Climatic zones of Eurasia - description, features and interesting facts. Climatic conditions of Eurasia Comparative characteristics of climatic zones of Eurasia

The climatic conditions of Eurasia are associated with its geographical location in the Northern Hemisphere from the equator to the high latitudes of the Arctic, its enormous size, the complexity of its orographic structure and ruggedness coastline. Vast areas of the plains are open to air masses coming from the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Mountain uplifts in the south and east practically exclude the penetration of air masses into the interior of the continent from the Indian Ocean and limit their entry from Pacific Ocean.

The monsoon invasion of Pacific air in the east of Eurasia, especially in the northern latitudes, is small: the submeridional extension of mountain ranges limits this invasion. In the south and southeast of the continent, the monsoon circulation is expressed classically and largely determines the agricultural activity of the population. Depending on the transport of air masses and orography, precipitation is distributed very unevenly throughout the year and across the seasons. Deserts are located in the continental sectors of the temperate and subtropical zones, as well as in the tropical zone.

Climatic conditions depend on the size total solar radiation, coming to earth's surface during the year and its transformation. On the plains, its rate increases from north to south from 250 kJ/cm2 per year in the Franz Josef Land region to 670 kJ/cm2 in equatorial regions. In the mountains this value becomes somewhat larger.

The weather and climatic conditions of winter and summer are determined by the changing position centers of atmospheric action(regions of high and low pressure). In winter, an area of high pressure forms in the center of cooled Asia - the Asian (Siberian, Mongolian, Central Asian) anticyclone. In the summer it is replaced by the Asian Depression, an area of low pressure.

Another of the most well-known high pressure centers is the subtropical anticyclone located off the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic. In winter, these two anticyclones are connected by an axis of high pressure, called the “major axis of the Eurasian continent.” It is also called the A.I. axis in honor of its discoverer. Voeikov, who described this phenomenon in 1884.

"Major Axis of the Eurasian Continent" is clearly visible on numerous synoptic maps specifically for the winter period. In winter from the southern part Eastern Siberia a high-pressure band extends to the south Ural mountains, through the forest-steppe of Ukraine, the Danube plains, Southern France and Spain, reaching the Azores high. A similar axis is formed in the summer months, but less pronounced. The high pressure axis is characterized by dry, cloudless weather, calm or weak winds, severe frosts in winter and heat in summer with almost no precipitation. It plays an important role in the winter circulation of the atmosphere, deflecting cyclones from the Atlantic to the north.

The widespread development of the Asian anticyclone is also due to the presence of centers of stable low atmospheric pressure in the North Atlantic near Iceland (Icelandic Low) and over the North Pacific Ocean near the Aleutian Islands (Aleutian Low). At the same time, in the area of the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and over the Arctic, there are centers of high atmospheric pressure (Azores and Arctic highs).

The general nature of the westerly transport of air masses enhances the appearance in winter months stable air currents in the southeast of the mainland - the northwest continental monsoon, typical of northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and most of the Japanese Islands. In eastern Asia, in the temperate and subtropical zones, for this reason, abnormally cold and dry winters are common (compared to these latitudes in Europe).

Summer conditions of circulation of air masses and the position of the main centers of atmospheric action in relation to the mainland change significantly. The winter Asian anticyclone is collapsing, and a wide area of low atmospheric pressure is established over the warmed expanses of the continent. The Azores maximum, a branch of which can be traced in the southern and partly central regions of Europe, expands significantly, determining the dry and hot season in the Mediterranean and the Western Asian highlands. The Icelandic low is weakening, the trajectory of the cyclones will mix into the northern part of Eurasia. In Europe, cyclonic activity is weakening, and there are usually warm, sunny days.

In Hindustan, Indochina, the Malay Archipelago and Southern China, the summer subequatorial monsoon prevails with heavy rainfall on the windward slopes of the mountains. In the eastern and southeastern regions of the mainland, the influence of tropical sea air coming from the Pacific Ocean along the western periphery of the Hawaiian anticyclone is increasing.

The land experiences the greatest heating in summer in tropical and partly in temperate latitudes, which contributes to the formation of low pressure over almost the entire continent. In this regard, the fronts are weakly expressed. The air temperature drops to the north throughout the continent, except for the oceanic regions. Internal thermal differences are not as dramatic as in winter period, amplitude does not exceed 10-15 °C.

The northern part of Eurasia is humidified normally, the Mediterranean - weakly, the deserts of Arabia, Central and Central Asia and the Gobi - very weakly. Heavy monsoon rainfall occurs in South and East Asia.

The following main types of air masses move throughout the year in Eurasia.

Arctic sea air forms over ice-free Arctic waters. It has a negative, but higher than continental Arctic air, temperature and high relative humidity. However, its moisture reserves are small. This air most often invades the northern regions of the East European and West Siberian Plains during the transition seasons of the year in cyclones, accompanied by fresh winds and snowfalls.

Continental Arctic air forms over the ice fields of the Arctic. Possessing a large vertical thickness (up to 2000 m), it can in some cases spread in winter over the surface of the snow cover to the south to the Alps, the Greater Caucasus and the mountains Central Asia. At the same time, its transformation occurs weakly. This air is characterized by low temperature (up to -30 °C in winter), high relative humidity (85-90%) and low moisture content. In the warm season, it warms up and is additionally moistened in the tundra and forest-tundra.

Sea air of temperate latitudes The continent comes to the west from the Atlantic Ocean, and to the east from the Pacific Ocean. In winter, it is warmer than continental air at temperate latitudes and differs from it by higher relative humidity and higher moisture content. In summer, on the contrary, it has a relatively low temperature, but maintains high relative humidity with significant moisture content. As it moves deeper into the continent, sea air gradually warms up, loses some of its moisture and transforms into continental air.

Continental air of temperate latitudes dominates the territory of Eurasia. It is formed mainly from air masses coming from the Atlantic, Arctic and, to a lesser extent, Pacific oceans, as well as from the Iranian Plateau and Central Asia, located in the subtropical zone. It is characterized by relatively low temperatures in winter (the average temperature in January, depending on local conditions, ranges from -10 to -50 °C) and quite high in summer (in July from 13 to 25 °C). Absolute and relative humidity is not constant and varies depending on regional conditions.

Sea tropical air most often penetrates in summer to the southern peninsulas of Europe and to the southwest of the East European Plain from the Azores High, passing over the Mediterranean Sea. The influence of this air mass from the Pacific Ocean along the western periphery of the Hawaiian anticyclone on the eastern and southeastern regions of the mainland, including the south Far East, also intensifies in summer.

Continental tropical air dominates the Arabian Peninsula and can invade the southern East European Plain, Central Asia and Kazakhstan through Asia Minor and the Iranian Plateau. In addition, in summer it is formed in the deserts of Central Asia and in the south of the East European Plain as a result of the transformation of continental air of temperate latitudes. In summer, it penetrates into the East European and West Siberian Plains up to 55º north latitude. It is characterized by heat and significant moisture content at low relative humidity, as well as often increased dust levels.

Equatorial air with intense convention throughout the year, it prevails in the equatorial region of island Asia. In Hindustan, Indochina, Southern China and the Malay Archipelago, the summer monsoon with heavy rainfall manifests itself classically, especially on the windward slopes of the mountains. A powerful flow of cold air from the north (the southern branch of the Asian anticyclone) occurs in this area during the winter monsoon with abnormally cold and dry weather.

Winter on the territory of Eurasia is characterized by the following patterns. The lowest average January temperature is observed in the intermountain basins of the Oymyakon Highlands. In Oymyakon, at an altitude of 600 m, it is -50 °C, while the absolute minimum is -72.2 °C (in Verkhoyansk). The reason for such cold weather lies in the long-term stagnation and intense cooling of continental air in intermountain trenches at a local maximum of atmospheric pressure.

The area of greatest cold is outlined by an isotherm of -32 °C, passing east of the lower reaches of the Yenisei, along its right tributary of the Lower Tunguska, along the Vilyuy (left tributary of the Lena), further through the Verkhoyansk ridge and the Chersky ridge to the Kolyma, in the north it is limited by the northern coast of the mainland.

The location of the area of greatest cold not on the axis (along the meridian) of the continent, but much to the east, is explained by the frequent invasion of relatively warm sea air of temperate latitudes from the Atlantic Ocean. The zero isotherm forms a giant oval, outside of which remain Great Britain, France and the following peninsulas: the Iberian, Apennine, Balkan, Arabian, Hindustan, Indochina, excluding the Japanese, Kuril and Komandorsky peninsulas.

When moving from north to south, the duration of snow cover varies from 280 days to several days. Its height on the coast of the Arctic Ocean is 40-50 cm, on the East European and West Siberian plains in the taiga zone - up to 70-90 cm. With further movement to the south, its thickness decreases until it disappears completely. On the western slopes Northern Urals and in the Yenisei elevated part of the Central Siberian Plateau, snow accumulates up to 90 cm, and in the mountains of Kamchatka up to 120 cm.

In summer, in July the zero isotherm is north of all the archipelagos in the Arctic Ocean. In flat areas, July isotherms have a latitudinal and sublatitudinal strike. The warmest (hottest) are the interior, usually desert regions of Eurasia and the south of this continent, especially the Arabian Peninsula and the Indus Valley (the western part of the Indo-Gangetic Lowland).

On the Tibet plateau, weather and climatic conditions are abnormal: it is colder than adjacent territories due to its altitude and topography.

In distribution precipitation allocated across the territory of Eurasia two zones of their greatest loss(in this case, a zone is understood as a vast area within the isohyet of a certain amount of precipitation per year). The first of them includes Western Europe and the strip between the Arctic Circle and parallel 50°N. to the Yenisei in the East. The amount of annual precipitation is up to 1000 mm in Western Europe constantly decreases to 500 mm or less in the east. The reason for this decrease is the weakening of the westerly bias of moist air from the Atlantic. On the windward slopes of the mountains, the amount of precipitation increases to 2000 mm. Most of the precipitation falls in the summer season, only in the Mediterranean - in winter.

The second zone of the greatest precipitation includes the Far East (except for the northern regions) and Southeast Asia, where precipitation is associated with the summer monsoon. In the Russian Far East and Eastern China, the average annual precipitation reaches 1000 mm or more.

The highest rainfall occurs on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, southwestern Hindustan (Western Ghats), the Assam Mountains and the western slopes of the Arakan and Rakhine Mountains in Burma. The windward slopes of the islands of South and Southeast Asia receive up to 2000-4000 mm of precipitation per year. At the Cherrapunji weather station (altitude 1300 m), located on the Shillong plateau, a record fall of more than 12,000 mm was recorded. In South and Southeast Asia, 95% of precipitation falls in the summer.

The entire territory of Asia, with precipitation up to 2000 mm (except for the islands), is characterized by long dry periods with acute moisture deficiency, and artificial irrigation is used almost everywhere. The reason is high summer temperatures.

On the territory of Eurasia there is also two low rainfall zones. One of them occupies the north of the continent, where the average annual precipitation decreases from the west (Kola Peninsula - 400 mm) to the east (north of Yakutia - 100 mm or less). The second zone, which includes almost half the area of the continent, is formed by territories that differ in natural conditions and located outside the sphere of influence of the sea air of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. It includes: the southeast of the East European Plain, Arabia, the Iranian Plateau, Central Asia, the predominant part of Western Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau. Central Asia, Central Siberia and the north of the Far East. Altai and the Sayans turned out to be a kind of more humid “island” among the arid territory. Moreover, Western (Western), Southwestern and Central Asia are almost completely rainless.

IN climatic zoning Eurasia is distinguished by belts and areas with the following climate types.

Arctic climate in the polar zone of the northern coast of Eurasia it is harsh, monthly temperatures vary from 0 in summer to -40 o C in winter, the average annual temperature is about -30 o C, there is little precipitation (100-200 mm or less).

Subarctic climate occupies a narrow strip near the Arctic Circle - summers are short, the average temperature of the warmest month is not higher than 12 o C, winters are long and harsh, there is little precipitation (less than 300 mm, in the north-east of Siberia less than 100 mm), in the west there is the influence of the Atlantic.

Temperate climate zone in the south it extends to approximately 40°N. On the western flank of the continent - maritime climate with cool summers and warm (for these latitudes) winters, with moderate precipitation and without stable snow cover.

Temperate continental climate characteristic of Europe (except for the west coast) and the north of Western Siberia. It is characterized by unstable weather conditions, which are moderated by the westerly transport of Atlantic sea air.

For inland climate of temperate latitudes characterized by a more or less stable regime of high atmospheric pressure, especially in winter time, warm summer and cold winter. Annual temperature amplitudes are high and increase inland due to the increasing severity of winters. Stable snow cover. Precipitation ranges from 600 mm (in the west) to 200-300 mm (in the east). In the southern part, the aridity of the climate increases, and forest landscapes are replaced by steppe, semi-desert and desert ones.

Temperate monsoon climate formed on the eastern edge of the continent. It is characterized by partly cloudy and cold winters with prevailing north-westerly winds, warm summers with south-east and south winds and sufficient, even heavy, summer precipitation. In Japan and Kamchatka, winter is much milder, there is a lot of precipitation in both winter and summer.

Mediterranean climate subtropical zone characteristic of the southern peninsula of Europe (including the southern coast of Crimea), the peninsula of Asia Minor and the eastern coast Mediterranean Sea. It is characterized by high atmospheric pressure in summer (intensification of the subtropical Azores high) and intensification of cyclones in winter, when they move towards the equator. Summer is hot, partly cloudy and dry, winter is cool and rainy. The temperature in the summer months is 20-25, in the winter - 5-10 o C, the annual precipitation is 400-600 mm.

Dry subtropical climate is formed in the Iranian Highlands (except for the southern regions), in the south of Central Asia and in Kashgaria (Tarim Depression). In winter and summer, increased atmospheric pressure prevails. Summer is hot, temperatures can reach up to 50 o C. In winter, frosts down to -10, -20 o C are possible. The annual precipitation does not exceed 120 mm.

Cold desert climate in the subtropical zone it is characteristic of the highlands of the Pamirs and Tibet. There are cool summers and very cold winters, with precipitation of about 80 mm per year.

IN monsoon subtropical climate In eastern China, temperature conditions are close to those of the Mediterranean, but heavy rainfall occurs mainly in the summer during the ocean monsoon.

Tropical desert climate The Arabian Peninsula and the southern part of the Iranian Plateau are exceptionally hot and dry (average temperature in summer months is about 40 o C, average temperature in winter months is from 10 to 15 o C), and there is little precipitation (often less than 100 mm per year). Daily temperature amplitudes are high (up to 40 o C).

In South and Southeast Asia (the Hindustan and Indochinese peninsulas) monsoon climate type of the subequatorial zone caused by seasonal changes in flows from the interior of the continent (winter monsoon) and from the Pacific and Indian oceans (summer monsoon, enhanced by the trade wind). It is during the summer monsoon that, as already noted, it falls greatest number precipitation.

Equatorial climate, covering the southern island end of Eurasia, is characterized by uniform temperature conditions with high temperatures (24-28 o C) throughout the year. Air humidity is constantly high. Precipitation is up to 6000 mm or more, it falls in the form of showers.

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The climate of Eurasia is extremely diverse. In the north it is very cold, in the south it is extremely hot, in the western and eastern outskirts on the mainland it is predominantly humid, and in the central regions it is arid (Fig. 176). The reason for such heterogeneity in the climate of Eurasia is the uneven flow of solar radiation onto its surface, which is associated with the location of this continent in all geographical zones Northern Hemisphere.

It's getting warmer in Europe. Over the past 500 years, winters in Europe have beennoticeably colder than in the 20th century. The winter of 1708-1709 was a record frosty one, when the temperature dropped more than 7°C below average. Sharp warming began after 1977. The hottest decade occurred between 1994 and 2003. The highest temperature in the last 500 years was observed in 2003.

Another reason for the heterogeneity of the continent’s climate is different types circulation of air masses inherent in Eurasia. Most of its territory is dominated by western transport. The tropical zone is characterized by trade winds, and the extreme east and south are characterized by monsoons.

In winter, when the westerly transport of air masses intensifies, cyclones from the Atlantic dominate almost the entire territory of Europe. Due to this, the air temperature in the northern and southern regions differs little. The zonal distribution of temperature is disrupted, so January isotherms extend almost along the meridians.

As it moves eastward from the Atlantic, the westerly transport weakens and becomes colder. The central part of the continent is especially cold, where the average temperature is -24 °C, and frosts often reach -40 °C. As a result, an area of high pressure is formed here - the Asian High. From here, continental temperate air masses spread in all directions. Particularly powerful air currents move towards the Pacific and Indian oceans, over which at this time areas of low atmospheric pressure have already formed. This is how the dry and cold winter monsoon occurs.

In summer, the westerly transport of air masses weakens somewhat. Therefore, the zonal distribution of temperature becomes more noticeable, as evidenced by the predominantly latitudinal extent of the July isotherms. The highest temperatures in Eurasia occur over the hot Indo-Gangetic lowland, which is isolated from the ocean on almost all sides by mountain barriers. Therefore, an area of very low pressure is formed here - the South Asian Low.

Unlike most of Asia, the surface of the Pacific and Indian oceans is cooled in summer. Therefore, areas of high pressure arise over the oceans. From here, air masses move to land, forming a powerful, humid and warm summer monsoon.

Overall annual amount atmospheric precipitation in Eurasia it naturally decreases from the outskirts of the continent to its central regions (Fig. 177). Here it reaches its minimum. This is explained

weakening of the activity of westerly transport cyclones and monsoons, as well as the increasing influence of dry continental air masses from the interior regions of Eurasia. Most precipitation falls on windward mountain slopes. Material from the site

Climate of Eurasia extremely diverse, which is due to the location of the continent in all geographical zones of the Northern Hemisphere, heterogeneous air circulation and complex terrain.
Average annual amount atmospheric precipitation, falling out in Eurasia, naturally decreases in the direction from the outskirts of the continent to its central regions.

On this page there is material on the following topics:

Abstract climate of Eurasia
Climate of Eurasia general
41. Features of Eurasian circulation
Assignments on the topic climate of Eurasia
Table of climate features in Eurasia

Questions about this material:

Due to the large extent of the continent from north to south, due to the different amounts of solar radiation at specific latitudes, Eurasia is located in all climatic zones of the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic to the equatorial. Largest territories In terms of area, it occupies the temperate zone, since it is in the temperate latitudes that the continent is most elongated from west to east.

All four main types of air masses form and dominate over the continental territory - arctic, temperate, tropical and equatorial. It is characteristic that maritime air masses are formed over the oceans in the temperate and tropical zones, and continental air masses are formed over the continent, the confrontation of which creates a wide variety of climate types in these latitudes of Eurasia. Thus, most of Eurasia is located in temperate latitudes, where the westerly transport of marine air masses is pronounced, increasing the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on the climate of the continent. And the interior regions of Eurasia within the temperate zone are under the determining influence of continental air masses formed in the zone of action of the Siberian (Mongolian) anticyclone. The eastern and southern regions of Asia are under the influence of monsoons, which transport air masses in winter from the mainland to the ocean, and in summer from the ocean to land (the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, Eastern China, the Far East and the Japanese Islands).

The climate of Eurasia, like other continents, is greatly influenced by relief. The Alps, Carpathians, Caucasus, Himalayas and other mountains of the Alpine-Himalayan fold belt are an important climatic division of the continent. They block the path of cold and dry northern winds to the south and at the same time act as an insurmountable barrier to the path of warm and humid winds blowing from the south. Thus, in the basins of Central Asia, north of the Himalayas, 50-100 mm of precipitation falls per year, and at the foot of the eastern Himalayas - more than 10,000 mm per year. Winters in the countries of the European Mediterranean, beyond the barrier of the Alps, are warm, while on the plains of Central Europe they are relatively cold.

The influence of the oceans on the climate of Eurasia through the influence of ocean currents (Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Kuril-Kamchatka, Indian Ocean monsoon currents) and the marine air masses formed above them is well known.

Let us briefly dwell on the features of climatic zones and types of climate (climatic regions) on the territory of Eurasia.

In the Arctic and subarctic zones areas with a maritime climate in the west of each zone are distinguished: small temperature amplitudes due to relatively warm winters and cool summers (the influence of branches of the North Atlantic Current). In the east of the zones the climate is continental with very cold winters (up to -40...-45° C).

Within temperate zone stretching across the entire continent, there is a wide variety of climate types. The marine type of climate in the western regions of Europe is formed under the year-round influence of marine air masses from the Atlantic. Summers here are cool, winters are relatively warm even in northern latitudes on the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula - website. When Atlantic cyclones pass, the weather changes quickly: there may be cold spells in summer and thaws in winter. The region of transitional climate from maritime to continental is occupied mainly by the territories of Central Europe. As you move away from the ocean, the difference (amplitude) between summer and winter temperatures increases: winter becomes noticeably colder. In summer there is more precipitation than in the cold season. In the territory of Eastern Europe(up to the Urals) the climate is considered moderate continental. Beyond the Urals, in Siberia and Central Asia, winters are very cold and dry, summers are hot and relatively humid. This is an area of sharply continental temperate climate. The Pacific coast has a monsoon climate with warm, humid summers and cold winters.

In the subtropical zone On the plains the air temperatures are positive all year round. The northern boundary of the belt is drawn according to the January isotherm at 0°C. On the territory of Eurasia, three climatic regions are distinguished in this belt. Mediterranean - in the west of the belt. Here, dry tropical air masses dominate in summer (cloudless and hot in summer), and sea air of temperate latitudes dominates in winter (it rains in winter). The area of continental subtropical climate occupies the territory of the Western Asian Plateaus (the Asia Minor Peninsula, the Armenian and northern Iranian Plateaus). Winters in this area are relatively cold (snowfalls and temperatures below 0°C are possible), summers are hot and very dry. The annual amount of precipitation is small, and it falls in the winter-spring period. The region of monsoon subtropical climate is in the east of China and occupies the southern half of the Japanese Islands. Here the characteristic precipitation regime is the summer maximum in its annual distribution.

Tropical zone in Eurasia it does not form a continuous strip and is represented only in southwest Asia (the Arabian Peninsula, southern Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau, the northwestern regions of the Hindustan Peninsula). Continental tropical air masses dominate here throughout the year. The amount of precipitation on the plains does not exceed 200 mm, and in the desert areas of the belt - below 50 mm per year. Summer is very hot - average July temperatures range from +30 to +35°C. In Riyadh (Arabia), temperatures up to +55°C were recorded. Average January temperatures are from +12° to +16°C.

Sub equatorial belt includes the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the island of Sri Lanka (without the southwestern part), Southeast China, and the Philippine Islands. This belt is characterized by seasonal changes in air masses: in summer, humid equatorial air, brought by the monsoon, dominates; in winter - the relatively dry tropical trade wind of the northern hemisphere. The hottest time of the year is spring, when daytime temperatures can exceed +40°C.

Equatorial climate zone located on the islands of the Malay Archipelago (without East Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands), the Malacca Peninsula, the southwest of Sri Lanka and the south of the Philippine Islands. Marine equatorial air masses dominate here throughout the year. They are formed from tropical air arriving with the trade winds of both hemispheres. This climate is characterized by heavy rainfall (2000-4000 mm per year) and constantly high temperatures (above +25°C).

After analyzing observational data on weather conditions and their seasonal changes, scientists designated the climatic zones of Eurasia. All their diversity is represented on the mainland. Each zone is divided into separate areas with special climatic conditions.

If you bring together the climatic zones of Eurasia, the table will appear in the form of branches. This is due to the fact that in each of them there are smaller zones, which are also crushed.

Arctic belt

The characteristics of the climatic zones of Eurasia begin with the Arctic. Its zone includes islands located far to the north of the continent, and a small continental strip in the Asian part, which borders the Arctic Ocean.

Morskoy is located in the European sector of the Arctic Ocean. It includes Spitsbergen and other small islands. They are influenced by warm currents from the North Atlantic, resulting in mild winters with temperatures ranging from -16 to -20 ºC. Up to 300 mm of precipitation falls annually.
The continental Arctic climate is characterized by cold, dry air currents. Under their influence, the entire ocean is under an ice crust all year round, with the exception of coastal waters. From the territory where this climate prevails, cold air currents move south.

Subarctic belt

It stretches in a narrow strip along the mainland. The cold climate zone of Eurasia includes about. Iceland and the northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To the east of the continent, the zone expands, approaching the Bering Strait. The belt is located between the boundaries of the Arctic front in summer and winter. In the warm season it is affected by moderate air currents, and in the cold season - by arctic ones. The belt is divided into two regions: continental and maritime. The latter captures Iceland and part of the islands west of Scandinavia. amount of 300-700 mm per year in the form of snow and rain. The climate is characterized by warm winters (-5 and -10 ºC) and cold summers (up to +10 ºC).

Temperate zone

The temperate climate zone of Eurasia has a border running from the southern coast and crossing the Black and Caspian Seas. Reaches the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and the middle of the island. Honshu.

Winds of temperate latitudes prevail throughout this zone all year round. The main part of Eurasia within the belt is influenced by the following climates:

Moderate continental: the entire Russian Plain is under his rule.
Continental: Siberia, Central and Central Asia.
The monsoon formed in northeastern China, on the island. Hokkaido and the northern part of the island. Honshu.

In winter, the area is dominated by dry frosty air coming from the pressure center in Central Asia. IN summer period warm with high moisture content, arriving in this region with the Pacific monsoon. IN summer time More than half of the annual precipitation falls. Winter is frosty and summer is hot.

The temperate climate zone in Western Europe is divided into 2 subregions: northern and southern.

Northern subregion

The zone includes Fennoscandia and Scotland. It is characterized by a temperate climate with cold summers. The subregion is divided into 2 districts:

Maritime - Norwegian in the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula and northern Great Britain. Summer here is cool and short. There is a lot of precipitation in the form of rain and snow. The weather is almost always cloudy, damp with constant winds.
Continental - Swedish type of climate in the territory of the country of the same name and Finland. The cold season in this area is frosty. Snow cover is forming. The summer period is short, cool and rainy. On the flat tops of the mountains of Scandinavia, a cool climate has formed with high humidity and average summer temperatures of no more than +10 ºC.

Southern subregion

It includes the following climatic regions:

Marine formed in European countries adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. It is characterized by mild winters without negative average temperatures. The summer period is moderately warm. The winds in the area are strong and blow frequently, and the rainfall is heavy.
Transitional from maritime to continental. In winter, a snow cover forms and does not last long. For 2-3 months the average temperatures are below zero. Summer is hotter and humid. Spring and autumn are clearly defined. The climate was formed in the eastern part of the German-Polish Lowland.
Continental is located on the plains near the Danube. In summer temperatures reach +22-24 ºC. There is little precipitation. In winter, frosty winds from the east and north are frequent visitors, causing a rapid decrease in temperatures.
Hercynian middle mountains. The humidity in this area is high compared to the plains located at the foothills. The western slopes receive more rain than the eastern ones. Temperatures in the mountains are lower, and snow cover persists for 3-5 months.
Alpine is characterized by high humidity, mountain peaks with low temperatures, snow cover and glaciers.

Subtropical zone

The subtropical climate zone of Eurasia runs across the entire continent from one ocean to another. In his power is the entire southern part of the Old World, the highlands of Western Asia up to 30º N. sh., the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, Tibet and the river basin. Yangtze. A characteristic feature is that in summer the air is dry and hot, and in winter it is humid and warm.

Climate zones Eurasia is divided into smaller areas with special conditions. Their size depends, first of all, on the topography and the proximity of large water bodies. The following climatic zones are distinguished in the subtropical zone:

The marine Mediterranean formed on some peninsulas (Apennines, Balkans) on the sea side and is characterized by hot summers and mild winters.
The continental Mediterranean is located in the European part of the Mediterranean countries, the western and southern coasts. In weather conditions, it is similar to the previous one. Winter temperatures in different areas range from +2 to +12 ºC. In lowland areas, about 500-600 mm of precipitation falls per year, and in mountainous areas up to 3000 mm.
Continental. There is little precipitation: 100-400 mm per year, the main part falls in the autumn-winter period. Formed in the highlands of Western Asia, in the north of the Arabian Peninsula. Over the course of a year, temperature fluctuations reach 90ºС.
The highland subregion is located in the Tibet region. In winter there is little snow, summer is dry and cold. Only the east of Tibet is rich in precipitation, which is supplied with moisture from the monsoons from the Pacific Ocean. Dry and cool air is recorded here all year round.
Monsoon. The eastern part of the Yangtze has a climate with high humidity. The monsoon from the Pacific Ocean brings rain in the summer, when ¾ of the annual rainfall falls. Fronts contribute to precipitation during the cold season. Depending on the relief, their number per year ranges from 700 to 2000 mm.

Tropical zone

The continent of Eurasia has different climatic zones, including the tropical trade wind. It includes: the Thar Desert, the south of the Arabian Peninsula and the southern part. Tropical air masses dominate throughout all seasons. In summer it is hot, winter is warm. Temperature changes are high throughout the day. There is a lack of precipitation in the region; in most parts its annual amount does not exceed 100 mm. The exception is the Yemen mountains, where 400-1000 mm of precipitation occurs.

Subequatorial belt

It was formed on the territory of the island. Ceylon, the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, southern China and a number of other islands. In winter, dry air masses come from the continent, and in summer, wet air masses come from the Indian Ocean. Spring is the hottest time. The winter-spring period is very dry, and the summer-autumn period is wet.

If we compare the climatic zones of Eurasia, the subequatorial zone has very contrasting half-years. Dry and wet periods alternate throughout the year.

a brief description of

Climate zone	Predominant air	Description
Arctic	Arctic	Dry and cold
Subarctic	Arctic in winter, temperate in summer	Winter is cold and dry, summer is humid and moderately warm.
Moderate	Moderate	Depends on the season
Subtropical	Temperate in winter, tropical in summer	Winter is humid and moderately warm, summer is dry and warm
Tropical	Tropical	Warm and dry
Subequatorial	Tropical in winter, equatorial in summer	Winter is warm and dry, summer is warm and humid.
Equatorial	Equatorial	Warm and humid

Equatorial belt

If you combine the climatic zones of Eurasia, the table will turn out to be very bloated due to their number. The equatorial belt is the southernmost region of the continent. It was formed on most of the islands and peninsulas near the equator. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year with 2 peak periods.

Other climatic zones of Eurasia do not have such high average annual temperatures as this one. The amount of precipitation is 1500-4000 mm per year.

The climate of Eurasia exhibits features associated with the enormous size of its territory. The position of the main part of the continent between the equator and the Arctic Circle, the massiveness of the eastern and central parts, the dismemberment of the western and southern margins, the influence of oceanic basins, and complex orography create an exceptional variety of climatic conditions in Eurasia.

The annual total radiation in Eurasia varies within the following limits: on the Arctic islands it is 60 kcal (2520 MJ/m2), in the western part of Europe - from 70 to 140 kcal (2940 to 5880 MJ/m2), in the south and south- in the east of Asia - 120-180 kcal (5000-7570 MJ/m2), and in Arabia it reaches its maximum value on Earth - 200-220 kcal (84-9240 MJ/m2). The annual radiation balance varies within Eurasia from 10 to 80 kcal (420-3360 MJ/m2). In January, north of the line Brittany - northern Adriatic - middle of the Black Sea - southern Caspian - northern Korean Peninsula - northern Japanese Islands, the radiation balance is negative.

The main atmospheric process for most of Eurasia is west-east transport and associated cyclonic activity. With westerly transport, air from the Atlantic Ocean enters the mainland throughout the year and spreads to its eastern outskirts. As it moves east, the Atlantic air transforms, releasing moisture, cooling in winter and warming in summer. Due to the large horizontal dissection of the western part of Eurasia and the absence of sharp orographic obstacles, the transformation process over Europe occurs relatively slowly, and therefore climatic conditions change gradually. Only beyond the Urals, within Asia, is there a predominance of continental air masses throughout the year. Sharp contrasts in heating and pressure conditions between the continent and the Pacific Ocean, enhanced by the orographic features of Central and East Asia, determine the monsoon circulation typical of eastern Eurasia, which is most pronounced here compared to all other regions of the Earth. The circulation over the southern parts of Eurasia also has a monsoon character, only here it manifests itself in the interaction between the continent and the Indian Ocean.

Let's look at how meteorological conditions change in Eurasia over the seasons.

In winter, contrasts in heating and pressure distribution over the continent, on the one hand, and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, on the other, are especially pronounced.

On maps of January isobars over Eurasia and neighboring ocean basins, the following pressure regions are clearly identified. There is a closed area in the North Atlantic Ocean low blood pressure(North Atlantic, or Icelandic, minimum), caused by the influence of the warm North Atlantic Current and the frequent passage of deep cyclonic depressions moving from the coast North America to the East. Due to the influence of branches of the warm current and the deep penetration of sea basins into the interior of the continent, low pressure also extends to the southern part of the Arctic Ocean and to the western coast of Europe.

To the south at the parallel 30° N. w. there is an area of high pressure (North Atlantic, or Azores, high) that is part of the subtropical high pressure zone of the northern hemisphere. The interaction of these pressure regions is particularly great importance for the formation of meteorological conditions in Europe. The air flowing along the northern and eastern periphery of the North Atlantic High is drawn into the area of low pressure over the North Atlantic and the western edge of Europe, creating in temperate latitudes a system of cyclonic winds in the western and southwestern directions, blowing from the relatively warm ocean to the mainland and bringing a lot of moisture . In the polar latitudes at this time, winds with an eastern component predominate. The main routes of movement of cyclonic depressions in winter pass through Iceland, the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Barents Sea, as well as through the Mediterranean Sea, in some years they penetrate to the Indus Valley.

The passage of cyclones in Europe is accompanied by cloudy weather with rain or sleet, which is typical for the Western European winter. Often, following the sea air of temperate latitudes, Arctic air penetrates, causing a sharp drop in temperature and a decrease in precipitation. Arctic air spreads to the south, but relatively rarely penetrates into the southern part of Europe, as it is retained by mountain ranges. The further you go to the east, the more frequent and lasting the intrusions of Arctic air.

When the westerly air flow moves over the continent, it cools. Over the interior of Asia, due to the cooling of the surface layers of the atmosphere, an area of high pressure is created above the cooled earth's surface, above which a trough is formed in the upper troposphere. Transformed air coming from the west is drawn into this Depression, cools and releases, complementing the area of high pressure in the surface layers. The influence of the orography of the interior parts of Asia also affects: high mountain structures rising to the south of the area where the maximum is formed prevent the spreading of fetal air masses and contribute to their concentration on relatively limited space. As a result of the interaction of all these processes, the greatest high pressure area on Earth is created over the interior of Eurasia in winter - the Asian quasi-stationary maximum.

Along the northern and eastern periphery of this maximum, cold and dry continental air flows towards the warmer Pacific Ocean at this time. The resulting winds from the north and north-west are known as the winter monsoon.

The Asian high can form a spur that sometimes extends all the way to western Europe and causes severe cooling there.

The southern part of Asia is under the influence of trade wind circulation in winter. The Arabia Peninsula, together with the neighboring Sahara, falls under the influence of the eastern periphery of the Atlantic High and the associated dry northern winds. In Hindustan, Indochina, on the island of Sri Lanka, the Philippines and in the north of the Sunda Islands, the northeast trade wind prevails, flowing from the North Pacific High towards the equatorial trough, which is displaced at this time to the south. In Asian countries it is called the winter monsoon. Since the Atlantic air in winter is a relatively warm mass, then, despite the negative radiation balance north of 39-40° N. latitude, in areas adjacent to the ocean, the average January temperature is significantly higher than 0 ° C. January isotherms extend submeridionally over most of the territory of foreign Europe and only in the southern and eastern regions take a sublatitudinal direction. The further east you go, the lower the average winter temperature becomes. Already in the eastern part of foreign Europe it receives negative meaning Atlantic air brings a large amount of moisture to the land, which falls in the west in the form of rain or wet snow. There is especially a lot of precipitation on the mountain slopes of western exposure. Winter cyclonic precipitation is also typical for the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and western regions of Asia. Their number decreases sharply from west to east due to the weakening of frontal activity in the interior of the continent.

In most parts of overseas Asia there is no precipitation in winter. In the interior regions, this is due to the anticyclonic state of the atmosphere and severe supercooling of the surface. On the eastern edge of the continent, the reason for the lack of precipitation is the continental monsoon, which carries dry cold air towards the ocean. In this regard, Central and Eastern Asia are characterized by low winter temperatures with a pronounced negative anomaly, which is felt right up to the tropics, where temperature drops to 0° C are possible. In the north, the average January temperature is -20, -25° C.

On the southern peninsulas and islands of Asia, where trade winds operate in winter, dry weather also prevails. Only on the islands of the Sunda archipelago, lying on the equator, convective rain falls. The January temperature throughout the southern part of Asia is high: +16, +20° C, on the islands of the Malay Archipelago it reaches +25° C in some places.

In summer, meteorological conditions in Eurasia and its neighboring oceans change significantly. The Asian high disappears, and low pressure is established over the warmed continent with a closed center in the Indus River basin and on the shores of the Persian Gulf (South Asian low). It is the northern edge of the equatorial trough, which in Eurasia extends farthest from the equator (up to 22-28° N). Pressure increases towards the oceans. The Icelandic low is weakening and the North Pacific low is disappearing. An area of high pressure remains over the polar basin. The North Atlantic and North Pacific highs intensify and expand northward. In the Indian Ocean, south of the tropics, the South Indian High is established. This distribution of pressure in the surface layers of the atmosphere creates conditions for the transfer of air masses to Eurasia from the surrounding oceans.

In northwestern Europe, between the high pressure area in the Arctic and the spur of the North Atlantic High, there is a band of relatively low pressure. Within its boundaries there is cyclonic activity associated with the Arctic front. In this regard, western and northwestern winds prevail, which carry relatively cold air from the ocean to the mainland. Over a warmed continent, this air quickly transforms into continental air. At the same time, Arctic marine masses are undergoing transformation. At the same time, not only the temperature increases, but also the moisture content of the air due to evaporation from the underlying surface. July isotherms in Europe extend throughout the sublatitudinal direction, with a slight deviation to the south near the ocean coast. The average July temperature in the west varies from north to south from +12 to +24° C, in the east it sometimes reaches +26, +28° C.

Rainfall in summer in Europe falls less heavily than in winter, as cyclonic activity weakens. In southern Europe and western Asia, where winds from the eastern periphery of the North Atlantic High blow, carrying tropical air, there is almost no precipitation.

An increase in average July temperature and a decrease in precipitation due to the transformation of Atlantic air when moving from west to east is felt almost throughout the entire continent. It is especially dry and hot in the interior parts of the continent (Central and Central Asia), protected by mountain rises from moist air currents from the oceans.

Dryness and high temperatures (average July up to +32° C) are also characteristic of most of the Arabian Peninsula, which is under the influence of the northeastern trade wind flowing from the North Atlantic High.

The eastern and southern edges of the continent, adjacent to the Pacific and Indian oceans, are in different conditions. The temperature and pressure contrasts between the vast landmass of Eurasia and these oceans are especially strong in the summer. Humid and relatively cold air flows into Asia from the Pacific Ocean. As a result of its interaction with continental air masses, heavy rainfall occurs. This air flow is called the southeast monsoon in East Asia.

In the south of Asia (Hindustan, Indochina), the role of the monsoon is played by the flow of equatorial air, carrying huge masses of moisture from the Indian Ocean. Due to the configuration and size of Eurasia and the expansion of the equatorial trough, equatorial air in the form of a monsoon with a prevailing southwestern direction penetrates very far to the north. Where the monsoon flow meets mountain uplifts, precipitation is especially heavy (for example, on the southeastern slopes of the Himalayas, on the southern slope of the Shillong massif, where the famous Cherrapunji is located, etc.). On equatorial islands, convective intramass precipitation is of great importance.

In the Quiet and Indian Oceans Every year from June to November, tropical cyclones or typhoons arise, bringing enormous disasters to the population of the countries of East and South Asia. These are cyclonic eddies of enormous strength, the speed of which over the open ocean in exceptional cases can reach 350-400 km/h, and usually 200-300 km/h.

Typhoons occur in the vast expanse of water between New Guinea and the island of Uyek and the northern half of the Pacific Ocean, move to the west, and near the mainland they turn to the north and northeast. They are accompanied by downpours, during which precipitation of 150 mm or more can fall. On the coasts, surge waves pose a great threat, which, together with rainfall, cause catastrophic floods. The Philippines and the Japanese islands are especially affected by typhoons, but sometimes the disaster also affects the outskirts of the continent right down to the south of the Soviet Far East.

In the Indian Ocean, tropical cyclones move north and northwest to the northern coasts of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

Analysis of meteorological indicators and their changes throughout the year give an idea of the wide variety of climates within Eurasia, but they do not fully reflect it. According to its size and geographical location, Eurasia with its adjacent islands lies in all climatic zones of the northern hemisphere, and within each zone all its inherent climatic regions are represented. Thus, we can say that in Eurasia there are all types of climates known on Earth.

The northernmost islands of Eurasia, and in the east the strip of mainland adjacent to the Arctic Ocean, lie within the Arctic belt. Of the foreign parts of Eurasia, the Arctic climate is characteristic of the Spitsbergen islands and small oceanic islands in the western part of the Arctic Ocean. Due to its island position and the influence of warm currents, the Svalbard islands are characterized by a marine arctic climate with relatively high winter temperatures (from -16 to -20 ° C) and significant amounts of precipitation (about 300 mm).

In a narrow strip, covering Iceland and Scandinavia north of the Arctic Circle and expanding somewhat in the east, Eurasia is crossed by the subarctic belt. It lies between the summer and winter positions of the Arctic front and is characterized by a predominance of westerly circulation in summer and cold eastern Arctic winds in winter. In western Europe, especially in Iceland, subarctic regions are characterized by relatively mild (-5, -10 ° C) winters, cool (no more than +10 ° C) summers and precipitation (300-700 mm), falling in all seasons in the form rain and snow.

The widest and most massive part of Eurasia lies within the temperate climate zone, the southern border of which, determined by the summer position of the temperate front, runs from the southern coast of the Bay of Biscay through the middle of the Black and Caspian Seas to the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and the middle part of the island of Honshu. United by the dominance of west-east transport throughout the year, the Temperate Zone within Eurasia is characterized by large differences in climatic conditions, which gives reason to consider it by region.

The region of oceanic moderately warm climate includes the south of Iceland, the western edge of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the British Isles and the extreme west of the mainland - the Jutland Peninsula, the west and north of France. There is reason to classify the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula as part of this temperate zone. Throughout the year, Atlantic air prevails there, brought by winds from the western directions, and cyclonic activity manifests itself. Winter is characterized by unstable rainy and foggy weather with an average temperature of the coldest month from +1 to +6 ° C, frosts and snowfalls are rare, and there is no stable snow cover. average temperature summer +10°, +18° C. Precipitation falls throughout the year, with a maximum in winter due to particularly intense cyclonic activity. Annual precipitation amounts over almost the entire region are more than 1000 mm, and evaporation does not exceed 800 mm. Therefore, it is typical for the Atlantic regions of Europe excessive moisture.

The climate of the rest of the temperate zone of Europe up to the Ural Mountains can be called transitional from oceanic to continental. The most important role in climate formation belongs to the transformation of the Atlantic air and the ever-increasing influence of continental air masses forming over the continent itself. Compared to the previous one, this area is characterized by less precipitation, larger amplitudes of temperature fluctuations, and the presence of frosty periods of varying duration. Within the region under consideration, differences between north and south are more pronounced than in the previous one. Scandinavia and Finland are characterized by long and harsh winters. The relief (Scandinavian mountains) enhances the transformation of Atlantic air and at the same time does not prevent the penetration of cold air masses from the Arctic. Due to these occurrences, the temperature in Sweden and Finland can drop to -40 ° C, and in exceptional cases to -50 ° C, with an average January temperature of -10, -15 ° C. Summer north of the 50th parallel is cool, maximum precipitation occurs at its beginning. Annual quantity precipitation from 500 to 1000 mm with evaporation less than 600 mm provides excess moisture throughout the year. The southern part of the region is characterized by less sharp temperature amplitudes, moderately cold winters with an average January temperature of only slightly below 0 ° C. The duration of snow cover and freezing on the rivers is short; it increases from west to east. Summer is warm, with an average July temperature of -(-12, -(-20° C. Maximum precipitation occurs in the first half of summer, evaporation increases to 800 mm, and humidity decreases compared to the northern regions.

A significant part of Asia within Soviet Union, at also Mongolia and Northwestern China (Gobi and Dzungaria) lie in the temperate continental climate region, which is influenced by continental air masses all year round. Under the influence of the Asian High, the region is characterized by cold winters with sharp differences in temperature from place to place. With an average January temperature of -16 to -24° C in Mongolia, there are drops to -50° C in almost calm and cloudless weather. Due to persistently low winter temperatures and almost complete absence of snow, permafrost develops. Almost the entire annual precipitation (about 200 mm) falls in the summer in the form of frontal rains. The average July temperature reaches i+30° C in the south. Humidification is insufficient.

East of the Greater Khingan Range, including Northeast China, the northern Korean Peninsula, Hokkaido Island and northern Honshu, the climate is monsoonal. This entire area is characterized by sharp differences in temperature, precipitation and humidity between summer and winter. In winter, dry, frosty weather prevails with strong winds blowing from the Asian High and raising a lot of dust. Only on the Japanese Islands does heavy snow fall, since continental air, passing over the relatively warm Sea of Japan, is saturated with moisture in the lower layers. In summer, the southeast monsoon blows, carrying humidly unstable air from the southern and western periphery of the Pacific anticyclone. Approximately 70% of the annual precipitation is associated with its arrival, falling in the form of showers at intervals of four to five days.

The subtropical climate zone also crosses Eurasia from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Within its boundaries, the west-east transport is replaced by tropical circulation in summer. Of great importance is the system of mountain uplifts in High Asia, which in winter causes the splitting of the flow of western transport into two branches - northern and southern. The latter passes south of the Himalayas, causing, according to G.N. Vitvitsky, a shift in comparison with other continents of the southern border of the subtropical zone towards the equator.

The Iberian and Apennine peninsulas, the south and west of the Balkan Peninsula, the west and south of Asia Minor, the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean islands and the north of Mesopotamia lie in an area of subtropical climate with dry summers (Mediterranean). Summer dryness is associated with winds flowing along the eastern periphery of the extended North Atlantic High. The predominant wind direction is northwest in the Western Mediterranean and northeast in the East. The average* temperature in July is from +23 to +28° C. With almost complete absence of precipitation, evaporation is 3-4 times higher than actual evaporation. In winter, the Azores High moves south and the Mediterranean falls into the system of westerly transport and cyclonic activity, which is associated with 75-80% of the annual precipitation. The average temperature of the coldest month increases from north to south from +4 to +12° C. In the western part of the Mediterranean climate region, Atlantic air is predominant, in the east - continental. Therefore, when moving from west to east, the amount of precipitation decreases and temperature amplitudes increase.

Inside the mainland, from the Iranian Plateau to the middle Yellow River basin, including the Tarim Basin, Beishan, southern Gobi and other areas of Central Asia, the climate is subtropical continental. This area is characterized by hot summers and cold winters. Precipitation is less than 200 mm per year, the air is very dry, and the daily and annual temperature fluctuations are significant. There are differences in precipitation patterns between the west and the east. In the west, precipitation is associated with the Iranian branch of the polar front and cyclonic activity and occurs in winter. In the east, summer precipitation associated with the southeast monsoon predominates.

A special, sharply continental climate of the highlands is characteristic of High Asia, which can be classified as a subtropical zone only by its geographical location, and not by actual climatic conditions.

The climate of the eastern sector of the subtropical zone, as well as the temperate one, is monsoon. It extends to the Yangtze River basin and the southern part of the Japanese Islands. The subtropical monsoon climate differs from the monsoon climate of the temperate zone in its higher average winter temperature (from +4 to +8 ° C) and large annual precipitation amounts, which exceed 1000 mm and completely cover the cost of evaporation. Winter dryness south of the Yangtze River valley is less pronounced than north of it, since a front is created there between the air flowing along the eastern periphery of the Asian High and the air of the southern branch of the western transport and therefore rain falls. When a front breaks through and cold continental air invades south all the way to the tropics, temperatures drop to 0°C.

The differences in winter conditions between the Mediterranean region and the Yangtze basin are noteworthy. In the first case, due to the direct influence of Atlantic air, the winter is very warm, with the average temperature of the coldest month from +10 to +12 ° C, in the second, the average January temperature is almost half as low, and significant drops are possible. This is explained by the influence of the Asian High, the air of which is carried far to the south. In this regard, the southern border of the subtropical zone in East Asia is shifted almost to the tropics compared to the Mediterranean.

As already mentioned, a feature of Eurasia, associated with its size and configuration, is the penetration of equatorial air masses far to the north (north of the tropics) in summer. The air carried by the equatorial monsoons from the Indian Ocean penetrates all the way to the Xijiang River basin and the southern slope of the Himalayas, displacing the trade wind. This feature of Eurasia is reflected in the map of climatic zones and regions compiled by B.P. Alisov, which serves as the basis for the climatic zoning of the continents in this textbook. The tropical zone is shown on this map only in the western part of Asia. It includes the Arabian Peninsula, southern Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau, and the northern part of the Indus River basin. Dry continental tropical air prevails in these areas throughout the year. Precipitation is almost everywhere less than 100 mm, and evaporation is approximately 10 times higher than actual evaporation. Only to the south of the Iranian Plateau in winter do masses of Atlantic air sometimes break through from the Mediterranean Sea and cause short-term but heavy rains. The Gulf and Red Sea coasts experience some increase in relative humidity, but precipitation remains as low as inland areas.

There is no tropical belt in eastern Eurasia. This is the only place on Earth where subequatorial and subtropical transition belts border each other.

In the subequatorial belt lie the Philippine Islands, the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas and the Indo-Gangetic Plain adjacent to them from the north and Southeast China. The clearly defined border of this belt is formed by the Himalayas, to the crest of which the monsoon from the Indian Ocean penetrates. G.N. Vitvitsky, as already noted, shifts this boundary further south, based on data on the formation of the winter southern branch of the western transport south of the Himalayas.

A common feature of the entire subequatorial belt as a whole is the dominance in summer of moist equatorial air brought by the monsoon from the Indian Ocean. It is associated with precipitation that falls in the form of showers, especially abundant on the windward slopes of the mountains, where their annual amounts reach several thousand millimeters. In winter, the North Pacific High moves south and the southern peninsulas of Asia are exposed to the northeast trade wind, which is usually associated with an almost complete lack of precipitation. The population of South Asia calls this trade wind the winter monsoon.

Since the general patterns of atmospheric circulation within the belt are characterized by great constancy, it is not divided into climatic regions. But there are still certain differences in the climatic conditions of individual regions. Firstly, there are differences in winter temperatures between the northern parts of Indochina and Hindustan. In the first case, the average January temperature is 4° lower than in the second (+16 and +20° C, respectively). This is explained by the invasion of cold air from the temperate zone, which, due to the peculiarities of the orography of Indochina, penetrates up to 20° N in winter. w. and causes temperatures to drop to +5° C in the northeast. Large differences also exist in annual amounts and precipitation patterns. The southern slopes of the Himalayas (up to 4000 mm), the Shillong massif (Cherrapunji 11,000 mm), and the western marginal ridges of both peninsulas (more than 2000 mm) are especially abundantly irrigated. Inland areas receive less than 1000 mm. In the southeast of Hindustan and Indochina, in the northeast of Sri Lanka and in the northeast of the Philippines, that is, in areas leeward of the southwest monsoon, there is almost no summer precipitation. The bulk of the moisture falls there in autumn and winter, when northeastern and eastern winds blow from the sea at an angle to the coast.

The southern part of the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands (with the exception of southeast Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands) and the Moluccas Islands lie in the equatorial belt, corresponding to the equatorial trough, within which the trade winds of the two hemispheres meet. Since the equatorial trough, due to the peculiarities of land distribution in all seasons of the year, is shifted more towards the northern hemisphere, the equatorial belt extends further north of the equator than south of it. The climate features in the equatorial belt of Eurasia depend not only on general circulation atmosphere, but also from the fact that its boundaries include islands with water basins separating them. It is characterized by the predominance throughout the year of marine equatorial air masses formed from tropical air arriving with the trade winds of both hemispheres, uniform and high temperatures, excess moisture and weak winds. On the outskirts of the belt, a transition to the monsoon regime is observed, i.e., increased summer precipitation and the appearance of a short-term period of relative dryness due to the penetration of the trade wind towards the equator winter hemisphere. The dry period is especially pronounced in the northeast of Kalimantan and northern Sumatra. Almost all of Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands lie in the subequatorial zone of the southern hemisphere.

The climatic features of Eurasia are determined by the huge size of the continent, its large extent from north to south, the diversity of the prevailing air masses, as well as the specific structural features of its surface relief and the influence of the oceans.
Due to the large extent of the continent from north to south, due to the different amounts of solar radiation at specific latitudes, Eurasia is located in all climatic zones of the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic to the equatorial. The largest areas in area are occupied by the temperate zone, since it is in the temperate latitudes that the continent is most elongated from west to east.
All four main types of air masses—arctic, temperate, tropical and equatorial—are formed and dominate over the continent’s territory. It is characteristic that maritime air masses are formed over the oceans in the temperate and tropical zones, and continental air masses are formed over the continent, the confrontation of which creates a wide variety of climate types in these latitudes of Eurasia. Thus, most of Eurasia is located in temperate latitudes, where the westerly transport of marine air masses is pronounced, increasing the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on the climate of the continent. And the interior regions of Eurasia within the temperate zone are under the determining influence of continental air masses formed in the zone of action of the Siberian (Mongolian) anticyclone. The eastern and southern regions of Asia are under the influence of monsoons, which transport air masses in winter from the mainland to the ocean, and in summer from the ocean to land (the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, Eastern China, the Far East and the Japanese Islands).
The climate of Eurasia, like other continents, is greatly influenced by relief. The Alps, Carpathians, Caucasus, Himalayas and other mountains of the Alpine-Himalayan fold belt are an important climatic division of the continent. They block the path of cold and dry northern winds to the south and at the same time act as an insurmountable barrier to the path of warm and humid winds blowing from the south. Thus, in the basins of Central Asia, north of the Himalayas, 50-100 mm of precipitation falls per year, and at the foot of the eastern Himalayas - more than 10,000 mm per year. Winters in the countries of the European Mediterranean, beyond the barrier of the Alps, are warm, while on the plains of Central Europe they are relatively cold.
The influence of the oceans on the climate of Eurasia through the influence of ocean currents (Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Kuril-Kamchatka, Indian Ocean monsoon currents) and the marine air masses formed above them is well known and does not cause difficulties when examined in the exam.
Let us briefly dwell on the features of climatic zones and types of climate (climatic regions) on the territory of Eurasia.

In the Arctic and subarctic zones areas with a maritime climate in the west of each zone are distinguished: small temperature amplitudes due to relatively warm winters and cool summers (the influence of branches of the North Atlantic Current). In the east of the zones the climate is continental with very cold winters (up to -40...-45° C). The northernmost islands of Eurasia, and in the east the strip of mainland adjacent to the Arctic Ocean, are located within the Arctic belt. In the Arctic zone, the maritime Arctic climate of the western European sector of the Arctic stands out: Spitsbergen and small oceanic islands in the western part of the Arctic Ocean. The marine climate of these islands is determined by the influence of the warm North Atlantic Current and is characterized by relatively high winter temperatures (from -160C to –200C) and significant annual precipitation (300 mm). The remaining territory of this belt has a continental Arctic climate. Dry, cold arctic air masses dominate here, due to which the entire water area of the Arctic Ocean, without coastal waters, is bound by dense, powerful ice throughout the year. The Arctic belt is a supplier of cold air masses to the continent. In all seasons of the year their movement is directed to the south.

Within the temperate zone stretching across the entire continent, there is a wide variety of climate types. The marine type of climate in the western regions of Europe is formed under the year-round influence of marine air masses from the Atlantic. Summers here are cool, winters are relatively warm even in northern latitudes on the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula. When Atlantic cyclones pass, the weather changes quickly: there may be cold spells in summer and thaws in winter. The region of transitional climate from maritime to continental is occupied mainly by the territories of Central Europe. As you move away from the ocean, the difference (amplitude) between summer and winter temperatures increases: winter becomes noticeably colder. In summer there is more precipitation than in the cold season. In Eastern Europe (up to the Urals) the climate is considered moderate continental. Beyond the Urals, in Siberia and Central Asia, winters are very cold and dry, summers are hot and relatively humid. This is an area of sharply continental temperate climate. The Pacific coast has a monsoon climate with warm, humid summers and cold winters.

In the subtropical zone On the plains the air temperatures are positive all year round. The northern boundary of the belt is drawn according to the January isotherm at 0°C. On the territory of Eurasia, three climatic regions are distinguished in this belt. Mediterranean - in the west of the belt. Here, dry tropical air masses dominate in summer (cloudless and hot in summer), and sea air of temperate latitudes dominates in winter (it rains in winter). The area of continental subtropical climate occupies the territory of the Western Asian Plateaus (the Asia Minor Peninsula, the Armenian and northern Iranian Plateaus). Winters in this area are relatively cold (snowfalls and temperatures below 0°C are possible), summers are hot and very dry. The annual amount of precipitation is small, and it falls in the winter-spring period. The region of monsoon subtropical climate is in the east of China and occupies the southern half of the Japanese Islands. Here the characteristic precipitation regime is the summer maximum in its annual distribution.

Tropical zone in Eurasia it does not form a continuous strip and is represented only in southwest Asia (the Arabian Peninsula, southern Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau, the northwestern regions of the Hindustan Peninsula). Continental tropical air masses dominate here throughout the year. The amount of precipitation on the plains does not exceed 200 mm, and in the desert areas of the belt - below 50 mm per year. Summer is very hot - average July temperatures range from +30 to +35°C. In Riyadh (Arabia), temperatures up to +55°C were recorded. Average January temperatures are from +12° to +16°C.

Subequatorial belt includes the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the island of Sri Lanka (without the southwestern part), Southeast China, and the Philippine Islands. This belt is characterized by seasonal changes in air masses: in summer, humid equatorial air, brought by the monsoon, dominates; in winter - the relatively dry tropical trade wind of the northern hemisphere. The hottest time of the year is spring, when daytime temperatures can exceed +40°C.

Equatorial climate The belt is located on the islands of the Malay Archipelago (without East Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands), the Malacca Peninsula, the southwest of Sri Lanka and the south of the Philippine Islands. Marine equatorial air masses dominate here throughout the year. They are formed from tropical air arriving with the trade winds of both hemispheres. This climate is characterized by heavy rainfall (2000-4000 mm per year) and constantly high temperatures (above +25°C).

There are also two zones of low rainfall in Eurasia:

One of them occupies the north of the continent, where the average annual precipitation decreases from the west (Kola Peninsula 400 mm) to the east (northern Yakutia 100 mm or less). The second zone, which includes almost half the area of the continent, is formed by territories that differ in natural conditions and are located outside the sphere of influence of the sea air of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. It includes: the southeast of the East European Plain, Arabia, the Iranian Plateau, Central Asia, the predominant part of Western Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau. Central Asia, Central Siberia and the north of the Far East, Altai and the Sayan Mountains turned out to be a kind of more humid island among the arid territory. Moreover, Western, Western, Southwestern and Central Asia are almost completely rainless.

Winter in Eurasia is characterized by the following patterns. The lowest average January temperature is observed in the intermountain basins of the Oymyakon Highlands. In Oymyakon at an altitude of 600 m it is 50 C, while the absolute minimum is 72.2 C (in Verkhoyansk). The reason for such cold weather is the prolonged stagnation and intense cooling of continental air in intermountain trenches at a local maximum of atmospheric pressure. The area of greatest cold is outlined by an isotherm of -32 C, passing east of the lower reaches of the Yenisei, along its right tributary of the Lower Tunguska, along the Vilyuy (left tributary of the Lena), further through the Verkhoyansk ridge and the Chersky ridge to the Kolyma, in the north it is limited by the northern coast of the mainland. The location of the area of greatest cold not on the axis of the continent, but much to the east, is explained by the frequent intrusion of relatively warm sea air of temperate latitudes from the Atlantic Ocean. The zero isotherm forms a giant oval, outside of which remain Great Britain, France and the following peninsulas: the Iberian, Apennine, Balkan, Arabian, Hindustan, Indochina, excluding the Japanese, Kuril and Komandorsky peninsulas. When moving from north to south, the duration of snow cover varies from 280 cm to several cm. Its height on the coast of the Arctic Ocean is 40-50 cm, on the East European and West Siberian plains in the taiga zone up to 70-90 cm. With further moving south, its power decreases until it disappears completely. On the western slopes of the Northern Urals and in the Yenisei elevated part of the Central Siberian Plateau, snow accumulates up to 90 cm, and in the mountains of Kamchatka up to 120 cm.

The major axis of the Eurasian continent is clearly visible on numerous synoptic maps specifically for the winter period. In winter, a high pressure band advances from the southern part of Eastern Siberia, which passes south of the Ural Mountains, through the forest-steppe of Ukraine, the Danube regions, southern France and Spain, reaching the Azores high. A similar axis is formed in the summer months, but less pronounced. The high pressure axis is characterized by dry, cloudless weather, calm or weak winds, severe frosts in winter and heat in summer. It plays an important role in the winter circulation of the atmosphere, deflecting cyclones from the Atlantic to the north. The widespread development of the Asian anticyclone is also due to the presence of centers of stable low atmospheric pressure in the North Atlantic near Iceland (Icelandic minimum) and over the northern part of the Pacific Ocean near the Aleutian Islands (Aleutian minimum). At the same time, in the area of the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and over the Arctic, there are centers of high atmospheric pressure (Azores and Arctic highs). The general nature of the westerly transfer of air masses is enhanced by the appearance in the winter months of stable air flows in the southeast of the continent of the northwestern continental monsoon, typical of northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula and most of the Japanese Islands. In eastern Asia, in the temperate and subtropical zones, for this reason, abnormally cold and dry winters are common (compared to these latitudes in Europe).

§ 46. Climate

1. Remember how the amount of solar energy that the surface receives changes as you move north.

2. What are the characteristics of monsoons?

Climate-forming FACTORS. The diversity of climatic conditions in Eurasia is associated with the size of the continent.

In the north and south, in its western, central and eastern parts, climatic conditions differ markedly. The reasons for this lie in the peculiarities of the action of the main climate-forming factors.

Amount of solar energy, which the earth's surface receives, decreases from the equator to the poles. Due to the significant extent of Eurasia from north to south, the Arctic islands and northern regions of the mainland receive three times less solar energy than the southern ones. This causes large differences in air temperature.

For example, if the average January temperature on the Arctic islands is -30 0C, then on the Arabian Peninsula it is 25 0C.

The lowest air temperatures down to -71 0C on the mainland were recorded in a populated area Oymyakon, Which is in the northeast of Eurasia. He is called Pole of cold throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Circulation of air masses determined by the prevailing air masses and winds. Since the vast territory of Eurasia is located in all climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere, its climatic conditions are formed under the influence of cold and dry arctic ,marine and continental moderate , Hot and constantly dry tropical , hot and humid equatorialair masses .

Over most of the continent, which is located in a temperate climate zone, there are constant blows. westerly winds. They transport moist air masses formed over the Atlantic Ocean to the mainland. However, the influence of Atlantic air masses is felt mainly in Europe. As they move eastward, deep into Eurasia, their transformation- Transformation, change in properties: from wet to dry, from warm in winter to cold, from cool in summer to hot.

In the east and south of Eurasia they blow monsoons , arising as a result of the difference in atmospheric pressure over the ocean and land. In winter, the monsoon blowing from land creates warm, dry weather with weak winds. In summer, the monsoon blowing from the ocean also creates humid weather. It blows much stronger, bringing thunderstorms, stormy winds and a huge amount of precipitation to the mainland.

Therefore, the largest amount of them - over 1000 mm per year - falls precisely in the south of the mainland. Various parts of the continent are under the influence of cyclones and anticyclones.

Underlying surface influences the properties of the air masses that form above it, and their movements.

Air masses forming over the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean are saturated with moisture and bring precipitation to the mainland.

Atlantic air masses form over warm North Atlanticcurrent, Warm and warms the coastal areas of Europe in winter. Pacific air masses forming over cold Kuril current On the contrary, the coastal regions of Asia are cooling.

The influence of relief on the movement of air masses is equal. The mountains - the Alps, the Caucasus, the Himalayas, located from west to east - do not allow cold air masses to penetrate to the south.

In addition, a lot of precipitation falls on their windward slopes. Thus, at the foot of the South-Eastern Himalayas, standing in the way of the monsoons blowing from the ocean, there is one of the wettest places on globe- Cherrapunji village.

On average, there is about 12,000 mm of rainfall annually, and the maximum amount that has been recorded was more than 23,000 mm per year.

Rice.

Climate map of Eurasia

Working with the map

1. Establish how the air temperature changes across the continent in the direction from north to south.

2. Where are the highest air temperatures observed?

3. How is precipitation distributed over Eurasia?

Where is the smallest amount of them, and where is the most?

4. What winds dominate in the temperate climate zone?

5. Under the influence of which winds are the southern and eastern coasts of the continent?

CLIMATE ZONES AND CLIMATE TYPES. Eurasia lies within all climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere - from the Arctic to the equatorial.

Arctic climate zone covers the islands of the Arctic Ocean and the northern coast of Asia. Cold and dry arctic air masses reign there year-round. They cause low air temperatures throughout the year.

Therefore, winters are harsh and summers are cold. The amount of precipitation is low -250 mm per year. Subarctic climate zone stretches in a narrow strip in the north across the entire continent. In winter, arctic air masses come here with northeastern winds; in summer, westerly winds bring moderate air masses. Winters are cold, especially in Asia, which experiences the coldest temperatures in the entire Northern Hemisphere.

Summer is warmer than in the Arctic zone.

Temperate climate zone covers vast expanses of Eurasia. Moderate air masses form there throughout the year. Due to the significant length of the belt and the dominance of western winds, the change in climate types from west to east is clearly visible there. Therefore, four climatic regions are distinguished within the temperate zone. In the west, thanks to air masses from the Atlantic Ocean, winter is mild with an average air temperature above 0 0C, summer temperatures from 10 0C to 18 0C.

There is little precipitation - over 1,000 mm per year. In winter there is often fog, fogs last a long time, and in summer the weather is cloudy and cloudy. This temperate maritime region.

Here the influence of the Atlantic is gradually weakening. Winter is cold and frosty, summer is warm. The weather is unstable, there are thaws in winter, and it often rains in summer. In the Urals, in Central and Central Asia, continental moderate air masses dominate.

Climatic zones of Eurasia - structural and logical diagram

In winter, the cold earth's surface cools the air to -50 0C. In summer, on the contrary, the surface heats the air to very high temperatures. Atlantic air masses bring almost no precipitation here. Therefore, in winter the snow surface freezes to a considerable depth. This is how it is formed continental temperate climate type. In the east there are belts climatetemperatemonsoon with dry, cold winters and humid, warm summers.

Subtropical climate zone extends from Southern Europe to Eastern Asia.

In it, as in the temperate zone, there is a change in climatic conditions from west to east. In the south of Europe climate subtropical Mediterranean type. In winter, the influence of humid Atlantic air masses is felt here, so it is quite warm (Temperatures are above 0 0C) and it rains. In summer, with the arrival of tropical masses, dry, hot weather sets in. Air humidity decreases as it moves east, and in the central part of the belt the climate is narrower. subtropical continental.

Winters are quite cold and summers are hot. There is little precipitation. The wind lifts dust and sand into the air.

In the east, in winter, cold, dry continental air comes to the Pacific coast from the interior of the continent, and temperatures can drop to 0 0C. In summer, air masses from the ocean create dense clouds, and streams of rain pour incessantly.

Rivers are overflowing with water and overflowing their banks. These are the signs subtropical monsoon climate.

Tropical climate zone does not have a continuous extension on the mainland.

It only covers western part South Asia. In Eurasia, at these latitudes, the only place on Earth arose where two transition zones lie side by side: subtropical and subequatorial. In the tropical zone, where dry continental air reigns all year round, there are almost no clouds.

The consequences of this are high air temperatures and scanty amounts of precipitation (up to 100 mm per year). In summer and autumn, over the Pacific Ocean, typhoons(From the Chinese "tai fin" - big wind). These are tropical cyclones of hurricane force. They cause heavy rains, floods and great destruction.

Subequatorial climate zone covers the southern regions of Asia. Tropical air masses dominate there in winter, and equatorial air masses dominate there in summer.

Therefore, the climate is constantly hot and variablely humid.

Equatorial climate zone covers only peninsulas and islands in the south of the mainland. Hot and humid equatorial air masses cause high air temperatures and heavy rain throughout the year.

Eurasia lies in the same climatic zones as North America. However, the monsoons have a much more powerful influence on the formation of its climate.

Rice.

Climatic zones and regions of Eurasia

Rice. Clear - a common occurrence in the British capital

Working with the map

1. Name the climatic zones within which Eurasia lies.

2. In what direction is the climate zone changing in Eurasia?

What explains this?

3. Which climate zone occupies the largest area?

4. Name the climatic regions that formed within the temperate climate zone.

5. What are the features of the strike of the tropical climate zone?

6. What territories cover the subequatorial and equatorial climate zones?

Questions and tasks

1. Explain how latitude affects climate formation.

2. How does the climate change in the temperate climate zone with distance from the Atlantic Ocean?

What influence does relief have on the climate of Eurasia?

5. How does the influence of ocean currents affect the formation of climatic features?

Practical work

1. Analyze climate map climate diagrams of cities.

2. Show the differences in climatic regions of the temperate zone.

3. Explain the causes of climate change within one climate zone.

Climatic zones and regions of Eurasia

The territory of Eurasia extends through all the climatic zones in the northern hemisphere, so natural and climatic conditions differ from each other, as elsewhere on the planet.

The main reasons for climate heterogeneity are the uneven amount of solar radiation reaching the surface in different parts of Eurasia, as well as Various types circulation in the atmosphere and very diverse reliefs

Most Eurasians are dominated by western air transport, especially in winter when Atlantic cyclones dominate Europe's surface.

This results in winter temperatures in the northern and southern regions not being very different. During the summer months, the territorial distribution of temperature becomes more pronounced.

After western transmission the dominant influence of air masses and the mountain influence of the Pacific and Indian oceans, relatively small areas in the east and south are limited to the Eurasian climate. In the water areas of these oceans, high pressure zones have been created during the summer months, causing wet masses to move from the oceans to the land.

So humid and warm summer monsoon, whose influence extends to the territory of South and Southeast Asia.

the effect of worsening western air mass transfer and monsoons from the coast to the interior and the continental dominance of a dry air mass, the average annual precipitation decreased with advancement in the central part of the continent.

Winter cooling of the earth causes high pressure regions to develop in northern and central Asia from November to March - Asian anticyclone.

Therefore, cold and dry air masses move in all directions, which form stable cold winds on the shores of the Pacific and Indian Oceans ( continental winter monsoon).

Generally, big size Eurasia is the reason for the predominance of the majority climatic zones continental climate types.

Although, generally speaking, continental climates are characterized by large variations in temperature and low rainfall, there are significant differences within the same climate range and between different areas in temperature and humidity ranges.

So for temperate continental climate moderate The belt is characterized by relatively cold winters and hot summers.

Climate change in the Eurasian interior continental(moderate range) and suddenly continental (subarctic belt) with little precipitation, warm, sometimes hot summers and harsh winters. For extremely low temperatures, winter has the greatest temperature fluctuations on the planet. Thus, in the Oymyakon region (Russia) the absolute and absolute minimum temperature difference is 103°; C.

continental climate tropical And under- zones characterized by high desert temperatures at 52 °C) and cool in winter, during which temperatures in the high mountains often take negative values.

Consequently, the existence of large mountainous regions is widespread on land mountain a type of climate with significant temperature fluctuations throughout the day

The enormous size of the territory of Eurasia and the nature of the relief also determine the main features of its climate. High mountains cover the continent from the south and east from the penetration of air masses of the Pacific and Indian Oceans deep into the continent.

In the west and north, Eurasia is “open” to the influence of the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean.

Eurasia is located in all climatic zones Northern Hemisphere: from Arctic to Equatorial. However, the largest area is occupied by the temperate zone. In the outlying areas, the maritime climate predominates, while in the interior areas it is continental and sharply continental.

IN arctic And subarctic zones There are sharp differences between the western regions with a maritime climate (with a slight temperature range, high precipitation, relatively warm winters and cool summers) and the eastern regions with a continental climate (very cold winters, up to -40...-45 °C and significantly less precipitation).

Within temperate zone There are 4 climatic regions.

The maritime climate of the west coast is formed under the influence of Atlantic air masses. Here summers are cool and winters are relatively warm. Precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. When cyclones pass, the weather changes quickly; there may be cold snaps in the summer and thaws in the winter. Unstable weather and relatively wet winters are also characteristic of the temperate continental (transitional from maritime to continental) climate region characteristic of Central and Eastern Europe.

With distance from the ocean, the annual temperature amplitude increases (due to more cold winter) and the amount of precipitation decreases. There is more precipitation in summer than in winter.

MFC "Astana" will become a key element of the new financial infrastructure of Eurasia

Beyond the Yenisei, in Eastern Siberia and Central Asia, the climate is sharply continental with very cold, dry winters and hot, moderately humid summers. The east coast of the mainland is dominated by a monsoon climate with warm, humid summers and cold, dry winters.

IN subtropical zone three climatic regions.

The west has a Mediterranean climate with dry, hot summers and wet winters. This is due to the fact that dry tropical air comes here in summer, and sea air from temperate latitudes in winter. The highlands of Asia Minor, northern Iran and Armenia have a continental subtropical climate with cold winters (temperatures can drop below 0 °C) and hot, very dry summers (little precipitation falls mainly in the winter-spring period).

To the east of the mainland, the subtropics are represented by a region of monsoon climate with a summer maximum of precipitation.

IN tropical zone On the Arabian Peninsula, in Mesopotamia, in the south of the Iranian plateau and in the lower Indus basin, very dry and hot continental air masses dominate throughout the year. Summer is very hot (up to +30...+35 °c), winter is warm (+18...+24 °c). The amount of precipitation on the plains rarely exceeds 200 mm; in a number of desert places no more than 50 mm of precipitation falls per year.

In the east, the tropical belt wedges out.

Between 10-20° N located on the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, as well as in the extreme south of China subequatorial belt with a monsoon climate. Even further south, on the Malacca Peninsula and the islands of the Malay Archipelago, the equatorial zone with a constantly hot (above +25 °C) and humid climate is widespread.

Also see:

Map “Air temperature, pressure and wind in January and July (Eurasia)”

Map "Climatic zones of the earth"

Map "Average annual precipitation (Eurasia)"

Map "Seasonality of precipitation"

Arctic belt

The Arctic is the northernmost polar region of the Earth, which is adjacent to the North Pole. It includes almost the entire Arctic Ocean with islands (except for the islands belonging to Norway) and the outlying parts of the continents of North America and Eurasia.

In the Arctic, two landscape zones are distinguishable:

Ice desert.

2. Arctic desert.

The ice zone unites significant parts of peninsulas and islands that are covered with glaciers, and arctic desert These include narrow patches of rocky land, mostly flat, adjacent to the northern edges of the tundra, which are freed from under the snow for a short period.

In the central part there is the Arctic basin, in which deep-sea basins (up to 5527 m) and underwater ridges are observed. Both zones are characterized by long and severe winters lasting more than 10 months with long nights illuminated by the northern lights.

Temperatures in the northern regions of Russia, on average, range from - 32 to - 36 °C; in the north of the Canadian and nearby parts of the Arctic basin up to – 45...

− 50 °C. Precipitation falls mainly in the form of snow. Summer is short and cold, lasting approximately 11-50 days. At this time of year, the sun shines around the clock, the temperature is slightly above 0°, and the average temperature of the warmest month is no more than +5°. During the summer, the soil thaws only to a depth of 50 cm. Arctic air prevails all year round. The Arctic Ocean is covered with a thick layer of ice, the water is cold, and closer to the continents fields of drifting ice are visible almost everywhere.

Arctic weather is characterized by low, continuous clouds and frequent fogs; in winter there are snowstorms, in summer there are prolonged drizzling rains. There is a deficiency of ultraviolet radiation, which means a negative radiation balance. Due to low temperatures, there is an increased oxygen content in the water, which favors the development of plankton, as well as a variety of marine life.

Flora and fauna

In the Arctic due to the cold arctic climate animal world poor

This belt is inhabited by large animals - polar bears, walruses, seals, musk oxen, wild reindeer; beluga whales (polar dolphins) and whales swim less often. Large body mass helps retain heat. In addition, there are hares, wolves, arctic foxes and long-tailed gophers.

In summer, many migratory birds fly to the Arctic: guillemots, guillemots, little auks and many others, which organize bird markets.
Vegetable world The Arctic is poor due to low summer temperatures. There are no trees, mostly dwarf shrubs, grasses, lichens and mosses grow.

Lichens, mosses and sedges form a thick litter. In the northernmost zone Arctic desert Cellular plants are predominantly common - lichens and mosses. The species composition of vegetation is minimal. From herbaceous plants There are snow buttercups, polar poppies, and various saxifrages, some of which are very small in size, for example, partridge grass.

But even in the icy zone, microscopic algae live on the snow, turning everything red.

The Earth's climate is greatly influenced by Arctic ice, which prevents the planet from overheating, so a decrease in the amount of ice with global warming is dangerous for all humanity.

The Arctic is rich in mineral resources, especially oil and gas deposits.

Related materials:

Equatorial belt
2. Subequatorial belt
3. Tropical zone
4. Subtropical zone

5. Antarctic belt
6. Temperate zone

Domogatskikh. 7th grade part 2. Workbook

Test tasks

1. Within what climatic zone is it located? the largest part Eurasia?
a) subarctic
b) subtropical
c) tropical
d) moderate

2. Which of the listed peninsulas of Eurasia is located in a monsoon climate?
a) Apennine
b) Korean
c) Iberian
d) Scandinavian

3. Which of the listed regions of Eurasia has the least annual precipitation?
a) Arabian Peninsula
b) Lake Baikal area
c) the Hindustan Peninsula
d) Scandinavian Peninsula

4. Are the following statements true?

The cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere is located in the region of the sharply continental subarctic climate of Eurasia.
The territory of Eurasia is located in all climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere.

a) only the 1st statement is true
b) only the 2nd statement is true
c) both statements are true
d) both statements are wrong

5. Arrange the listed climate types of Eurasia in descending order of annual precipitation, starting with the highest.
a) monsoon temperate climate
b) sharply continental temperate climate
c) subequatorial climate
d) tropical climate

6. Match extreme points Eurasia and the climatic regions in which they are located.

END POINT
1) Cape Dezhnev
2) Cape Piai
3) Cape Roca
4) Cape Chelyuskin

CLIMATE AREA
a) arctic climate
b) Mediterranean subtropical climate
c) subarctic climate
d) equatorial climate

1	2	3	4
V)	G)	b)	A)

Thematic workshop

1. Complete a drawing depicting the process of monsoons.

2. In one of the countries of Eurasia there is an ancient city. It doesn't stand on the shore large river, which gave the name to this city. If you swim along it, then very soon you can find yourself in a huge endorheic reservoir. This city has several weather stations, some of which have been collecting weather data for over 100 years. Using the data provided, construct a climatogram for this city and answer the questions.

1) In what climate zone is this city located?Moderate continental climate
2) By what criteria did you determine the climate zone? Name at least two signs.

summer average temperatures reach +18ºС - +19ºС, that is, it is quite warm in summer;
winter average temperatures do not fall below -12ºС, that is, winter is not very cold, quite moderate;
the amount of precipitation in both winter and summer does not differ much: in winter 40-60 mm, and in summer 68-80.

3) What is the name of the river on the banks of which this city is located? In which endorheic body of water could a lifebuoy thrown into this river end up?

The river on which the city is located is called the Kostroma River. This is really a small river. Its length is 354 km. Having overcome this distance, Kostroma flows into the Volga and carries its waters to the largest closed lake on the planet - the Caspian Sea. Therefore, if we throw a lifebuoy into Kostroma, sooner or later it will end up in the waters of the Caspian Sea.

4) What else can you tell about this city? Maybe you can even name the country in which it is located?

On the territory of Eurasia, quite a lot of cities are named after the rivers on the banks of which they are located: Warsaw, Terek, Tunguska, Sosva, Pechora, Kharkov, Amsterdam, Moscow, Kabul, Pärnu, Barnaul, Bugulma, Okha, Luga and many many other cities, located both on the territory of Russia and abroad.

In our case, the city and river Kostroma (country Russia) most closely resemble the proposed description. Kostroma is an ancient city founded in 1152. The city received its name from the name of the Kostroma River, on the banks of which the city was founded.

There are actually several meteorological stations operating in the city of Kostroma. The very first of them was opened in 1883. She worked at a real school in the city. Over more than a century of existence, the station’s operation was interrupted only a couple of times for a total of 4 years. The station has changed its location several times and is currently located in the village of Koryakovo. it's literally 1.5 km from modern borders Kostroma.

Cartographic workshop

1. Arrange geographical features in order of their location from northernmost to southernmost.
1) Indus River
2) Baltic Sea
3) Lake Baikal
4) island of Sri Lanka
5) Scandinavian Peninsula
6) Yellow Sea
7) Himalaya mountains

2. “Shadowboxing.”

No.	Question	How do you think?	What is it really like?
	Which Bay is located further north: the Bay of Bengal (1) or the Bay of Biscay (2)?	2	2
2	Is Cape Piai located in the Northern (1) or Southern (2) hemisphere?	1	1
	Which river is located further east: Indus (1) or Ganges (2)?	2
	Does the Euphrates River flow into the Persian Gulf (1) or into the Red Sea (2)?	1	1
5	Which river is located further north: the Yangtze (1) or the Amur (2)?	2	2

General features of the climate of Eurasia

Definition 1

Eurasia is the largest and highest continent on the planet, which is washed by all the oceans of the Earth, and most of it is located between the equator and the Arctic Circle.

The climate of this continent is very diverse - its northern part is cold, and its southern part, on the contrary, is extremely hot, the central regions are quite dry, and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts are mostly humid.

The main reason for this heterogeneity is related to the position of the continent in all geographical zones of the Northern Hemisphere, which in turn leads to an uneven supply of solar radiation to the surface.

The second reason is different types of air mass circulation. Most of the mainland is under the influence of the western transport. The tropical zone lies in the zone of trade winds, and the extreme south and east are under the influence of monsoons.

The western transfer of air masses intensifies in winter, at which time Atlantic cyclones dominate over the entire territory of Europe. As a result, the air temperature in the northern and southern regions of the continent differs little and the zonal temperature distribution is disrupted.

Finished works on a similar topic

Coursework 410 rub.
Essay Climatic conditions of Eurasia 220 rub.
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This phenomenon led to the formation of a high pressure area called the Asian High.

Continental temperate air masses spread from here in all directions. At this time, areas of low atmospheric pressure form over the Indian and Pacific oceans, so this is where particularly powerful air currents move. This is the principle behind the dry and cold winter monsoons.

With the onset of the summer period, the westerly transport of air masses weakens, and the zonal temperature distribution becomes more noticeable, which is manifested in the latitudinal extent of July isotherms.

Figure 1. Climatic conditions of Eurasia. Author24 - online exchange of student work

The Indo-Gangetic lowland, isolated by mountain barriers on all sides, becomes the place where the highest temperatures on the mainland are established; an area of very low atmospheric pressure, called the South Asian minimum, is formed here.

The water surface of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, unlike most of Asia, is still cooled in summer, so areas of high pressure arise above them, and air masses from the oceans move to land. This creates a powerful, warm and humid summer monsoon.

The annual amount of precipitation on the continent from its outskirts to the central regions naturally decreases and reaches its minimum. The reason is that the activity of westerly transport cyclones and monsoons is weakening, and the influence of dry continental air masses from the interior of Eurasia is increasing.

Climatic zoning of Eurasia

The belts and regions that are distinguished in the climatic zoning of Eurasia have the following types of climates: on the northern coast of the continent, a harsh arctic climate has formed in the polar zone. Temperatures in this zone vary from 0 degrees in summer to -40 degrees in winter, precipitation here ranges from 100-200 mm, and sometimes less.

The narrow strip in front of the Arctic Circle is occupied by a transitional subarctic climate. Within its borders is Iceland, and part of the islands to the west of Scandinavia is the maritime region of the subarctic. Precipitation falls up to 700 mm. Winter temperatures are -5...-10 degrees, and summers are cold +10 degrees.

Approaching the Bering Strait, the belt expands. The July temperature here is no higher than +12 degrees, and winters are harsh and long. There is also little precipitation - in the west, under the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, about 300 mm falls, and in the north-east of Siberia - less than 100 mm.

The temperate zone occupies a large area. Its border runs from the southern coast of the Bay of Biscay in the west and reaches the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and the middle of the island of Honshu. Winds of moderate latitudes dominate here throughout the year.

Within Russia, the belt is divided into three regions:

temperate continental
continental,
monsoon

The continental climate increases from west to east of the continent.

Within Europe there are two subregions of the temperate zone - northern and southern. In the northern subregion, summers are cool and short with heavy precipitation, frequent fogs and almost constant cloudiness.

In the southern subregion on the Atlantic coast, winters are mild without negative temperatures, summers are moderately warm.

In the interior of the continent, summers are hot and humid, with temperatures of +22…+24 degrees.

A subtropical climate zone runs across the entire continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It covers the southern part of Europe, the highlands of Western Asia, the northern part of Arabia, Tibet and the Yangtze basin. A feature of this belt is dry and hot air in the summer and humid and warm air in the winter.

It must be said that the climatic zones of the continent are divided into smaller areas, the area of which depends on the proximity of reservoirs and the nature of the relief. In the subtropics there are also zones:

marine Mediterranean - Apennine, Balkan peninsulas with sultry summers and mild winters;

continental Mediterranean – southern countries this sub-belt, the western and southern coast of the Asia Minor peninsula. Both sub-belts are similar, winter temperatures here are +2...+12 degrees, precipitation is 500-600 mm, and in the mountains up to 3000 m;

continental covers the highlands of Western Asia and northern Arabia. Annual temperature fluctuations here reach 90 degrees.

Tibet is a high-altitude subregion with dry and cold summers and little snow in winters. Precipitation falls in the east of the mountains, brought by monsoons from the Pacific Ocean.

High humidity is characterized by East End Yangtze basin. Rains in summer are brought by monsoons from the Pacific Ocean, the amount of which during the year varies from 700 to 2000 mm depending on the topography.

The tropical zone also has its differences: the tropical trade wind zone is the Thar (Thar) desert, located in the southeast of Pakistan, the south of Arabia, the south of the Iranian plateau. Tropical air masses dominate here throughout the year, so summers are hot and winters are warm. Daily temperature differences are high and there is an acute lack of precipitation, not exceeding 100 mm.

The Yemeni mountains are an exception - rainfall on the slopes ranges from 400 to 1000 mm.

The transitional subequatorial belt occupies the island of Sri Lanka, two peninsulas - Hindustan, Indochina, southern China and other islands. In winter, it is dominated by dry air coming from the continent, and in summer by humid air from the Indian Ocean. The hottest time of the year is spring. Precipitation times are summer and autumn, i.e. dry and wet periods of the year alternate.

In the south of the mainland, on most of the islands and peninsulas, an equatorial belt has formed, where precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. Their total number is 1500-4000 mm. Average annual temperatures very high here.

Climatic anomalies of Eurasia

There are places on this huge continent whose climatic conditions are very surprising.

For example, the third part of the Arabian Peninsula is the largest sandy desert in the world, located in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen.

The temperature in this hot desert reaches +56 degrees. The climate is very dry, with less than 3 cm of precipitation per year.

Iran is home to the hottest place on the planet - the Dashti Lut Desert. In 2005, the thermometer recorded an air temperature of +70.7 degrees here. The desert attracts with the beauty of its dunes, reaching a height of 500 m.

There are also the coldest places in Eurasia - the village of Oymyakon, located in Russia. It is the true pole of cold of the Northern Hemisphere. The village is located in a basin where cold air flows in in winter. The weather is calm, but this stagnant cold penetrates through. According to measurements, the minimum temperature ranges from -77.8 to -82 degrees. The difference between summer and winter temperatures reaches 104 degrees.

The highest temperature was recorded here in the summer of 2010 and was +34.6 degrees. Snow in Oymyakon lasts from 213 to 229 days. There are streams here that do not freeze at -70 degrees and there are ice fields that do not melt at a temperature of +30 degrees.

Note 1

The wettest place on the planet is also located in Eurasia - this is a small town in India called Cherrapunji. The average annual air temperature there is +17.3 degrees. During the year, 12 thousand mm of precipitation falls in this town. There is no more humid place on Earth.

In the climate Eurasia exhibits features associated with the enormous size of its territory. The position of the main part of the continent between the equator and the Arctic Circle, the massiveness of the eastern and central parts, the dismemberment of the western and southern margins, the influence of ocean basins, and the complex structure of the surface create an exceptional variety of climatic conditions in Eurasia.

Annual total radiation in Eurasia it varies within the following limits (Fig. 5): on the Arctic islands it is equal to 2520 MJ/m2 (60 kcal/cm2), in the western part of Europe - from 2940 to 5880 (from 70 to 140), in the south and south -east Asia - 5000-7570 (120-180), and in Arabia it reaches its maximum value on Earth - 8400-9240 (200-220).

Rice. 5. Total solar radiation for the year

The annual radiation balance varies within Eurasia from 420 to 3360 MJ/m2 (10-80 kcal/cm2). In January, north of the line Brittany - northern Adriatic - center of the Black Sea - southern Caspian Sea - northern Korean Peninsula - northern Japanese Islands, the radiation balance is negative (Fig. 6).

Rice. 6. Radiation balance for the year

Basic atmospheric process for most of Eurasia - west-east transport and associated cyclonic activity. With westerly transport, air from the Atlantic Ocean enters the mainland throughout the year and spreads to its eastern outskirts. As it moves east, the Atlantic air transforms, releasing moisture, cooling in winter and warming in summer. Due to the large horizontal dissection of the western part of Eurasia and the absence of sharp orographic obstacles, the process of transformation of air masses over Europe occurs relatively slowly, and therefore climatic conditions change gradually. Only beyond the Urals, within Asia, is there a predominance of continental air masses throughout the year. Sharp contrasts in heating and pressure conditions between the continent and the Pacific Ocean, enhanced by the orographic features of Central and East Asia, determine the monsoon circulation typical of eastern Eurasia, which is most pronounced here compared to all other regions of the Earth. The circulation over the southern parts of Eurasia also has a monsoon character, only here it manifests itself in the interaction between the continent and the Indian Ocean.

Let's look at how meteorological conditions change in Eurasia by season.

in winter the contrasts in heating and pressure distribution over the continent, on the one hand, and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, on the other, are particularly pronounced. Maps of January isobars over Eurasia and neighboring ocean basins clearly reveal the following pressure regions ( rice. 7).

Rice. 7. Air pressure and winds in January

In the North Atlantic Ocean there is a closed area of low pressure(North Atlantic, or Icelandic, minimum), caused by the influence of the warm North Atlantic Current and the frequent passage of deep cyclonic depressions moving from the coast of North America to the east. Due to the influence of the warm current and the deep penetration of sea basins into the interior of the continent, low pressure also extends to the southern part of the Arctic Ocean and the western coast of Europe.

The boundaries of the greatest distribution of floating ice (in March, April - for the northern hemisphere, in September for the southern hemisphere) Areas for which the values of the radiation balance have not been determined: mountainous areas continental ice lakes and seas areas with sea

To the south, 30° N, there is high pressure area(North Atlantic or Azores High), which is part of the subtropical high pressure zone of the northern hemisphere. The interaction of these pressure regions is especially important for the formation of meteorological conditions in Europe. The air flowing along the northern and eastern periphery of the North Atlantic High is drawn into the area of low pressure over the North Atlantic and the western edge of Europe, creating in temperate latitudes a system of cyclonic winds in the western and southwestern directions, blowing from the relatively warm ocean to the mainland and bringing a lot moisture. In polar latitudes at this time winds with an eastern component predominate. The main routes of cyclonic depressions in winter pass through Iceland, the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Barents Sea. Over the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which accumulate large amounts of heat, local cyclogenesis develops in winter. Most often, cyclones form over the Ligurian Sea and the Gulf of Lion, over southern part Tyrrhenian Sea and the island of Cyprus. From here they head east and northeast, penetrating in some years as far as the Indus Valley.

Passage of cyclones in Europe it is accompanied by cloudy weather with rain or sleet, typical of the Western European winter. Often the sea air of temperate latitudes is replaced by arctic air, causing a sharp drop in temperature and a decrease in precipitation. Arctic air spreads to the south, but relatively rarely penetrates into the southern part of Europe, as it is retained by sublatitudinal mountain ranges. The further you go to the east, the more frequent and lasting the intrusions of Arctic air.

When driving western air flow over the continent it cools and dries up. In the interior of Asia, due to the cooling of the surface layers of the atmosphere, an area of high pressure is created, above which a trough is formed in the upper troposphere. Transformed air coming from the west is drawn into this trough, cools and settles, replenishing the area of high pressure in the surface layers. The influence of the relief of the interior parts of Asia is also felt: high mountain structures rising to the south of the area where the maximum is formed prevent the spread of cold air masses and contribute to their concentration in a relatively limited space. As a result of the interaction of all these processes, the greatest high pressure area on Earth is created over the interior of Eurasia in winter - the Asian quasi-stationary maximum.

Asian high can form a spur, which sometimes spreads all the way to Western Europe, causing severe cooling there.

Southern part of Asia in winter it is influenced by trade wind circulation. The Arabian Peninsula, together with the neighboring Sahara, falls under the influence of the eastern periphery of the North Atlantic High and the associated dry northern winds. Over Hindustan and Indochina, on the island of Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the north of the Sunda Islands, the northeast trade wind dominates, flowing from the North Pacific High towards the equatorial trough, which is shifted south at this time. In South and Southeast Asian countries it is called the winter monsoon.

Despite the negative radiation balance north of 39-40° N, in areas, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, the average January temperature is significantly above 0 ° C, since in winter the Atlantic air is a relatively warm air mass. January isotherms extend submeridionally over most of the temperate zone of Eurasia and only east of the Yenisei they take a sublatitudinal direction (Fig. 8).

Rice. 8. Average air temperature in Eurasia at ground level (January)

Off the West Coast On the Scandinavian Peninsula, the January zero isotherm rises up to 70° N, recording the highest positive anomaly of mid-latitude winter temperatures (more than 20°). The further you go east, the lower the average winter temperature becomes. Already in the eastern part of foreign Europe it acquires a negative meaning.

Atlantic air brings a large amount of moisture to land, which falls in western Europe in the form of rain or sleet. There is especially a lot of precipitation on the mountain slopes of western exposure. Winter cyclonic precipitation is also typical for the Mediterranean coast and western regions of Asia. Their number decreases sharply from west to east due to the weakening of frontal activity in the interior of the continent.

In most of overseas Asia in winter precipitation are missing. In the interior regions, this is due to the anticyclonic state of the atmosphere and severe supercooling of the surface. On the eastern edge of the continent, the reason for the lack of precipitation is the continental monsoon, which carries dry cold air towards the ocean. In this regard, Central and Eastern Asia are characterized by low winter temperatures with a pronounced negative anomaly, which is felt all the way to the tropics, where temperature drops to 0 °C are possible. In the north, the average January temperature is -20, -25 °C.

On the southern peninsulas and islands of Asia, where trade winds operate in winter, dry weather also prevails. Precipitation occurs only in those areas where trade winds or northern winds bring enough moisture (the windward slopes of the Philippine Islands, the southeastern tip of Hindustan and the islands of Sri Lanka). The Sunda Islands, located at and south of the equator, experience convective rainfall. The January temperature throughout the southern part of Asia is high: 16...20 °C; on the islands of the Malay Archipelago it reaches 25 °C in some places.

In summer meteorological conditions in Eurasia and its neighboring oceans are changing significantly. The Asian high disappears, and low pressure is established over the warmed continent with a closed center in the Indus River basin and on the shores of the Persian Gulf (South Asian low). It is the northern edge of the equatorial trough, which in Eurasia extends farthest from the equator (up to 22-28° N). Pressure increases towards the oceans. The Icelandic low is weakening and the North Pacific low is disappearing. An area of high pressure remains over the polar basin. The North Atlantic and North Pacific highs intensify and expand northward. In the Indian Ocean south of the tropics, the South Indian Maximum grows during the winter season of the southern hemisphere. This distribution of pressure in the surface layers of the atmosphere creates conditions for the transfer of air masses from the surrounding oceans to Eurasia ( rice. 9).

Rice. 9. Air pressure and winds in July

In northwestern Europe, between the area of high pressure in the Arctic and the spur of the North Atlantic High, there is a band of relatively low pressure. Within its boundaries there is cyclonic activity associated with the Arctic front. In this regard, western and northwestern winds prevail, which carry relatively cold air from the ocean to the mainland. Over a warmed continent it quickly transforms into continental. At the same time, Arctic marine masses are undergoing transformation. At the same time, not only the temperature increases, but also the moisture content of the air due to evaporation from the underlying surface. July isotherms in Europe extend throughout the sublatitudinal direction, with a slight deviation to the south near the ocean coast. The average July temperature in the west varies from north to south from 12 to 24 °C, in the east it in some places reaches 26... 28 °C (Fig. 10).

Rice. 10. Average air temperature in Eurasia at ground level (July)

In summer in Europe rains are less abundant than in winter, as cyclonic activity weakens. In Southern Europe and Western Asia, where winds from the eastern periphery of the North Atlantic High blow, carrying tropical air, there is almost no precipitation.

Increasing average July temperature and a decrease in precipitation due to the transformation of Atlantic air when moving from west to east is felt almost throughout the entire continent. It is especially dry and hot in the interior parts of the continent (Central Asia), protected by mountain rises from moist air currents from the oceans. Dryness and high temperatures (July average up to 32 °C) are also characteristic of most of the Arabian Peninsula, which is under the influence of the northeastern trade wind flowing from the North Atlantic High.

In other conditions there are eastern and southern outskirts continents adjacent to the Pacific and Indian oceans. The temperature and pressure contrasts between them and the vast landmass of Eurasia are especially strong in summer. Along the western periphery of the Pacific High, moist and relatively cold air enters Asia. As a result of its interaction with continental air masses, heavy rainfall occurs. This air flow is called the summer monsoon in East Asia.

In south Asia(Hindustan, Indochina) the role of the summer monsoon is played by the flow of equatorial air, carrying huge masses of moisture from the Indian Ocean. Due to the configuration and size of Eurasia and the expansion of the equatorial trough, equatorial air in the form of a monsoon with a prevailing southwestern direction penetrates very far to the north. Where the monsoon flow meets mountain uplifts, precipitation is especially abundant (for example, on the southeastern slopes of the Himalayas, on the southern slope of the Shillong massif, in Cherrapunji the maximum amount of precipitation on the globe is recorded - 10,719 mm per year, etc.). On equatorial islands, convective intramass precipitation is of great importance (Fig. 11).

Rice. 11. Average annual precipitation in Eurasia, mm

In the Pacific and Indian Oceans Every year from June to November, tropical cyclones or typhoons arise, bringing enormous disasters to the population of the countries of East and South Asia. These are the strongest cyclonic eddies, the speed of which over the open ocean in exceptional cases can reach 100 km/h (usually 30-50 km/h). They are accompanied by downpours, during which 150 mm of precipitation or more can fall. On the coasts, surge waves pose a great threat, which, together with rainfall, cause catastrophic floods. The Philippines and the Japanese islands are especially affected by typhoons, but sometimes the disaster also affects the outskirts of the continent, right down to the south of the Far East. In the Indian Ocean, tropical cyclones move north and northwest to the northern coasts of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

According to its size and geographical location, Eurasia with its adjacent islands is located in all climatic zones of the northern hemisphere, and within each zone all its inherent climatic regions are represented. Thus, we can say that in Eurasia there are all types of climates known on Earth.

Northernmost islands Eurasia, and in the east the strip of continent adjacent to the Arctic Ocean, are located within the Arctic belt. Among the foreign territories of Eurasia, the Arctic climate is typical for the Spitsbergen archipelago and small oceanic islands. Due to their geographical location and the influence of warm currents, the islands are characterized by a maritime Arctic climate with relatively high winter temperatures (from -16 to -20 ° C) and significant amounts of precipitation (about 300 mm).

In a narrow strip, covering Iceland and Scandinavia north of the Arctic Circle and expanding somewhat in the east, it crosses Eurasia subarctic belt. It is located between the summer and winter positions of the Arctic front and is characterized by the predominance of westerly circulation in summer and cold eastern Arctic winds in winter. In western Europe, especially in Iceland, subarctic regions are characterized by relatively mild (-5, -10 °C) winters, cool (no more than 10 °C) summers and large amounts of precipitation (300-700 mm) falling in all seasons in the form of rain and snow.

The widest and most massive part of Eurasia is located within temperate climate zone, the southern border of which, determined by the summer position of the polar front, runs from the southern coast of the Bay of Biscay through the middle of the Black and Caspian Seas to the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and the middle part of the island of Honshu. Despite the dominance of west-east transport throughout the year, the temperate zone within Eurasia is characterized by large differences in climatic conditions, which gives reason to consider it by region.

Region oceanic moderate The warm climate includes the south of Iceland, the western edge of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the British Isles and the extreme west of the mainland - the Jutland Peninsula, the west and north of France. There is reason to classify the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula as part of this temperate zone. Throughout the year, Atlantic air prevails there, brought by winds from the western directions, and cyclonic activity manifests itself. Winter is characterized by unstable rainy and foggy weather with an average temperature of the coldest month from 1 to 6 ° C, frosts and snowfalls are rare, and there is no stable snow cover. The average summer temperature is 10... 18 "C. Precipitation falls throughout the year, with a maximum in winter due to particularly intense cyclonic activity. Annual precipitation amounts throughout almost the entire region are more than 1000 mm, and evaporation does not exceed 800 mm per year. Therefore The Atlantic regions of Europe are characterized by excessive moisture ( rice. 12).

Rice. 12. Difference in precipitation and evaporation over the year

The climate of the rest of the temperate zone of Europe up to the Ural Mountains can be called transitional, from oceanic to continental. The most important role in climate formation belongs to the transformation of the Atlantic air and the ever-increasing influence of continental air masses forming over the continent itself. Compared to the previous one, this area is characterized by less precipitation, larger amplitudes of temperature fluctuations, and the presence of frosty periods of varying duration. Within the region under consideration, more than in the previous one, differences between north and south are pronounced. Scandinavia and Finland are characterized by long and harsh winters. The Scandinavian mountains enhance the transformation of Atlantic air and at the same time do not prevent the penetration of cold air masses from the Arctic. Therefore, temperatures in Sweden and Finland can drop to -40 °C, and in exceptional cases to -50 °C, with an average January temperature of -10, -15 °C. Summer north of the 50th parallel is cool, with maximum precipitation occurring at its beginning. Annual precipitation from 500 to 1000 mm with evaporation less than 600 mm provides excess moisture throughout the year. The southern part of the region is characterized by less sharp temperature amplitudes, moderately cold winters with an average January temperature only slightly below 0 °C. The duration of snow cover and freeze-up on rivers is short; it increases from west to east. Summer is warm, with an average July temperature of 12...20 °C. Maximum precipitation occurs in the first half of summer, evaporation increases to 800 mm, and humidity decreases compared to the northern regions.

A significant part of Asia within Russia, the countries of Central Asia, as well as Mongolia and Northwestern China (Gobi and Dzungaria) are located in the region continental climate temperate zone, which is under the influence of inland air masses all year round. Due to the influence of the Asian High, the region is characterized by cold winters with sharp differences in temperature from place to place. With an average January temperature ranging from -3 °C in western China to -12 °C in the north of Kazakhstan and -25 °C in Mongolia, in calm and cloudless weather there are drops to -35...-50 °C. Due to persistently low winter temperatures and the almost complete absence of snow, permafrost develops in the eastern regions of the region. Almost the entire annual precipitation (about 200 mm) falls in the summer in the form of frontal rains. The average July temperature reaches 30 °C in the south of the region. Insufficient hydration.

East of the Greater Khingan Range, including Northeast China, northern Korean Peninsula, Hokkaido Island and northern Honshu, climate monsoon. This entire area is characterized by sharp differences in temperature, precipitation and humidity between seasons. In winter, dry, frosty weather prevails with strong winds blowing from the Asian High and raising a lot of dust. Only on the Japanese Islands does heavy snow fall, since continental air, passing over the relatively warm Sea of Japan, is saturated with moisture in the lower layers. In summer, the southeast monsoon blows, carrying humidly unstable air from the southern and western periphery of the Pacific anticyclone. Its arrival is associated with approximately 70% of the annual amount of precipitation, which falls in the form of showers at intervals of 4-5 days.

Subtropical The climate zone also crosses Eurasia from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Within its boundaries, the west-east transport is replaced by tropical circulation in summer. Of great importance is the system of mountain uplifts in High Asia, which in winter causes the splitting of the flow of western transport into two branches - northern and southern. The latter passes south of the Himalayas, causing, according to G.N. Vitvitsky, a shift in comparison with other continents of the southern border of the subtropical belt towards the equator.

The Iberian and Apennine peninsulas, the south and west of the Balkan peninsula, the west and south of Asia Minor, the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean islands, the south of the Crimean peninsula and the north of Mesopotamia are in a subtropical climate with dry summers ( Mediterranean). Summer dryness is associated with winds flowing along the eastern periphery of the extended North Atlantic High. The predominant wind direction is northwest in the Western Mediterranean and northeast in the East. The average July temperature is from 23 to 28 °C. With almost complete absence of precipitation, evaporation is 3-4 times higher than actual evaporation. In winter, the Azores High moves south and the Mediterranean falls into the system of westerly transport and cyclonic activity, which is associated with 75-80% of the annual precipitation. The average temperature of the coldest month increases from north to south from 4 to 12 °C. In the western part of the Mediterranean climate region, Atlantic air predominates, in the east - continental air. Therefore, when moving from west to east, the amount of precipitation decreases and temperature amplitudes increase.

Inland, from the Iranian Plateau to the middle Yellow River basin, including the Tarim Basin, Beishan, southern Gobi and other areas of Central and Central Asia, climate subtropical continental. This area is characterized by hot summers (25...35 °C) and cool winters with an average temperature above 0 °C, although in some years frosts can reach -20 °C. Precipitation is less than 200 mm per year, the air is very dry, and the daily and annual temperature ranges are significant. There are differences in precipitation patterns between the west and the east. In the west, winter precipitation is associated with the Iranian branch of the polar front and cyclonic activity. In the east, summer precipitation, brought by the southeast monsoon, predominates.

Special, extracontinental The climate of the highlands is characteristic of the interior regions of Asia (Tibet), which only by geographical location, and not by actual climatic conditions, can be classified as a subtropical zone. Due to significant absolute altitudes, temperatures here do not rise above 10...15 °C even in summer; in winter, these areas are characterized by the same negative temperatures. The amount of precipitation, even in the most humidified areas, does not exceed 500 mm per year, and in some places it decreases to 100-150 mm, which causes an arid climate.

The climate of the eastern sector of the subtropical zone, as well as the temperate one, monsoon. It extends to the Yangtze River basin and the southern part of the Japanese Islands. The subtropical monsoon climate differs from the monsoon climate of the temperate zone by a higher average winter temperature (from 4 to 8 ° C) and large annual precipitation amounts, which exceed 1000 mm and completely cover the cost of evaporation. Winter dryness south of the Yangtze River valley is less pronounced than north of it, since a front is created there between the air flowing along the eastern periphery of the Asian High and the air of the southern branch of the western transport, and therefore rain falls. When a front breaks through and cold continental air invades south all the way to the tropics, temperatures can drop to 0 °C. The differences in winter conditions between the Mediterranean region and the Yangtze basin are noteworthy. In the first case, due to the direct influence of Atlantic air, the winter is very warm with the average temperature of the coldest month from 10 to 12 ° C; in the second, the average January temperature is almost half as low, and significant drops are possible. This is explained by the influence of the Asian High, the air of which is carried far to the south. In this regard, the southern border of the subtropical zone in East Asia is shifted almost to the tropics.

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Climatic zones of Eurasia - description, features and interesting facts. Climatic conditions of Eurasia Comparative characteristics of climatic zones of Eurasia

Abstract climate of Eurasia

Climate of Eurasia general

41. Features of Eurasian circulation

Assignments on the topic climate of Eurasia

Table of climate features in Eurasia

Arctic belt

Subarctic belt

Temperate zone

Northern subregion

Southern subregion

Subtropical zone

Tropical zone

Subequatorial belt

Equatorial belt

Climatic zones of Eurasia - structural and logical diagram

Climatic zones and regions of Eurasia

MFC "Astana" will become a key element of the new financial infrastructure of Eurasia

Arctic belt

Flora and fauna

Domogatskikh. 7th grade part 2. Workbook

Finished works on a similar topic

Climatic zoning of Eurasia

Climatic anomalies of Eurasia

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