Give a description of the climate of the Greater Caucasus, explain how the climate of the foothills differs from the highlands. North Caucasus: nature and its description

Climatic features The Greater Caucasus is determined by the altitudinal zonality and the rotation of the mountain barrier formed by it at a certain angle to the western moisture-bearing air flows - the Atlantic cyclones and the Mediterranean western air currents of the middle layers of the troposphere. This rotation has a decisive influence on the distribution of precipitation.

The wettest is West Side the southern slope, where more than 2500 mm of precipitation falls annually in the highlands. The record amount of precipitation falls on the Achishkho ridge near Krasnaya Polyana - 3200 mm per year, this is the wettest place in Russia. Winter snow cover in the area of ​​the meteorological station Achishkho reaches 5-7 meters!

In the east of the Central Caucasus in the highlands falls up to 1500 mm per year, and on the southern slope of the Eastern Caucasus only 800-600 mm per year.

By the nature of the air masses, the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus belongs to the subtropical zone, the border of which with temperate zone emphasized by the highlands barrier. The west of the lower part of the southern slope has a humid subtropical climate, while the east has a semi-dry climate. The northern slope of the Greater Caucasus is generally drier than the southern one.

In the mountains of the Greater Caucasus, on a relatively small area, there is a wide range of climatic zones with a pronounced zonality in height: humid subtropics Black Sea coast continental dry (in the east to semi-desert) climate with hot summers and short, but cold winter on the plains of the Ciscaucasia, there is a temperate continental climate of the foothills with significant precipitation (especially in the western part) and snowy winters (in the Krasnaya Polyana region, on the watershed of the Bzyb and Chkhalta rivers, the snow cover reaches 5 m and even 8 m). In the zone of alpine meadows, the climate is cold and humid, winter lasts up to 7 months, the average temperatures of August - the warmest month - range from 0 to 10 ° C. Above is the so-called nival belt, where the average temperature of even the warmest month does not exceed 0 °. Precipitation here falls mainly in the form of snow or grains (hail).

The average January temperatures at the foot of the mountains are -5°С in the north and from 3° to 6°С in the south at an altitude of 2000 m -7-8°С, at an altitude of 3000 m -12°С, at an altitude of 4000 m -17°С . The average July temperatures at the foot of the mountains in the west are 24°С, in the east up to 29°С at an altitude of 2000 m 14°С, at an altitude of 3000 m 8°С, at an altitude of 4000 m 2°С.

In the Greater Caucasus, the height of the snow line, rising from west to east, ranges from 2700 m - 3900 m above sea level. Its northern mark is different for the northern and southern slopes. In the Western Caucasus, these are 3010 and 2090 m, respectively, in the Central - 3360 and 3560 m, in the East - 3700 and 3800 m. The total area of ​​modern glaciation of the Greater Caucasus is 1780 km¤. The number of glaciers is 2047, their tongues descend to absolute levels: 2300-2700 m (Western Caucasus), 1950-2400 m (Central Caucasus), 2400-3200 m (Eastern Caucasus). Most of the glaciation occurs on the north side of the GKH. The distribution of the glaciation area is as follows: Western Caucasus - 282 and 163 sq. km Central Caucasus - 835 and 385 sq. km East Caucasus - 114 and 1 sq. km, respectively.

Caucasian glaciers are distinguished by a variety of forms. Here you can see grandiose icefalls with seracs, ice grottoes, tables, mills, deep cracks. Glaciers endure a large number of clastic material accumulating in the form of various moraines on the sides and at the tongue of glaciers.

The Caucasus is one of the southern regions of Russia. His extreme points lie within 50.5 ° N. sh. (northern extremity of the Rostov region) and from the village. sh. (on the border of Dagestan). The territory of the North Caucasus receives a lot of solar radiation - approximately one and a half times more than, for example, the Moscow region. Its annual amount for the plains and foothill regions is 120-140 large calories (kilocalories) per square centimeter of surface.

In different seasons of the year, the radiation flux is different. In summer, each square centimeter of the surface receives 17-18 kcal per month. At this time, the heat balance is positive. In winter, the flow of sunlight is sharply reduced - up to 3-b kcal per 1 sq. km. cm per month and a lot of heat reflects the snowy earth's surface. Therefore, the radiation balance becomes negative for some time in the middle of winter.

In the North Caucasus, everywhere, with the exception of the highlands, there is a lot of heat. On the plains, the average temperatures in July everywhere exceed 20°, and summer lasts from 4.5 to 5.5 months. Average January temperatures fluctuate in different regions from -10° to +6°, and winter lasts only two or three months. The rest of the year is occupied by transitional seasons - spring and autumn.

Due to the abundance of heat and light, vegetation in the Caucasus has the opportunity to develop in the northern parts of the region for seven months, in Ciscaucasia - eight months, and on the Black Sea coast, south of Gelendzhik - up to 11 months. This means that with an appropriate selection of field and garden crops, one can get one and a half crops a year * in the north of the region, and even two crops in the entire Ciscaucasia.

The movement of air masses and their transformation in the territory of the North Caucasus are exceptionally complex and diverse. The area is located on the border of temperate and subtropical latitudes, not far from the warm mediterranean sea. As far north as the Arctic Ocean, there are no significant orographic obstacles. In the south, on the contrary, high chains of mountains rise. Therefore, in all seasons of the year, North Caucasus different masses of air can penetrate: either the cold dry air of the Arctic, then the moisture-saturated masses formed over the Atlantic Ocean, then the humid tropical air of the Mediterranean, and finally, although very rarely, also tropical, but dry and heavily dusty air from the desert highlands of Western Asia and the Middle East. Replacing each other, various air masses create a great diversity and variety of weather conditions, which distinguish the North Caucasus. But the main amount of precipitation is associated with westerly winds that carry moisture from the Atlantic. Their moisture is intercepted by the slopes of mountains and hills facing to the west, while to the east the dryness and continentality of the climate increases, which affects the entire landscape.

The nature of the circulation of air masses in different seasons of the year has noticeable differences. And, of course, the conditions of the plains and mountains are sharply different.

On the plains in winter, the cold dense air of Siberia and Kazakhstan (the Siberian, or Asian, anticyclone) collides with each other and the relatively warm rarefied air that sets over the Black Sea (the Black Sea depression). Under the influence of the Siberian anticyclone, streams of dry, strongly cooled air are constantly directed towards Ciscaucasia. Due to the significant difference in pressure, the air flows quickly, forming strong, often stormy easterly and northeasterly winds. These winds dominate throughout the winter in the Caspian Sea and in eastern parts Ciscaucasia. Due to the dryness of the air they bring, there is almost no precipitation here, and the thickness of the snow cover is small - 5-10 cm, in some places there is no snow at all.

Further to the west, the air of the Siberian anticyclone rarely penetrates. The entire Western Ciscaucasia is under the influence of the Black Sea depression: cyclones come from there, bringing sharp warming and a lot of precipitation. The snow cover in the west is 2-3 times thicker than in the east, the winter is unstable: frequent thaws sometimes last for a week or more, with temperatures rising to 6-12° in the north and up to 20° in the south of the region.

The Stavropol Upland is a kind of climatic boundary between the Eastern and Western Ciscaucasia. Here there are very heterogeneous in their physical properties air masses. In this case, the winds usually increase sharply; the variable wind regime is the main feature of winter in the Stavropol Territory.

Arctic air usually comes to the North Caucasus from the northwest. In the Lower Don and Ciscaucasia, this cold air, as a rule, is delayed for a long time by the dense air of the Siberian anticyclone and mountain ranges. Then, it would seem that low temperatures are not at all characteristic of these southern places. Thus, in Pyatigorsk and Maykop, the absolute minimums, that is, the lowest of the observed temperatures, are -30°, and in Krasnodar even -33°. The average lows are also quite severe: -16°, -20°.

The cold Arctic air, as if pressed against the ground, usually does not rise high and does not cross the mountain ranges that protect the Transcaucasus from the destructive northern cold. But cold intrusions can bypass Caucasian mountains along their eastern outskirts along the Caspian coast, reaching Baku and its environs, often having a detrimental effect on the coastal regions of Dagestan along the way.

In the west, on a small section of the coast from Novorossiysk to Gelendzhik, where the mountain range is low, cold and dense air accumulating in the foothills sometimes rises to the saddle of the Markotkh pass. Then a bora falls on the city of Novorossiysk and the Tsemess Bay, in the local north-east - a wind of hurricane strength and speed, moreover, extremely cold. It often brings serious destruction to the urban economy and causes severe storms in the coastal parts of the sea.

In the spring, air masses heated from the earth's surface rush upwards and the pressure weakens. Then conditions are created for the active invasion of warm Mediterranean air. Under its influence, the unstable snow cover melts together, the average daily temperatures quickly increase, and already in early May, summer conditions are established throughout the entire territory of the North Caucasus, except for the highlands.

In summer, the incoming air is actively transformed under the influence of a strongly heated earth's surface, and its own air, close to the tropical type, is formed on the territory of the region. On the plains everywhere, often for many weeks, an anticyclone sets in with its characteristic weather features: hot days prevail, with weak winds, low clouds and strong warming of the surface layers of air, almost completely without rain.

Only from time to time anticyclonic conditions are replaced by periods of passage of cyclones. They usually invade from the Atlantic through Western Europe, Belarus and Ukraine, and much less frequently from the Black Sea. Cyclones bring cloudy weather: heavy rains fall on their leading fronts, often accompanied by thunderstorms. Occasionally, long drizzling rains fall in the rear of passing cyclones.

Cyclones almost always come from the west or northwest, and as they move east and southeast, the air masses they bring lose their moisture reserves. Therefore, not only in winter, but also in summer, the western plain Ciscaucasia is more abundantly moistened than the eastern one. In the West annual amount precipitation is 380-520 mm, and in the Caspian Sea - only 220-250 mm. True, in the foothills and on the Stavropol Upland, precipitation increases to 600-650 mm, but on the plains east of the upland, it is not enough to make full use of the abundance of solar heat in agriculture and horticulture. The situation is further complicated by the extreme unevenness of precipitation over time.

In fact, the entire territory of the Lower Don and the plain Ciscaucasia is not guaranteed against the possibility of droughts with their constant companions - dry winds - a cruel, inexorable enemy of field and horticultural plants. However, not all areas are equally prone to these formidable natural phenomena. So, for the period from 1883 to 1946, that is, for 64 years, droughts occurred 21 times in the Caspian region, 15 times in the Rostov region, and only 5 times in the Kuban.

During droughts and dry winds, especially in the east, dusty or black storms often occur. They occur when the upper layers of dry soil, still loosely held together by newly emerged plants, are blown away by strong winds. A cloud of dust rises into the air, covering the sky with a thick veil. Sometimes the dusty cloud is so dense that the sun barely shines through it and appears as a hazy, blood-red disk.

Measures of protection against black storms are known. The main ones are properly planned forest shelterbelts and high agricultural technology. Much has already been done in this direction. However, until now, in the fields of the Ciscaucasia, it is often necessary to re-sow (re-sow) several tens of thousands of hectares, from which the most fertile soil layer is demolished during dust storms.

In autumn, the influx of solar heat weakens. Initially, the features of the summer circulation are still preserved. Anticyclonic weather prevails with a weak movement of air masses. Subsequently, the earth's surface begins to noticeably cool, and from it the lower layers of air. In the mornings, thick milky-white fogs spread over the ground that has cooled overnight. The already strongly cooled air of the Siberian anticyclone comes more and more often, and in November a winter type of circulation is established over the entire territory of the North Caucasus.

The climate of the mountainous territories of the North Caucasus (from 800-900 m and above) is very different from the adjacent plains, although it repeats some of the most common features.

One of the main differences is that the mountain slopes, delaying the flow of air masses, make them rise up. At the same time, the temperature of the air mass decreases rapidly, and moisture saturation increases, which leads to precipitation. Therefore, the mountain slopes are much better moistened: in the mountains of the Western Caucasus at altitudes above 2000 m, 2500-2600 mm falls annually; to the east their number decreases to 900-1000 mm. The lower zone of the mountains - from 1000 to 2000 m - receives less precipitation, but still enough for the growth of lush forest vegetation.

Another difference is due to the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude: for every 100 m you rise, it drops by about 0.5-0.6°. In this regard, a belt distribution of climate is clearly manifested on the mountain slopes, and already at an altitude of 2700 m on the northern slopes of the mountains of the Western Caucasus, 3700-3800 m in the Central and 3500 m in the Eastern, there is a snow line, or the border of "eternal" snow. Above it, the warm season with positive temperatures lasts no more than 2.5-3 months, and at altitudes above 4000 m, even in July, positive temperatures are observed very rarely.

Due to the abundance of precipitation in the mountains of the Western Caucasus during the winter, 4–5 and snow accumulates, and in the mountain valleys, where it is blown away by the wind, up to 10–12 m. even a sharp sound, so that a thousand-ton mass of accumulated snow, breaking off a steep ledge, flew down with a terrible roar, destroying everything in its path. In the mountains of the Eastern Caucasus, due to the general dryness, the snow cover is much less.

The third difference between the mountain climate is that the chilled air of the highlands often, as it were, rushes down the comparatively narrow intermountain valleys. For every 100 m lowered, the air heats up by about 1°. Falling from a height of 2500 m, when it reaches the lower parts of the mountains and foothills, it heats up by 25 °, that is, instead of cold, it will become warm and even hot. Such winds are called foehns. They blow in all seasons, but especially often in the spring, when the intensity increases sharply. general circulation air masses.

Finally, another important distinguishing feature The climate of the mountains is its amazing diversity from place to place, which is due to the rugged relief with numerous bends of slopes, differently oriented with respect to sun illumination and the directions of prevailing winds. On the plains, differences in the orientation of the slopes are less pronounced due to their low steepness.

For all the importance of each of the noted features of the climate of the mountains, the height, which determines the vertical division into climatic zones, is still of leading importance.

The Caucasus cannot be attributed to one climatic region. To the north of the axial belt of the Greater Caucasus - a temperate climate, in Transcaucasia - subtropical. Within them there are differences due to the nature of the relief, position in relation to air currents, position relative to the Black and Caspian Seas, and local circulation.

The climate of the Caucasus is changing in three directions:

from west to east - in the direction of increasing continentality,

from north to south - in the direction of increasing amounts of radiative heat

in the altitudinal direction - an increase in precipitation and a decrease in temperatures.

Cloudiness plays a special role - with an increase in the mountains and in the western regions of the Caucasus, due to its increase, the annual values ​​of solar radiation are less than average.

In the summer months, the radiation balance in the Caucasus is close to tropical, local VMs transform into tropical ones.

Circulation: continental air of temperate latitudes dominates in the North Caucasus, subtropical in Transcaucasia. Alpine zones under the influence of western directions.

IN winter months the territory is located south of the "major axis"; areas are formed over the Black and the south of the Caspian reduced pressure. The result is an outflow of dense cold masses of the "great axis" to the Caucasus. However, the mountain wall prevents penetration to the south, it is still possible to bypass along the coasts of the seas - "nords" and "boron". In the west, there is a lot of snow in the mountains. To the east, the influence of southwestern transport weakens and the influence of the Asian anticyclone intensifies, snowfall decreases. A local anticyclone forms over the Armenian Highlands in winter.

IN summer time over Asia they form an area of ​​low pressure. The western currents of sea air of temperate latitudes from the North Atlantic are intensifying, which capture the Caucasus. They give up precipitation on windward slopes. In the second half, the Azorean maximum shifts to the north and often captures the Caucasus.

The role of foehns, mountain-valley winds and breezes, the formation of a center of low pressure over the Armenian Highlands is noticeable. Sea basins moderate the temperature.

In general, the southern slopes are characterized by higher (summer and winter) temperatures. The annual amount of precipitation increases with elevation to the mountains and decreases at all levels from west to east.

The Caucasus is located on the border of the temperate and subtropical zones. The influx of solar radiation is so significant that in the summer a local center for the formation of tropical air masses is created in Transcaucasia. The boundary of the temperate and subtropical belts runs along the axial part of the Greater Caucasus. Radiation balance 2300 MJ/m2/year (west) - 1800 (east) MJ/m2/year.

In winter, the continental air of temperate latitudes (CLA) spreads to Ciscaucasia from the Voeikov axis. East and northeast winds prevail. Cold air entering Ciscaucasia lingers on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, not rising above 700-800 m. And only in the northwestern part of the Black Sea chain, where the height of the ridges is less than 1000 m, cold air crosses them. Over the water area of ​​the Black Sea in winter, low pressure is established, so cold heavy air rushes towards it at high speed, literally falling from the mountains. Strong cold winds arise, the so-called Novorossiysk bora. The air temperature during boron drops to -15 ... -20 ° С. Bora is observed in the Anapa-Tuapse section.

The upper parts of the mountains are located in the free atmosphere zone, where the prevailing role belongs to the western winds. In winter, the western transport dominates at an altitude of more than 1.5-2 km, and in summer - 3.5-4 km.

The formation of climatic conditions of the cold period is greatly influenced by cyclonic activity developing on the Mediterranean branch of the polar front. The trajectories of the Mediterranean cyclones are directed to the northeast of the Black Sea and cross the Caucasus in its western part. Their advance through the Caucasus leads to tropical air advection, which causes intense thaws, snow cover snow avalanches in the mountains and the formation of foehns on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. With the development of hair dryers, the air temperature can rise to + 15 ... + 20 ° С. With an increase in the height of the mountains, the absolute maximum temperature in winter decreases and at the Elbrus station becomes negative (-2 ... -3 ° С).

Frequent advection of heat, the influence of the sea determine the positive average monthly temperature air on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The average January temperature in Novorossiysk is +2°С, in Sochi +6.1°С. In Ciscaucasia, the average air temperature is -1…-2°С in the western regions, dropping to -4…-4.5°С in the center and rising again towards the Caspian Sea to -2…0°С. In the mountains, the temperature decreases with height, reaching -12 ... -14 ° C in the highlands, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bperpetual snow and glaciers.

With breakthroughs of cold air masses from the north, the temperature in the Ciscaucasia can drop to -30 ... -36 ° С. Even in Anapa, the absolute minimum is -26°C, and in Sochi - -15°C.

The intensification of cyclonic activity in the cold season causes the winter maximum precipitation on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. In the rest of the territory, the maximum precipitation occurs in the summer.

In winter, snow cover sets in on the plains and in the mountains of the Caucasus. It first appears on the plains with relatively warm winter only in the second half of December. In some winters, stable snow cover does not form. Snow falls repeatedly during cooling and melts during thaws. The thickness of the snow cover on the plains is 10-15 cm. On the southwestern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains (Achishkho), due to the abundance of winter precipitation and the decrease in the frequency of winter thaws, the snow thickness reaches 3-4 m. In the mountains of the eastern part of the Caucasus, it is reduced to 1 m (Myachkova N.A., 1983). The number of days with snow cover on the Stavropol Upland is 70-80, decreasing to the west and east of it to 50-40 and increasing in the mountains to 80-110 days due to the long cold period. On the lower border of the highland zone, snow lies 120 days a year.

On the Javakhetian-Armenian highlands at that time a region was formed high pressure. From here, the cold continental air of Asia Minor (temperature -12°C) is taken out, penetrating into the middle part of the Riono-Kura corridor, but quickly transforming as it moves east. Colchis is filled with sea air masses of temperate latitudes, coming here with Mediterranean cyclones (t 4-6o). In winter, they constantly cross the Black Sea, where the pressure is low, and, as it were, fall into a trap between the B. and M. Caucasus ranges. The greatest amount of precipitation falls in late summer (August-September), as well as in late autumn - early winter. In other regions of the Caucasus, there is no precipitation at this time, with the exception of the Kuro-Araks lowland. Here, autumn-winter precipitation and partly spring precipitation are associated with a branch of the Iranian polar front, along the line of which cyclonic activity develops. It increases significantly on the slopes of Talysh and along the outskirts of this lowland.

In summer, the formation of the climate in the Caucasus is significantly affected by the frequency of humid Atlantic air masses and dry continental air masses, which form over the spaces of the interior regions of Eurasia and come from the east. In connection with this, the importance of the submeridional climate division (the transverse uplift of the Stavropol Upland - the Central Caucasus) is enhanced. On the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in the Western Ciscaucasia, the air warms up to 22-23°C. In the highest parts of the Stavropol Upland and in the Mineralovodchesky region, the average temperature in July is 20-21°C. In the east of Ciscaucasia, the air warms up to 24-25°C. In the mountains, the air temperature decreases with height, reaching 10°C at an altitude of about 2500 m and 7°C at an altitude of 3000 m. At the Elbrus station (altitude 4250 m), the average July temperature is only 1.4°C.

In the first half of summer in Ciscaucasia, the influence of Atlantic cyclones, which determine the June maximum precipitation, increases. Later, the transformation of air masses over the southeast of the Russian Plain increases, therefore, already in the middle of summer, the amount of precipitation decreases, and conditions are often created for the formation of dry winds and droughts, the frequency of which increases in the east.

The annual amount of precipitation increases from the foothills to the mountains and with the rise up the slopes, but at the same time it noticeably decreases when moving from west to east. On the Kuban-Azov lowland, the annual amount of precipitation is 550-600 mm, on the Stavropol Upland it increases to 700-800 mm and decreases to 500-350 mm in the Eastern Ciscaucasia. On the Black Sea coast, the amount of precipitation increases rapidly from north to south (from 700 mm northwest of Novorossiysk to 1650 mm in the Sochi region). In the highlands of the western part of the Greater Caucasus, 2000-3000 mm of precipitation falls, and in the eastern part - only 1000-1500 mm. The amount of precipitation also decreases in the depression between the Rocky and Lateral Ranges, especially in the "shadow" of the Rocky Range, amounting to 650-700 mm. The largest annual amount of precipitation is observed on the windward southwestern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. At the Achishkho station, it is over 3700 mm per year. This - the largest number precipitation not only in the Caucasus, but throughout Russia.

Average annual precipitation: Colchis, southern slope of the Western Caucasus - 1.5-2 thousand mm, Western and Middle Ciscaucasia 450-600 mm, Eastern Ciscaucasia, Terek-Kuma lowland -200-350 mm, Kuro-Araks lowland - 200-300 mm, Javakheti-Armenian highland 450-600 mm, Lankaran lowland - 1200 mm. It is warmest in summer in the Kuro-Araks lowland (26-28°C), in the rest of the territory 23-25°C, in the Javakheti-Armenian Highlands 18°C. However, temperature and precipitation are subject to change depending on the height of the mountains, forming altitudinal climatic zonality. So, the average annual temperature on the Black Sea coast is 12-14°С, in the foothills of the Caucasus it is 7-8°С, at an altitude of 2-3 thousand m -3-0°С. In summer, despite the increase in solar radiation with height, the temperature drops by an average of 0.5-0.6 ° C every 100 m, and by 0.3-0.4 ° C in winter. When climbing the mountains, the average annual positive temperature persists only up to a height of 2300-2500 m. On Elbrus it is -10°C. Similar regularities are preserved for average monthly air temperatures. Thus, the average temperature in January in the Ciscaucasia is -2-7 ° С, in the middle and high mountains - from -8 to -13°C; on Elbrus -19°С; in Novorossiysk 3°С, Sochi 5°С. In July, the temperature is 23-25°С everywhere, at an altitude of 2-2.5 thousand m -18°С, 4000 m -2°С.

Quantity precipitation also changes with height. If in the northeastern Ciscaucasia they fall less than 300 m, further to the west 300-400 mm, and in the Western Ciscaucasia 400-500 mm, then already in the low-mountain regions of Stavropol - Nalchik 500-800 mm, at the latitude and height of Vladikavkaz - 800-1000 m (1.5 thous.

Climate of the Caucasus

m), at an altitude of 2 thousand m, on average 1000-1500 mm; higher the amount of precipitation decreases: Terskol - (3050 m) - 930 mm.

The height of the snow line is 2800-3000 m, in the western part - 3200-3500 m, in the eastern part of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus glaciation is negligible - 3 square meters. km. On B.K. - 1420 km2, their total number is 2200. Of these, 70% is located on the northern slope, 30% - on the southern. Types of glaciers - mountain-valley (20% of the area), cirque and hanging. Glaciation centers - Elbrus, Kazbek, other peaks of the Central Caucasus in M.K. - Aragats, Zangezur ridge, Javakheti ridge. All glaciers are in retreat (10-20 m/year).

The climate and features of the relief of the Caucasus determine its modern glaciation. There are 1498 glaciers in the Caucasus within Russia with total area glaciation is 993.6 km2, which is 70% of the total number of glaciers and the area of ​​glaciation in the Greater Caucasus. The sharp predominance of glaciers on the northern slope is due to orographic features, blizzard transport of snow by western winds beyond the barrier of the Dividing Range, and slightly less insolation than on the southern slope. The snow limit lies at 2800-3200 m in the western part of the Caucasus and rises to 3600-4000 m in the east.

The greatest glaciation is concentrated in the Central Caucasus. The largest massif of modern glaciation is the Elbrus glacial complex (area 122.6 km2). The two-headed Elbrus is covered with a firn-ice cap about 10 km in diameter, which feeds more than 50 glacial streams radially diverging from it. The largest complex valley glacier in the Caucasus is the Bezengi glacier (length 17.6 km, area 36.2 km2), located at the foot of the Bezengi Wall and feeding the Cherek-Bezengi River. It is followed by the Dykh-Su glaciers (length 13.3 km, area 34.0 km2) and Karaugom (length 13.3 km, area 26.6 km2).

In the Western Caucasus, due to the low height of the mountains, glaciation is small. Its largest areas are concentrated in the Kuban basin near the highest mountain peaks - Dombai-Ulgen, Pshish, etc. The glaciation of the Eastern Caucasus is less significant due to the great dryness of the climate and is mainly represented by small glaciers - cirque, hanging, caro-valley.

The total area of ​​glaciers is 1965 km2. Glaciation reaches its greatest development between Elbrus and Kazbek, from here it gradually decreases to the west and sharply to the east. The most common car and hanging. 20% - valley glaciers. Everyone regresses.

Climate of the North Caucasus

climate graph

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

Average temperature (°C)	-3.7	-2.9	1.2	9.4	15.7	20	22.2	21.6	16.2	9.6	3.5	-0.6
minimum temperature (°C)	-6.8	-6	-2.5	4.5	10.3	14.4	16.4	15.6	10.4	4.8	0.3	-3.3
maximum temperature (°C)	-0.6	0.3	4.9	14.3	21.2	25.7	28.1	27.6	22	14.4	6.7	2.2
Average temperature (°F)	25.3	26.8	34.2	48.9	60.3	68.0	72.0	70.9	61.2	49.3	38.3	30.9
minimum temperature (°F)	19.8	21.2	27.5	40.1	50.5	57.9	61.5	60.1	50.7	40.6	32.5	26.1
maximum temperature (°F)	30.9	32.5	40.8	57.7	70.2	78.3	82.6	81.7	71.6	57.9	44.1	36.0
Precipitation rate (mm)	33	31	26	33	43	53	55	38	38	28	35	38

The difference between the amount of precipitation, between the driest and wettest month is 29 mm. The temperature change throughout the year is 25.9 °C. Helpful Hints About reading the climate table: For each month, you will find data on precipitation (mm), average, maximum and minimum temperatures (in degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit). The meaning of the first line: (1) January (2) February (3) March (4) April (5) May, (6) June (7) July (8) August (9) September, (10) October (11) November (12) December.

Winter holidays in the Caucasus

The North Caucasus is a place where you can come in any season and in a relatively small area enjoy various types recreation. Mountains, the sea, mineral springs, lakes and waterfalls - this is what the Caucasus can please a tourist. Winter and New Year holidays in this part of Russia have a special flavor. Moreover, the winter in the Caucasus is mild, pleasant, it is rarely very frosty and windy.

Ski holidays in the Caucasus

Winter - best time for skiers. And rest in the Caucasus at this time is one of the best active holidays in Russia. The North Caucasus makes it possible to choose slopes for every taste: a luxurious holiday in Krasnaya Polyana or a slightly more modest, but surrounded beautiful landscapes skiing in the Elbrus region or in Dombai. Except skiing you can go snowmobiling or cross-country skiing, horseback riding.

In the Sochi region, where an excellent infrastructure for the Winter Olympics has been built, tourists can enjoy not only mountain slopes, but also numerous entertainments, skating rinks and cinemas, clubs and restaurants. There are no problems with accommodation: you can book a hotel room, you can rent an apartment or a room from local residents. The only problem is the high cost and exceptional popularity of the Sochi ski slopes. If you want to spend the New Year holidays in this part of Russia, then you need to organize your vacation, especially booking a hotel, in the middle of autumn.

In the Elbrus region, as in Dombai, there are few entertainments besides direct skiing from the mountains. There are enough hotels here, but they are all small and private, so you also need to book them very early, and you should not expect exceptional service.

By the way, in the Caucasus Mountains you can relax in the winter, but do not go skiing: just settle in an alpine camp or in one of several high-mountain hotels and contemplate stunning views. Such a vacation will be saving for those who are tired of the constant flow of information and need solitude and the opportunity to reflect.

New Year's holidays are ski resorts Caucasian fun thanks to entertainment programs. Meet New Year on the mountain or on the slope means to get an unforgettable experience for a lifetime. But there is one caveat: prices for hotels, food and entertainment here soar by the end of December and remain very high throughout January.

Wellness winter holidays in the Caucasus

caucasian Mineral water, perhaps the best place in the European part of Russia, where you can spend the New Year holidays with maximum health benefits. Numerous resorts provide the full range of their usual services, while each of them tries to make a good entertainment program for the whole weekend. A calm and leisurely vacation in the health resorts of the Caucasus may seem boring, but in winter the healing effect is complemented by magnificent winter landscapes and crystal clear air.

Accommodation in Kislovodsk or Pyatigorsk gives you the opportunity to plunge into interesting story these cities, visit places associated with the names of great Russian writers and public figures.

A wellness holiday in the Caucasus is a wonderful option for a winter family holiday in Russia.

Hiking and car tours in the Caucasus

The Caucasus abounds in hiking trails and they are accessible all year round. As a rule, simple trekking routes are built in such a way that people walking along them can see the maximum beauty with minimal effort. There are such trails both in cities and in remote mountainous areas, so each tourist will choose a route, focusing on the capabilities of his body. For example, you can leisurely spend the whole day in Kislovodsk, walking in the famous Resort Park on the mountain, which offers an amazing view of Elbrus.

Tours to the Chegem waterfalls in Kabardino-Balkaria are extremely popular in winter. The legendary waterfalls of the Chegem Gorge fascinate with their beauty at any time of the year, but in winter they are especially impressive. Frozen water forms pillars of ice, more like giant candles. Excursions to the mountain lakes of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria are also very popular among tourists. However, it is advisable to make trips to the mountain beauties, accompanied by experienced guides.

Combined tours

lovers active rest combined tours in the North Caucasus are suitable, they are offered by many travel agencies. As a rule, these tours include visits to major cities and a short trip to the sights in the mountains. So, you can visit important historical and cultural places of Kislovodsk and "visit" Elbrus in 6-7 days. The most daring can include climbing Elbrus in their tour.

Horse trips are very popular; they are organized in almost every Caucasian republic of Russia. Safari tours are also interesting, during which you can visit several the most beautiful places. This is the best New Year's holiday for collectors of impressions who want to see as many unique corners of the Caucasus as possible at one time.

Many factors influence the climate of the Caucasus. The most important of them are latitudinal zonality and vertical zonality. However, the actions of these main factors are largely corrected by the characteristics geographical location and relief.

In addition, the climate different parts Caucasus is greatly influenced by the proximity of the Black and Seas of Azov in the west and the Caspian Sea in the east. All these factors have created a variety of climatic and forest conditions in the Caucasus.

The high mountain ranges in the Caucasus influence the advancement and distribution of baric phenomena. Thus, the main Caucasian ridge protects the territory of Transcaucasia from the invasion of cold air masses approaching from the north. These air masses flow around the ridge and enter Transcaucasia from the west and east, being moistened due to contact with the Black and Caspian Seas and somewhat warming up under the influence of the warm land surface.

Mountains, cutting in different directions the territory of Transcaucasia, and solar radiation continue to modify the climate of the Caucasus, affecting the direction and speed of air masses, their rise, etc.

All this creates the complexity and diversity of climate elements - air and soil temperatures, the amount, intensity and distribution of precipitation, relative humidity air, wind direction and speed, etc.

The intensity of solar radiation increases with the elevation of the terrain. However the main role does not belong to the sum of heat and solar radiation, but to air and soil temperature. Due to the intensity of solar radiation in the mountains, there are large fluctuations in air temperatures during the day.

The soil gets very warm on sunny days, especially on the slopes of southern exposure. As a result, the soil temperature changes less with increasing altitude than the air temperature, and the difference between air and soil temperatures becomes very small. At night, the surface layer of soil on the slopes noticeably cools, but in deeper layers its temperature exceeds the air temperature.

According to the degree of moisture in the Caucasus, there are: humid subtropical regions of the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory, Western Georgia and South-East Azerbaijan; humid regions of the Northern and Western Caucasus; dry regions of Eastern Georgia, Western Azerbaijan, Armenia, Dagestan.

The climate of the Caucasus can be traced with each rise in altitude, according to scientists, for every 100 meters of rise, the amount of precipitation increases by 20%, in the Crimea by 14-15%.

Precipitation and rainy days are greatly influenced by local geographic factors. Thus, under the influence of the Black Sea in the adjacent areas of Western Georgia and the Krasnodar Territory, the average annual precipitation exceeds 1000 mm, reaching 3000 mm in the coastal strip of Adjara. In dry mountainous areas, the average annual precipitation is 300-350 mm, decreasing in some years to 100 mm.

1) What features of the nature of mountains do you know from the 7th grade geography course.

For mountains, the characteristic altitudinal zonality in change natural areas. In mountains, pressure and temperature decrease with height.

Questions in a paragraph

* Remember how much the air temperature drops when you rise for every 100 m. Calculate how much the air will cool when you rise to a height of 4000 m, if its temperature at the earth's surface is + 200C. What happens to the moisture in the air.

For every 100 m you rise, the air temperature drops by 0.60C. The temperature at an altitude of 4000 m will be -40C. The moisture in the air will begin to condense.

*Explain why there are no avalanches in the mountains of the Eastern Caucasus.

Due to the dryness of the climate, there is very little snow.

*Think about what differences will be observed in the change of altitudinal zones on the western and eastern slopes.

There are altitudinal belts of the Caucasus related to two types of vertical zonality: continental and coastal (coastal). The second one is represented in the mountains of the Western Caucasus, which are influenced by the Atlantic, humid sea air. In the east, somewhat different altitudinal belts of the Caucasus are observed, which are often called the continental, or Dagestan type of vertical zonality.

Questions at the end of the paragraph

1. Name the main features of the nature of the highlands and explain their reasons.

High rainfall, short warm season, dependency natural conditions from the height of the mountains and the exposure of the slopes, the distribution of glacial landforms, altitudinal zonality.

2. Give a description of the climate of the Greater Caucasus, explain how the climate of the foothills differs from the highlands.

With the exception of the highlands, the climate in the North Caucasus is mild and warm; on the plains, the average temperature in July exceeds 20 ° C everywhere, and summer lasts from 4.5 to 5.5 months. Average January temperatures range from -10 to +6°C, and winter lasts only two to three months. The city of Sochi is located in the North Caucasus, where the warmest winter in Russia is with a January temperature of +6.1 ° С. The climate of the highlands is very different from the plains and foothills. The first main difference is that much more precipitation falls in the mountains: at an altitude of 2000 m - 2500-2600 mm per year. The second difference in the climate of the highlands is a decrease in the duration of the warm season due to a decrease in air temperature with height. Third difference high mountain climate- its amazing diversity from place to place in connection with the height of the mountains, the exposure of the slope, proximity or distance from the sea. The fourth difference is the peculiarity of atmospheric circulation.

3. Using Figure 102, explain the features altitudinal zonality Greater Caucasus.

There are altitudinal belts of the Caucasus related to two types of vertical zonality: continental and coastal (coastal). The second one is represented in the mountains of the Western Caucasus, which are influenced by the Atlantic, humid sea air. We list the main altitudinal belts from the foothills to the peaks:

1. Meadow steppes, interrupted by curtains of oak, hornbeam, ash (up to 100 m).

2. Forest belt.

3. Subalpine crooked forests and tall grass meadows (at an altitude of 2000 m).

4. Low-grass alpine meadows, rich in bluebells, cereals and umbrella plants.

5. Nival zone (at an altitude of 2800–3200 m).