The East European Plain is one of the largest on the planet. Its area exceeds 4 million km 2 . It is located on the continent of Eurasia (in the eastern part of Europe). On the north-western side, its borders pass through the Scandinavian mountainous formations, in the southeast - along the Caucasian, in the south-west - along the central European massifs (Sudetenland and others). There are more than 10 states on its territory, most of the Russian Federation . It is for this reason that this plain is also called Russian.
East European Plain: Climate Change
In any geographical area, the climate is formed due to some factors. First of all, this is the geographical position, topography and neighboring regions with which a certain territory borders.
So, what exactly affects the climate of this plain? To begin with, it is worth highlighting the oceanic water areas: the Arctic and Atlantic. Thanks to their air masses, certain temperatures are established and the amount of precipitation formed. The latter are distributed unevenly, but this is easily explained by the large territory of such an object as the East European Plain.
Mountains have no less impact than oceans. Solar radiation throughout the length is not the same: in the southern zone it is much more than in the northern one. Throughout the year, it changes, depending on the change of seasons (in summer more than in winter due to mountain snow peaks). In July, the highest level of radiation is reached.
Considering that the plain is located in high and temperate latitudes, a temperate continental climate predominates on its territory . It predominates mainly in the eastern part.
Atlantic masses
The air masses of the Atlantic dominate the East European Plain throughout the year. In the winter season they bring rainfall and warm weather, and in the summer, the air is saturated with coolness. Atlantic winds, moving from west to east, are slightly changing. Located above the earth's surface, they become warmer in the summer with little moisture, and in winter colder with little rain. It is during the cold season that the East European Plain, whose climate directly depends on the oceans, is influenced by Atlantic cyclones. Over this season, their number can reach 12. Moving eastward, they can change dramatically, and this, in turn, brings warming or cooling.
And when Atlantic cyclones come from the south-west, the subtropical air masses influence the southern part of the Russian Plain, as a result of which there is a thaw and in winter the temperature can rise to + 5 ... 7 ° .
Arctic air masses
When the East European Plain is under the influence of the North Atlantic and Southwest Arctic cyclones, the climate here changes significantly, even in the southern part. A sharp cooling sets in on its territory. Arctic aerials most often move from north to west. Thanks to the anticyclones that lead to cooling, snow lays for a long time, the weather is cloudy with low temperatures. As a rule, they are common in the southeastern part of the plain.
The temperature regime of the winter season
Considering the location of the East European Plain, the climate in the winter season differs in different areas. In this regard, the following temperature statistics are observed:
- Northern areas - winter is not very cold, in January thermometers show an average of -4 ° .
- In the western zones of the Russian Federation, weather conditions are somewhat more severe. The average temperature in January reaches -10 ° C.
- The northeastern parts are colder. Here on thermometers you can see -20 ° C or more.
- In the southern zones of Russia there is a deviation of temperatures in the southeast direction. The average is a sweep of -5 ° C.
The temperature regime of the summer season
In the summer season, the East European Plain is exposed to solar radiation. The climate at this time depends directly on this factor. Here, oceanic air masses no longer have such significance, and the temperature is distributed in accordance with geographical latitude.
So, let's look at the changes by region:
- The air in the extreme northern parts of the plain warms up during the day to an average of +8 ° .
- In the areas between Voronezh and Cheboksary, a temperature of +20 ° C is set.
- The regions of the Caspian lowland are the warmest. Here, the average temperature is fixed at +24 ° C.
Precipitation
As stated above, a temperate continental climate operates in most of the East European Plain. And it is characterized by a certain amount of precipitation, amounting to 600-800 mm / g. Their loss depends on several factors. For example, the movement of air masses from the western parts, the presence of cyclones, the location of the polar and Arctic front. The highest humidity indicator is observed between the Valdai and Smolensk-Moscow hills. About 800 mm of precipitation falls in the west in a year, and a little less in the east - no more than 700 mm.
In addition, the relief of this territory has a great influence. On the hills located in the western parts, precipitation is 200 millimeters more than on the lowlands. The rainy season in the southern zones falls on the first month of summer (June), and in the middle lane, as a rule, this is July.
In winter, snow falls in this region and a stable cover forms. The height level may vary, taking into account the natural areas of the East European Plain. For example, in the tundra, snow thickness reaches 600-700 mm. Here he lies for about seven months. And in the forest zone and forest-steppe, the snow cover reaches a height of up to 500 mm and, as a rule, covers the ground for no more than two months.
Most moisture occurs in the northern zone of the plain, and evaporation is less. In the middle lane, these indicators are compared. As for the southern part, here humidification is much less than evaporation, for this reason drought is often observed in this area.
Natural areas: types and brief description
The natural areas of the East European Plain are quite different. The reason is extremely simple - the large size of this area. On its territory there are 7 zones. Let's look at them.
- Tundra and forest-tundra - the climate is moderately cold, humidity is high, precipitation is in the amount of up to 600 mm / g. In the tundra are permafrost zones. To the south of its borders lies the forest-tundra. The width of the zone is up to 40 km.
- Forest - humidity and air temperatures are moderate. Bandwidth - up to 1200 km. It is divided into two subzones - mixed forests and taiga.
- The forest-steppe is located in the temperate climatic zone. Located in the west of the plain, stretches from the southwest to the northeast.
- Steppe - low humidity, high temperatures (average in summer - +23 ° ). The winds prevail in this area.
- Desert and semi-desert captures the lower Volga. Further, the strip passes to Aktyubinsk. The amount of precipitation does not exceed 400 mm / g, and the evaporation is more than 1000 mm.
East European Plain and West Siberian Plain: Comparison
The Russian and West Siberian plains have a number of common features. For example, their geographical location. They are both located on the continent of Eurasia. The impact on them is the Arctic Ocean. The territory of both plains has such natural zones as forest-tundra, tundra, forest, steppe and forest-steppe. Deserts and semi-deserts are absent in the West Siberian Plain. The prevailing Arctic air masses have almost the same effect on both geographical areas. They also border mountains, which directly affect climate formation.
The East European Plain and West Siberian Plain also have differences. These include the fact that although they are located on the same continent, they are located in different parts: the first in Europe, the second in Asia. They also differ in relief - the West Siberian is considered one of the lowest, therefore some of its areas are swampy. If we take the territory of these plains as a whole, then in the latter the flora is somewhat poorer than that of the East European.