with favorable conditions for these processes, the conditions of relief (steep slopes) and the presence of loose rocks can develop a thick loan network. Overgraded landscapes are described, for example, for the North of the New Earth, Novosibirsk Islands, Visa and Isachenko Islands, Taimyr Peninsula. The development of ravines in the Novosibirsk Islands contributes to powerful layers of buried ice. The burned ice revealed or erosion erosions begin to vigorously and the erosion process increases vigorously and the erosion waters.

Towing the many years of permits and the horizons of the buried, injectable and polygonal ice horizons are accompanied by the formation of failures, pridins and lakes. So there are peculiar thermal landscapes characteristic of the southern regions of the zone and especially for the Novosibirsk Islands. On the rest of the most of the ice zone, thermal landscapes are rare, which is explained by the weak development of fossil ice. Thermal blocks are ordinary here only on ancient moraine, under which the ice of retreated glaciers are buried. The formation of cone-shaped earthy bayjarakh bayjarakhi, the formation of cone-shaped earthy bayjarakhs height from 2-3 to 10-12 meters is associated with a terrorist and erosion blurring of loose nanos.

By the nature of vegetation, the ice zone is an arctic desert, which is distinguished by a broken vegetative cover with a total coating of about 65%. At the hindstream inventory inner plateaus, the tops of the mountains and the slopes of the Maine, the overall coating does not exceed 1-3%. Mossy, lichens predominate (predominantly boiled), algae and few types of typical Arctic flowering plants - Alpinus Locking (Alopecurus Alpinus), Peppy Arctic (Deschampsia Arctica), Buttercup (Ranunculus Sulphureus), Snowflage (SaxiFraga Nivalis), Polar Mac (Papaver Polare ). The entire island flora of higher plants here has about 350 species.

Despite the poverty and monotony of the vegetation of the Arctic desert, its character changes when moving from north to south. In the north of Franz Joseph, North Earth, the north of Taimyr are developed herbal-moss arctic deserts. South (south of Franz Joseph Land, North Island of New Earth, Novosibirsk Islands) They are replaced by depleted shrub-moss arctic deserts, in the vegetation cover of which occasionally they are pressed to the land of shrubs: Polar Iva (Salix Polaris) and Cameryness (SaxiFraga OPPO-Sitifotia) . For the south of the ice zone, the shrub-mossheld arctic deserts are characterized with a relatively well-developed shrub of a polar willow, Arctic willow (S. Arctica) and Driada (Dryas Punctata).

Low temperatures in summer, rarefied vegetation and everywhere common eternal permafrost create unfavorable conditions for the development of the soil process. The power of the seasonal-melt layer is an average of about 40 cm. It is starting to deteriorate soils only at the end of June, and at the beginning of September they are already freezing again. We smelted at the time of thawing, in the summer they enhance well and crack. In extensive spaces, instead of the soil formed, there are plants of coarse debris material. Na lowlands with fine-graded soils are formed by arctic soils, very low-power, without signs of flip. Arctic soils have a bright profile color, a weakly acidic, almost neutral reaction, saturated with the bases absorbing complex. The characteristic feature is their elastability caused by the accumulation in the upper horizons of soils of low-fat ironorganic connections. The arctic soils are characterized by the complexity associated with the microrelief, the composition of soils and vegetation. According to I. S. Mikhailov, "the main specific feature of Arctic soil is that they are as it were, as it were, the" complex "of soils with a normal developed profile under vegetable turfs and with a reduced profile under algae soils.

The productivity of the vegetation cover of the Arctic desert is negligible. The total stock of phytomass is less than 5 t / ha. It is characterized by a sharp predominance of living above-ground mass over underground, which distinguishes the arctic deserts from the tundra and deserts of moderate and subtropical belts, where the ratio of the above-ground phytomass to the underground opposite. Low vegetation productivity is the most important cause of the poverty of the animal of the Ice Zone. LEMMMUS (Lagopus), Pescent (Alopex Lagopus), Pessenger (Thalassarctos Maritimus), Occasionally North Deer (Rangifer Tarandus). On the ground of Franz Joseph, located north of 80 ° C. Sh., There are no lemming, no reindeer.

On the rocky shores in the summer, sea birds nest with colonies, forming the so-called bird markets. They are especially great on the new land and the land of Franz Joseph. The colonial nesting is the characteristic feature of the birds of this zone, due to many reasons: the abundance of feed in the sea, the limited territory suitable for the nesting, harsh climate. That is why, for example, from 16 species of birds living in the north of the new land, 11 form nesting colonies. Ordinary in the colonies of the lurch, or small Gagarka (Plotus Alle), Fulmarus (Fulmarus Glacialis), Cayra (URIA), cleaners (Cepphus), Moevka (Rissa Tridactyla), Gull Burgomaster (Larus Hyperboreus).

Literature.

  1. Geography / Ed. P.P. Vashchenko [and others]. - Kiev: Visit School. Head ed, 1986. - 503 s.
  2. Milkov F.N. Natural zones of the USSR / F.N. Milkov. - M.: Thought, 1977. - 296 p.


Natural zones Eurasia

  • Arctic desert

  • Tundra and Fierotundra

  • Taiga zone

  • Mixed and broad forest

  • Steppes and forest site

  • Desert and semi-deserts

  • Savannah and edging

  • Wet equatorial forests

  • Mining areas

1. Arctic desert


1. Arctic desert

  • Geographical image center: 73 ° 24 'S.Sh., 70 ° 38' V.D.

  • Spectral Channels: 1, 4, 7

  • Device: ETM +

  • Date: August 9, 2001

  • Additional description: The image is synthesized in pseudocet. The northern part of the island is represented by the White (Yamalo-Nenets JSC, Russia). Dark blue and blue colors have water objects - the mirror of the water of the Kara Sea and Lake. Green tones - mosses, lichens, low shrub. Yellow tones are open areas of the terrain with a minor presence of moss and lichens. Pink tones - open areas of terrain without vegetation (mainly stones). White color - sand along the coast of the Kara Sea.

  • Source: http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/, http://www.iki.rssi.ru


2. Tundra and Latstundra

  • Spacecraft: Landsat (Landsat)

  • Spatial resolution (initial): 28.5 m

  • Geographical image center: 64 ° 05 'S.Sh., 69 ° 27' V.D.

  • Spectral Channels: 1, 4, 7

  • Device: ETM +

  • Date: July 21, 2000

  • Additional description: The image is synthesized in pseudocet. Presented the site of the North-Eastern Territory of Nenets AO (Russia). Water objects (lakes, sea, rivers) are displayed with dark blue, almost black, color. Pale green shades - tundra vegetation - low rare shrubs, lichens, mosses, low herbs. Green tones are shrubs, dwarf wood vegetation (dwarf birch and willow), grass. Red-brown, orange and yellowish tones - open areas of the terrain with a slight content of moss and lichens.

  • Source: http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/, http://www.iki.rssi.ru


3. Taiga zone

  • Spacecraft: Landsat (Landsat)

  • Spatial resolution (initial): 28.5 m

  • Geographical image center: 62 ° 31 'S.Sh., 59 ° 05' V.D.

  • Spectral Channels: 1, 4, 7

  • Device: ETM +

  • Date: September 12, 2001

  • Additional description: The image is synthesized in pseudocet. Presents the site of the territory of the Komi Republic, on average, the Ilych River. Dark blue (almost black) Color - the Ilych River and its tributaries (thread-shaped structures). Dark green brown tones - a dark taiga - thick fir forests with admixtures of fir. Dark-green tones - coniferous vegetation - spruce, pine, fir; Several lighter - mixed forests. Green shades are also mixed forests, but with the predominance of hardwood (birch, aspen). Bright green color - meadow arrays (herbs, shrub). Yellow shades - rare herbs and shrubs with low chlorophyll. Reddish and pink tones are open areas of the terrain, including with very rare floral cover, the yield of rocks of the Ural Mountains.

  • Source: http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/, http://www.iki.rssi.ru


4. Mixed and wide forest

  • Spacecraft: Landsat (Landsat)

  • Spatial resolution (initial): 28.5 m

  • Geographical Center for: 55 ° 46 'S.Sh., 39 ° 07' V.D.

  • Spectral Channels: 3, 4, 5

  • Device: ETM +

  • Date and time: July 7, 2001

  • Additional description: The image is synthesized in pseudocet. Dark blue and blacks are displayed water objects (river, lakes), as well as peatlands. Dark-green shades - Taezhni pine arrays. Green and dirty-green shades of heterogeneous texture - South Tajoy Coniferous-Wide Forests (spruce, pine, birch, aspen). Bright green shades - young deciduous forests, shrubs in the places of forest cutting (have clear boundaries), meadow vegetation in the floodplains of rivers. Lilac and pinkish shades - open soil. Purple tones - residential areas (settlements, roads). Reddish shades - produced peatlands.

  • Source: http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/, http://www.iki.rssi.ru


5. Steppes and forest-steppe

  • Spacecraft: Landsat (Landsat)

  • Spatial resolution (initial): 28.5 m

  • Geographical image center: 46 ° 43 'S.Sh., 39 ° 45' V.D.

  • Spectral Channels: 1, 4, 7

  • Device: ETM +

  • Date: August 9, 2000

  • Additional description: The image is synthesized in pseudocet. Presented the site of the territory of the Krasnodar Territory. Almost the entire steppe zone of decompania under agricultural land (objects of proper geometric shape with tight borders). For the steppe and forest-steppe zones, a large number of beams and small rivers are characterized. The color of the fields without vegetation is dark pink or pink - due to dark black soils. Light green color - winter crops and herbal vegetation beams, brownish-green color - weak soil coating with vegetation. Many ponds, water color - black.

  • Source: http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/, http://www.iki.rssi.ru


6. Deserts and semi-deserts

  • Spacecraft: Landsat (Landsat)

  • Spatial resolution (initial): 28.5 m

  • Geographical center image: 45 ° 57 'S.Sh., 69 ° 59' V.D.

  • Spectral Channels: 1, 4, 7

  • Device: ETM +

  • Date: 28 July 2000

  • Additional description: The image is synthesized in pseudocet. Presentation of the territory of the sandy-salt marsh desert betpak-giving (northern hungry steppe). Located in Kazakhstan between the Lowest River Sarysu, the River Chu and Lake Balkhash. Gray and brown shades - sand. Aquamarine and white tones - Solonchaki. Yellow and yellow-green shades are a rare shrub and herbal vegetation in poor condition (dry). Green tones - shrub, woody vegetation (in ravines and on the hills). Bright green tones - reed and grass in lowlands (lakes) with a similar location of groundwater.

  • http: //www..jpg "Align \u003d Left\u003e Arctic desert - part of the Arctic geographical belt, located in high latitudes of the Arctic. The area of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic desert is the northernmost of natural zones - is located in high latitudes of the Arctic. Its south border is about 71. Parallels (Wrangel Island). The area of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic desert extends to about 81 ° 45 "p. sh. (Islands of the archipelago Land Franz Joseph). The area of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic desert includes all the islands in the Arctic pool: it is the island of Greenland,northern Canadian Archipelago,spitsbergen Archipelago, Islands of Archipelago Land Franz Joseph, Northern Earth, New Earth, Novosibirsk Islandsand a narrow strip along the coast of the Arctic Ocean within the Peninsula Yamal, Gydansky, Taimyr, Chukotka). These spaces are covered with glaciers, snow, rubble and stones.

    Climate of the Arctic Desert

    http: //www..ru) .jpg "Align \u003d Right\u003e Climate - Arctic, with a long and harsh winter, summer - short and cold. Transition seasons in the Arctic desert do not exist. During the polar night - Winter, and the polar day - Summer. The polar night lasts 98 days at 75 ° C. sh., 127 days - at 80 ° C. sh. The average temperature of winter - -10 to -35 °, lowers up to -60 °. It is very intensely frosty weathered.


    Air temperature in summer is slightly higher than 0 ° C. The sky is often tightened with gray clouds, it is raining (often with snow), due to the strong evaporation of water from the surface of the ocean, thick fogs are formed.


    Even on the "southern" island of the Arctic Desert - the island of Wrangel - according to eyewitnesses, the autumn does not happen, winter comes immediately at the short Arctic summer. The wind changes to the North and in one night comes winter.


    The Arctic climate is formed not only due to low temperatures of high latitudes, but also in view of the reflection of heat from the snow and the crust of the ice. And ice and snow covers hold about 300 days a year.


    Annual amount of precipitation up to 400 mm. The soil is impregnated with snow and barely flawed ice.

    Vegetable Pokrov

    http: //www..jpg "Align \u003d Left\u003e The main difference between the desert from the tundra is that in the tundra you can live, feeding it with the gifts, and in the Arctic desert it is impossible to do it. That is why there was no indigenous indigenous in the Arctic Islands.


    The territory of the Arctic desert has incurred vegetation, which covered about half of the surface. The desert is devoid of trees and shrubs. There are small insulated areas with precipitated lichens on rocks, mshami, various algae on rocky soils and herbal vegetation - sources and cereals. In the conditions of the Arctic desert there are some types of flowering plants: Polar Mac, Crazy, Star, Flashawable Alpine, Shuchka Arctic, Mattik, Buttercup, Camery and others. These islands of vegetation look like oasis among endless ice and snow.


    Soils are low-power, with island spread mainly under vegetation. Free from the glaciers spaces are abandoned by permafrost, the depth of shocking even in the conditions of the polar day does not exceed 30-40 cm. Soil formation processes are carried out in a low-power activity layer and are at the initial stage of development.


    For the upper part of the soil profile, the accumulation of iron oxides and manganese. On fragments of rocks, iron-manganese films are formed, which determines the brown color of polar-deserted soils. Polar-deserttopic soils are formed on coastal saline seeds.


    There are practically no large stones in the Arctic desert. Mostly sand and small flat cobblestones. There are balls concrete, which consist of silicon and sandstone, from several centimeters to several meters in diameter. The most famous novels are spherified on the island of Champ (ZPI). Each tourist considers his duty to make photos with these balls.

    Animal world

    http: //www..jpg "Align \u003d Right\u003e In view of the scanty vegetation, the animal world of the Arctic desert is relatively poor. Ground fauna is poor: Arctic Wolf, Lescent, Lemming, Novoemel deer, in Greenland - Musky Bull. On the coast you can find lastonovi walrus and seals.


    White bears are considered the main symbol of the Arctic. They lead a semi-water lifestyle, the key areas of sushi for breeding polar bears are the north coast of Chukotka, the land of Franz Joseph, the cape of desire on the new earth. There are about 400 generic Berherries on the territory of the "Island of Wrangel", so it is called the "maternity hospital" of the bear.


    http: //www..jpg "Align \u003d Left\u003e The most numerous inhabitants of the harsh north edge are birds. These are Cayra, deadlocks, gags, pink seagulls, polar owls, etc. On rocky shores in the summer sea birds nest, forming" bird bazaars " . The most numerous and diverse colony of sea birds in the Arctic nests on the rock of Rubini, which is located in the non-freezing bay calm at the Islands of Gucker (ZPI). The bird market on this rock has up to 18 thousand kair, cumbers, moaes and other seabirds.

    In the territory Eurasia Presented everyone natural zones North Hemisphere. And the significant length of the continent from the north to the south and the presence of large plain spaces contributed to a clear manifestation of latitudinal zonality here.

    The most distinct latitudinal stretch of zones is expressed in the intram-moisture plain part of Eurasia. Here, gradually, the ratio of heat and moisture is changed in the direction of the north to south, and therefore natural zones are replaced. In the west, the mainland on the formation of natural zones is most influenced by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, the wet air of which penetrates far east. Therefore, natural zones are mixed here from the North-West to the southeast. In the Eastern Prosthean part of Eurasia, where the monsoon circulation of air cells prevails, natural zones have a meridional stretcher along the coast.

    Arctic desert zone It covers the Arctic Islands, most of which are almost completely covered with glaciers. Due to the harsh climatic conditions and many years of the soil, the soil is poorly developed. Therefore, the vegetable world of the Arctic desert is poor: there are 40-50 species of plants (Fig. 190). Typical animals of the natural zone are sands and the owner of the Arctic - polar bear. Here are also sealing, sea hares.

    Animals of the North are not terrible ice "beds". At the White Bee, for example, even the soles of the paws are covered with thick hair. A long fur has another inhabitant of high sheep (Fig. 191). On the sides and stomach, his hair length reaches 90 cm. Thanks to such a heat-shielding "mattress", the animal of the SPO Koino can lie for a long time on the snow.

    Tundra and Festry Zone in western Eurasia Forming under the conditions of a soft sea climate, and in eastern - in the conditions of continental and cold climate. In European tundra, there will be no harsh winters, so here, except for mosses and lichens, meets a palpal and crime (Fig. 192). In the eastern part of the tundra on the tundra guery soils, mostly mossies and lichens are growing. Material from site.

    Tundra retreats, forests come. Modern climate warming is quite clearly displayed on vegetation cover. So, now the border of the forest is moving to the north, coming to the East-NoEuropia Tundra. In some places, new forest islands appear on the spot. And the area of \u200b\u200bold island forest arrays from spruce gradually increases.

    • Natural zones Eurasia Rechange from the north to south and have a shirt stretch only in the intramiceric plain part.
    • In the West and East Eurasia Natural zones change their stretching on subshir and meridional.

    On this page, material on the themes:

    • The climatic conditions of the Arctic deserts, tundra and forest tundra in Eurasia

    • Presentation of Tundra and Forestandra Eurasia

    • Characteristics of Fondura and Tundra Eurasia by geography

    • Eurasia Tundra and Ferotandra Flora and Fauna

    • Abstracts about animal forest tundra

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