The climatic region of the natural region of the Caucasus is different: the Ciscaucasia occupies an area of \u200b\u200btemperate climate, and Transcaucasia is the subtropics. Climatic areas are different, because different terrain, air currents, local circulation. Changes in climatic conditions in the Caucasus occur in three directions. From the western part of the Caucasus to the east, the continental climate increases. From north to south, total solar radiation is growing. The higher the mountains, the lower the temperature and more rainfall. In the North Caucasus there is 1.5 times more solar radiation than in the Moscow Region, per cm 1 per year. surface 120-140 kCl. Depending on the season, the radiation flux is different: in summer the heat balance is positive, and in winter it is negative, since a certain percentage of radiation is reflected by the cover of snow. The summer is long. Temperature fluctuation in July on the plains of more than +20 degrees. In January, temperatures range from -10 to +6 degrees Celsius.
In the north of the Caucasus, continental air of temperate latitudes dominates. Transcaucasia is a zone of subtropical air masses. The north is devoid of orographic obstacles, and the south has high mountains, therefore, various air masses penetrate here throughout the year - Arctic cold air, humid air of the tropics of the Mediterranean, Atlantic moist air masses or dry and dusty Central Asian and Middle Eastern air. In the Ciscaucasia in winter, mainly continental air of moderate latitudes dominates. In winter, areas of low pressure form over the Black and Caspian Seas, so strong cold winds appear. Asian anticyclone goes east, which reduces the amount of snow. In winter, a local anticyclone forms over the Armenian Highlands. In the Ciscaucasia, the temperature drops to 30-36 with a minus mark due to the cold northern air. The minimum temperature in Anapa is 260C, in Sochi - 150C.
In the cold season, the influence of cyclones on the Black Sea coast intensifies, so the rainfall in this period is the largest. In the rest of the territory, the maximum rainfall is observed in summer. In winter, snow falls in the mountains of the Caucasus and on the plains. There are snowless winters. The thickness of the snow cover on the plains is from 10 to 15 cm. The southwestern slopes of the Greater Caucasus are covered with a 3-4 meter snow blanket. The summer climate of the Caucasus is formed mainly by humid Atlantic air and dry continental air. The air temperature of the Western Ciscaucasia and the Black Sea coast reaches + 22, +23 degrees, the eastern Ciscaucasia reaches +24, + 25 degrees. With height, a marked decrease in temperature. On Elbrus, the average thermometer is only +1.4 degrees.
In the Ciscaucasia, Atlantic cyclones carry the maximum rainfall in the first half of summer. In mid-summer, air masses are transformed over the southeast of the East European Plain, which leads to a decrease in rainfall and the formation of dry winds with droughts. Rising from the foothills to the mountains, the amount of precipitation increases, but in the eastern part decreases significantly. The annual indicator of the Kuban-Priazov lowland reaches 550-600 mm of precipitation. If we consider the Sochi region, then the figure will be 1650 mm. In the west of the mountains of the Greater Caucasus, an average of 2000 - 3000 mm of precipitation falls, and in the eastern region the indicator is 1000-1500 mm. The greatest amount of precipitation was recorded on the windward slopes of the Greater Caucasus from the south-western side. For example, at Achishkho station, the highest rainfall occurs not only in the Caucasus region, but throughout Russia. This figure reaches more than 3700 mm per year.
The modern glaciation of the Caucasus is associated with its climate and topography features. In the Russian Caucasus, there are 1,498 glaciers, which is 70% of the total number of glaciers, as well as the glaciation area of \u200b\u200bthe Greater Caucasus.
Rivers of the Caucasus
The mountains of the Caucasus collect a large amount of moisture. It rains, snow, glaciers. It is in the mountains that the sources of all the Caucasian rivers are located. On the flat territories of the Ciscaucasia, river waters fall into the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas. Mostly mountain rivers with a rapid current. There are flat rivers in the Caucasus, which have a slow and low flood current. The Stavropol Upland is the starting point for some of the lowland rivers. In summer, they dry out, forming a kind of chain of lakes. The upper reaches of the rivers Kuban, Kuma, Rioni, Terek, Kura, Araks are located in the mountains, and the lower reaches are on the plains. These rivers feed on rain and groundwater. Downpours feed the rivers located between Tuapse and Sochi, turning into rapid streams. When there is no rain, rivers turn into streams. The origins of the mountain rivers Bzyb, Kodor, Inguri are located at an altitude of 2 to 3 thousand meters. Sulak and Terek flow with great speed in deep canyon-shaped gorges. These rivers have rapids and waterfalls.
The density of the river network of valleys is uneven and reaches only 0.05 km / sq. km The southern slope of the mountain system has a dense river network. The rivers of the Caucasus, especially in Dagestan, are muddy, because the erosion of rocks, as well as various sediments. The muddy waters of the Kura and Terek rivers. The Kuban, Kagalnik, Western Manych, Chelbas and Beysug flow into the Black Sea. The rivers of the Caspian Sea basin are Samur, Terek, Sulak, East Manych, Kuma and Kalaus.
The Caucasian rivers have a negligible transport function. The category of shipping include Kura, Rioni, Kuban. They use rivers to irrigate territories, and it’s also convenient to raft forests along them. Many Caucasian rivers have hydroelectric power stations.
Lakes of the Caucasus
There are few lakes in the Caucasus. The total number is about 2 thousand. The area of \u200b\u200bthe lakes is small. An exception is the mountain lake Sevan, the height of the water mirror of which is 1916 m, and the greatest depth is 99 m. The area and depth of the lake slightly decreased due to the construction of a hydroelectric power station on it. This factor influenced not only the lake, but also the nature of the adjacent territory. Some species of animals have disappeared, the number of fish has decreased, and bare peatlands have formed in the area.
The plains of the coasts of the Azov and Caspian seas contain lagoon and estuary lakes. Manych lakes formed a whole system. Certain lakes in this system sometimes dry out during the summer.
The foothills and lower slopes of the lakes do not have, but in the mountains there are many. The hollows of mountain lakes are different in origin. Most are tectonic, but there are also karst, volcanic and karic. Lakes of volcanic origin are marked by a dam character. River basin Teberda is famous for glacial lakes preserved to this day. Floodplains of flat rivers adorn peculiar lakes. For example, such is the dammed lake Ritsa, located in the mountains.
The Caucasus is one of the southern regions of Russia. Its extreme points lie within 50.5 ° C. w. (northern end of the Rostov region) and with. w. (on the border of Dagestan). The territory of the North Caucasus receives a lot of solar radiation - about one and a half times more than, for example, the Moscow Region. Its annual sum for lowland and foothill areas is 120-140 large calories (kilocalories) per square centimeter of surface.
In different seasons of the year, the radiation flux is different. In the 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 decreases sharply - up to 3-kcal per 1 sq. cm per month and a lot of heat reflects the snowy earth's surface. Therefore, the radiation balance for some time in the middle of winter becomes negative.
In the North Caucasus everywhere, with the exception of highlands, a lot of heat. On the plains, the average July temperatures everywhere exceed 20 °, and the summer lasts from 4.5 to 5.5 months. Average January temperatures fluctuate in different areas from -10 ° to + 6 °, and winter lasts only two to 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 the Ciscaucasia - eight months, and on the Black Sea coast, south of Gelendzhik - up to 11 months. This means that with the appropriate selection of field and garden crops, you can get one and a half crops per year * in the north of the district, and even two crops in the entire Ciscaucasia.
The movement of air masses and their transformation on the territory of the North Caucasus are extremely complex and diverse. The area is located on the border of temperate and subtropical latitudes not far from the warm Mediterranean Sea. In the north to 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, various air masses can penetrate into the North Caucasus: either the cold dry air of the Arctic, the moisture-saturated masses formed over the Atlantic Ocean, the humid tropical air of the Mediterranean, and finally, although very rarely, also tropical, but dry and highly dusty air from the desert highlands of Western Asia and the Middle East. Changing 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 captured by the slopes of the mountains and hills facing the west, and the east is growing dry and continental climate, which affects the whole landscape.
The nature of the circulation of air masses in different seasons of the year has noticeable differences. And, of course, the conditions of plains and mountains are very different.
On the plains in winter, the cold dense air of Siberia and Kazakhstan (Siberian or Asian, anticyclone) and relatively warm rarefied air settling over the Black Sea (Black Sea Depression) collide. Under the influence of the Siberian anticyclone, streams of dry, strongly cooled air are constantly directed towards the Ciscaucasia. Due to the significant difference in pressure, air flows quickly, forming strong, often stormy east and northeast winds. These winds prevail throughout the winter in the Caspian region and in the eastern parts of the Ciscaucasia. Due to the dryness of the air brought by them, there is almost no rainfall, and the thickness of the snow cover is small - 5-10 cm, in some places there is no snow at all.
Further west the air of the Siberian anticyclone rarely penetrates. All the Western Ciscaucasia is under the influence of the Black Sea depression: from there come cyclones, bringing a sharp warming and a lot of rainfall. Snow cover in the west is 2-3 times thicker than in the east, winter is unstable: frequent thaws sometimes last for a week or more, with temperatures rising to 6-12 ° in the north and 20 ° in the south of the region.
A peculiar climatic border between the Eastern and Western Ciscaucasia is the Stavropol Upland. Here, air masses very heterogeneous in their physical properties are found among themselves. In this case, the winds usually sharply increase; variable wind regime is the main feature of winter in the Stavropol Territory.
Arctic air usually comes to the North Caucasus from the northwest. On the Lower Don and in the 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, low temperatures that were not at all characteristic of these southern places are established. So, in Pyatigorsk and Maykop the absolute minimums, that is, the lowest of the observed temperatures, are –30 °, and in Krasnodar even –33 °. Average lows are also quite tough: –16 °, –20 °.
Cold Arctic air, as if clinging to the ground, usually does not rise high and does not pass through the mountain ranges that protect Transcaucasia from the destructive northern cold. But cold invasions can bypass the Caucasus Mountains along their eastern edge along the Caspian coast, reaching Baku and its environs, often exerting a devastating effect on the coastal regions of Dagestan along the way.
In the west, on a small stretch of 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 boron falls on the city of Novorossiysk and Tsemess Bay, in the local north-east - a wind of hurricane force and speed, besides extremely cold. It often causes serious damage 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 up and the pressure weakens. Then conditions are created for an active invasion of warm Mediterranean air. Under its influence, unstable snow cover melts together, average daily temperatures quickly increase, and already in early May, summer conditions are established throughout the territory of the North Caucasus, except for highlands.
In summer, the incoming air is actively transformed under the influence of a very hot earth 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 is established with its characteristic weather features: hot days prevail, with light winds, low cloud cover and strong warming of the surface air layers, almost without rains.
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 often from the Black Sea. Cyclones bring cloudy weather: heavy rains, often accompanied by thunderstorms, fall on their front fronts. Occasionally, long drizzling rains fall in the rear of passing cyclones.
Cyclones almost always come from the west or north-west, and as they move east and southeast, the air masses brought by them lose their moisture reserves. Therefore, not only in winter, but also in summer, the western low-lying Ciscaucasia is moistened more abundantly than the eastern. In the West, the annual rainfall 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 elevation they are not enough to fully utilize 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 from the possibility of droughts with their constant companions - dry winds - a cruel, inexorable enemy of field and garden plants. However, not all areas are equally affected by these formidable natural phenomena. So, for the period from 1883 to 1946, that is, for 64 years, droughts were repeated 21 times in the Caspian littoral, 15 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 arise at a time when the upper layers of dry soil, still weakly bonded by recently sprouted plants, are blown away by a strong wind. Dust of clouds rises into the air, covering the sky with a thick veil. Sometimes a dusty cloud is so dense that the sun barely shines through it and seems like a murky blood-red disk.
Black storm protection measures are known. The main ones are properly planned forest shelterbelts and high agricultural technology. A lot has already been done in this direction. However, until now, in the fields of the Ciscaucasia, it is often necessary to secondarily sow (sow) several tens of thousands of hectares from which the most fertile layer of soil is carried away during dust storms.
In the fall, the influx of solar heat weakens. At first, the features of summer circulation still persist. Anticyclone weather with weak air movement prevails. Subsequently, the earth's surface begins to cool noticeably, and from it the lower layers of air. In the mornings, thick milky-white fogs creep over the earth that has cooled during the night. Increasingly, the already strongly cooled air of the Siberian anticyclone comes, 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 heights of over 2000 m, 2500-2600 mm falls annually; to the east, their number decreases to 900-1000 mm. The lower mountain zone - from 1000 to 2000 m - receives less rainfall, but still enough for the growth of lush forest vegetation.
Another difference is due to a decrease in temperature with increasing altitude: when rising for every 100 m, it drops by about 0.5-0.6 °. In this regard, the belt distribution of the 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 East, 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 heights above 4000 m, even in July, positive temperatures are very rare.
Due to the abundance of precipitation in the mountains of the Western Caucasus, 4–5 snow accumulates during the winter, and in the mountain valleys, where it is blown away by the wind, up to 10–12 m. Often, avalanche-hazardous areas appear on the slopes here: when walking, one careless movement is enough, sometimes even a sharp sound, so that a thousand-ton mass of accumulated snow, tearing off a steep ledge, with a terrible roar flew down, destroying everything in its path. In the mountains of the East Caucasus, due to the general dryness, the snow cover is much less.
The third difference in the mountain climate is that the cooled air of the highlands often seems to fall down the relatively narrow intermountain valleys. When lowering for every 100 m, the air heats up by about 1 °. Falling from a height of 2500 m, it reaches 25 ° when it reaches the lower parts of the mountains and foothills, that is, instead of cold it will become warm and even hot. Such winds are called hair dryers. They blow at all times of the year, but especially often happen in the spring, when the intensity of the general circulation of air masses rises sharply.
Finally, another important distinguishing feature of the mountain climate is its amazing diversity from place to place, which is due to the rugged relief with numerous kinks of the slopes, differently oriented with respect to sun lighting and the prevailing wind directions. On the plains, differences in the orientation of the slopes due to their low steepness are less pronounced.
Despite the importance of each of the noted features of the mountain climate, the height is the leading value, which determines the vertical separation into climatic zones.
2. Describe the climate of the Greater Caucasus, explain how the climate of the foothills differs from the highlands?
- The climate of the Greater Caucasus is determined by its southern location, the proximity of the Black and Mediterranean Seas, as well as the significant height of the mountain ranges. The Greater Caucasus is a barrier to the movement of moist warm air from the west. More precipitation falls on the southern slopes, the maximum amount is in the western part, where more than 2500 mm per year falls in the highlands (most of all in our country). To the east, rainfall drops to 600 mm per year. The northern slope of the Greater Caucasus is generally the land of the south.
In the mountains of the Greater Caucasus, in a relatively small area, there is a wide range of climatic zones with pronounced zonation in height: the humid subtropics of the Black Sea coast have a continental dry (in the east to semi-desert) climate with hot summers and short but cold winters in the plains of the Caucasus, a temperate continental climate of foothills with significant precipitation (especially in the western part) and snowy winters (in the Krasnaya Polyana region, on the Bzyb and Chkhalta rivers watershed, 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 + 10C. Higher 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 cereal (hail).
The average January temperatures at the foot of the mountains are -5С in the north and from +3 to + 6С in the south at an altitude of 2000 m -7-8С, at an altitude of 3000 m -12С, at an altitude of 4000 m -17С. The average July temperatures at the foot of the mountains in the west are + 24С, in the east up to + 29С at an altitude of 2000 m + 14С, at an altitude of 3000 m + 8С, at an altitude of 4000 m + 2С.
In the Greater Caucasus, the height of the snow line, rising from west to east, varies between 2700 m - 3900 m above sea level. Its northern elevation is different for the northern and southern slopes. In the Western Caucasus, this is 3,010 and 2,090 m, respectively, in the Central Caucasus - 3,360 and 3,560 m, in the East - 3,700 and 3,800 m. The total area of \u200b\u200bmodern glaciation of the Greater Caucasus is 1,780 km. The number of glaciers is 2047, their tongues descend to absolute marks: 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 area of \u200b\u200bglaciation is as follows: Western Caucasus - 282 and 163 square meters. km Central Caucasus - 835 and 385 square meters. km East Caucasus - 114 and 1 square. km, respectively.
Caucasian glaciers are distinguished by a variety of forms. Here you can see grandiose icefalls with serac, ice grottoes, "tables", "mills", deep cracks. Glaciers endure a large amount of debris accumulating in the form of various moraines on the sides and near the tongue of the glaciers.
The Caucasus cannot be attributed to one climatic region. To the north of the axial belt of the Greater Caucasus - a temperate climate, in the Caucasus - subtropical. Inside them there are differences due to the nature of the relief, position relative 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 - towards increasing continentality,
from north to south - towards an increase in the amount of radiation heat
in the altitudinal direction, an increase in precipitation and a decrease in temperature.
Cloudiness plays a special role - with the rise in the mountains and in the western regions of the Caucasus due to its increase, the annual values \u200b\u200bof solar radiation are less than average.
In the summer months, the radiation balance in the Caucasus is close to tropical; local VMs are transformed into tropical ones.
Circulation: continental air of moderate latitudes dominates in the North Caucasus, and subtropical dominates in Transcaucasia. Alpine zones influenced by western directions.
In the winter months the territory is located south of the "major axis"; over Black and the south of the Caspian, areas of low pressure are formed. The result is the outflow of dense cold masses of the "major axis" into the Caucasus. However, the mountain wall prevents penetration to the south, it is still possible to bypass along the coasts of the seas - the "North" and "Boron". In the west, a lot of snow falls in the mountains. To the east, the influence of south-west transport is weakening and the influence of the Asian anticyclone is increasing, and snowfall is decreasing. In winter, a local anticyclone forms over the Armenian Highlands.
In summer time over Asia, they form a region of low pressure. The western currents of sea air of temperate latitudes from the North Atlantic, which capture the Caucasus, are intensifying. They give rainfall on the windward slopes. In the second half, the Azores maximum shifts to the north and often captures the Caucasus.
The role of hairdryers, mountain-valley winds and breezes, the formation of a center of low pressure over the Armenian Highlands are noticeable. The basins of the seas moderate the temperature.
In general, the southern slopes are characterized by higher (summer and winter) temperatures. The annual amount of precipitation with the rise in the mountains increases and at all levels decreases 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 Transcaucasia in summer a local center for the formation of tropical air masses is created. The border of the temperate and subtropical zones runs along the axial part of the Greater Caucasus. The radiation balance is 2300 MJ / m2 / year (western) - 1800 (east) MJ / m2 / year.
In winter, the continental air of temperate latitudes (KVUSh) from the Voeikov axis spreads to the Ciscaucasia. The winds of eastern and northeastern rhubuses prevail. Cold air entering the Ciscaucasia is delayed near 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 ridges are less than 1000 m high, cold air exceeds them. Over winter, a low pressure is established over the Black Sea, so cold, heavy air rushes toward it at high speed, literally collapsing from the mountains. Strong cold winds arise, the so-called Novorossiysk boron. The air temperature during boron drops to -15 ... -20 ° C. Bora is observed in the Anapa-Tuapse section.
The upper parts of the mountains are located in the zone of action of the free atmosphere, where the prevailing role belongs to the winds of the western points. In winter, the western transport dominates at an altitude of more than 1.5-2 km, and in summer - 3.5-4 km.
The cyclonic activity developing on the Mediterranean branch of the polar front has a great influence on the formation of climatic conditions in the cold period. The trajectories of the Mediterranean cyclones are directed to the northeast of the Black Sea and cross the Caucasus in its western part. Moving them through the Caucasus leads to the advection of tropical air, which causes intense thaws, the disappearance of snow cover, the emergence of snow avalanches in the mountains and the formation of hair dryers on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. With the development of hair dryers, the air temperature can increase 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 it becomes negative (-2 ... -3 ° C).
Frequent advection of heat, the influence of the sea determine the positive average monthly air temperature on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The average January temperature in Novorossiysk is + 2 ° С, in Sochi + 6.1 ° С. In the Ciscaucasia, the average air temperature is -1 ... -2 ° C in the western regions, dropping to -4 ... -4.5 ° C in the center and again rising to the Caspian Sea to -2 ... 0 ° C. In the mountains, the temperature decreases with height, reaching -12 ... -14 ° C in the highlands, in the region of eternal snows and glaciers.
During breakthroughs of cold air masses from the north, the temperature in the Ciscaucasia can drop to -30 ... -36 ° C. Even in Anapa, the absolute minimum is -26 ° C, and in Sochi -15 ° C.
The intensification of cyclonic activity in the cold season determines the winter maximum precipitation on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. In the rest of the territory, maximum rainfall occurs in the summer.
In winter, snow cover is established on the plains and in the mountains of the Caucasus. It first appears on the plains with relatively warm winters only in the second half of December. In some winters, stable snow cover does not form. Snow falls more than once during a cold snap and melts during thaws. The thickness of the snow cover on the plains is 10-15 cm. On the southwestern slopes of the mountains of the Greater Caucasus (Achishkho), due to the abundance of winter precipitation and a 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 decreases 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.
In the Javakheti-Armenian highlands at this time, a high pressure area forms. From here, the cold continental air of Asia Minor is carried out (temperature -12 ° С), penetrating into the middle part of the Riono-Kurinsky corridor, but rapidly transforming as it moves east. Colchis is filled with marine air masses of temperate latitudes that come here with Mediterranean cyclones (t 4-6 °). In winter, they constantly cross the Black Sea, where the pressure is low, and fall into a trap between the ridges of B. and M. Caucasus. Most rainfall occurs in late summer (August-September), as well as in late autumn and early winter. In the remaining regions of the Caucasus, precipitation does not occur at this time, with the exception of the Kuro-Araksin lowland. Here autumn-winter precipitation and partly spring rainfall are associated with the branch of the Iranian polar front, along which cyclonic activity develops. It is significantly enhanced on the slopes of Talysh and on the outskirts of this lowland.
In the summer, the climate of the Caucasus is significantly affected by the repeatability of moist Atlantic air masses and dry continental air masses that form over the spaces of the internal regions of Eurasia and come from the east. In this regard, the importance of the submeridional climatic separation (transverse elevation of the Stavropol Upland - Central Caucasus) is increasing. 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 Mineralovodsky district, the average July temperature is 20-21 ° C. In the east of the Ciscaucasia, the air warms up to 24-25 ° С. In the mountains, air temperature decreases with height, amounting to 10 ° C at an altitude of about 2500 m and 7 ° C at an altitude of 3000 m. At Elbrus station (altitude 4250 m), the average July temperature is only 1.4 ° C.
In the first half of summer in the Ciscaucasia, the influence of Atlantic cyclones, which determine the June maximum precipitation, intensifies. Later, the transformation of air masses over the southeast of the Russian Plain increases, so 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 it decreases noticeably when moving from west to east. In the Kuban-Priazov lowland, the annual precipitation is 550-600 mm, in 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 is rapidly growing from north to south (from 700 mm northwest of Novorossiysk to 1650 mm in the region of Sochi). 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 ridges, especially in the "shadow" of the Rocky ridge, amounting to 650-700 mm. The largest annual precipitation is observed on the windward southwestern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. At Achishkho station, it is over 3700 mm per year. This is the largest amount of precipitation not only in the Caucasus, but throughout Russia.
Average annual precipitation: Colchis, the southern slope of the Western Caucasus - 1.5-2 thousand mm, the Western and Middle Ciscaucasia 450-600 mm, the Eastern Ciscaucasia, Tersko-Kuma lowland -200-350 mm, Kuro-Araksin lowland - 200-300 mm, Javakheti-Armenian plateau 450-600 mm, Lankaran lowland - 1200 mm. The warmest in summer is in the Kuro-Araksin lowland (26-28 ° C), in the rest of the territory 23-25 \u200b\u200b° C, in the Javakheti-Armenian Highlands 18 ° C. However, the temperature and precipitation are subject to change depending on the height of the mountains, forming a high-altitude climatic zonality. So, the average annual temperature on the Black Sea coast is 12-14 ° С, in the foothills of the Caucasus is 7-8 ° С, at an altitude of 2-3 thousand m -3-0 ° С. In summer, despite an increase in solar radiation with height, the temperature every 100 m decreases on average by 0.5-0.6 ° C, and in winter by 0.3-0.4 ° C. When climbing into the mountains, the average annual positive temperature remains only up to an altitude of 2300-2500 m. On Elbrus it is -10 ° С. Similar patterns remain for average monthly air temperatures. So, the average January temperature in the Ciscaucasia is -2-7 ° C, in the middle mountains and highlands - from -8 to -13 ° C; on Elbrus -19 ° С; in Novorossiysk 3 ° С, Sochi 5 ° С. In July, the temperature everywhere is 23-25 \u200b\u200b° C, at an altitude of 2-2.5 thousand m -18 ° C, 4000 m -2 ° C.
Rainfall also varies with altitude. If in the north-eastern Ciscaucasia they fall less than 300 m, then to the west 300-400 mm, and in the Western Ciscaucasia 400-500 mm, then in the low-mountain regions of Stavropol - Nalchik 500-800 mm, at the latitude and height of Vladikavkaz - 800-1000 m (1.5 thousand
Climate of the Caucasus
m), at an altitude of 2 thousand m, an average of 1000-1500 mm; higher 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% are located on the northern slope, 30% - on the southern. Types of glaciers - mountain-valley (20% of the area), caravan and hanging. Glaciation centers - Elbrus, Kazbek, other peaks of the Central Caucasus in M.K. - Aragats, Zangezur Range, Javakheti Range All glaciers are in the retreat stage (10-20 m / year).
The climate and features of the relief of the Caucasus determine its modern glaciation. Within Russia, in the Caucasus, there are 1,498 glaciers with a total area of \u200b\u200bglaciation of 993.6 km2, which is 70% of the total number of glaciers and the area of \u200b\u200bglaciation of the Greater Caucasus. The sharp prevalence of glaciers on the northern slope is due to orographic features, snow drift by westerly winds beyond the barrier of the Dividing Range, and slightly less insolation than on the southern slope. The snow border lies at heights of 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 glacier complex (an area of \u200b\u200b122.6 km2). The two-headed Elbrus is covered with a firn-ice cap with a diameter of about 10 km, which feeds over 50 glacial flows radially diverging from it. The largest complex valley glacier of the Caucasus is the Bezengi glacier (length 17.6 km, area 36.2 km2), located at the foot of the Besengi wall and feeding the Cherek-Besengi river. It is followed by the Dykh-Su glaciers (13.3 km long, an area of \u200b\u200b34.0 km2) and Karaugom (13.3 km long, an area of \u200b\u200b26.6 km2).
In the Western Caucasus, glaciation is small due to the small height of the mountains. Its largest areas are concentrated in the Kuban basin near the highest mountain peaks - Dombay-Ulgen, Pshish and others. The glaciation of the East Caucasus is less significant due to the great dryness of the climate and is represented mainly by small glaciers - cirque, hanging, caro-valley.
The total area of \u200b\u200bglaciers is 1965 km2. Glaciation reaches its greatest development between Elbrus and Kazbek, hence it gradually decreases to the west and sharply to the east. The most common car and hanging. 20% are valley glaciers. All regress.
Climate of the North Caucasus
Climate graph
| 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 |
| Medium 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 rainfall and the driest and wettest months is 29 mm. The temperature varies throughout the year by 25.9 ° C. Useful tips on reading the climate table: For each month, you will find data on precipitation (mm), average, maximum and minimum temperature (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 enjoy various types of recreation in a relatively small area. Mountains, the sea, mineral springs, lakes and waterfalls - this is what the Caucasus can please a tourist with. Winter and New Year holidays in this part of Russia have a special flavor. Moreover, the winter in the Caucasus is mild, pleasant, rarely very frosty and windy.
Ski holidays in the Caucasus
Winter is the best time for skiers. And rest in the Caucasus at this time is one of the best active vacations in Russia. The North Caucasus makes it possible to choose slopes for every taste: a fashionable vacation in Krasnaya Polyana or a little more modest, but surrounded by beautiful landscapes, skiing in Elbrus region or in Dombay. In addition to skiing, you can ride a snowmobile or cross-country skiing, take a ride on horses.
In the region of Sochi, where the excellent infrastructure for the Winter Olympics is built, vacationers are offered not only mountainsides, but also numerous entertainments, ice rinks and cinemas, clubs and restaurants. There are no problems with living: you can book a hotel room, you can rent an apartment or a room with local residents. The only problem is the high cost and exceptional popularity of Sochi ski slopes. If you want to spend the New Year holidays in this part of Russia, then it is necessary to organize leisure, especially hotel reservations, in mid-autumn.
In Elbrus region, as well as in Dombay, there are few entertainments besides direct skiing from the mountains. There are enough hotels here, but they are all small and private, so they must also be booked in advance, and you should not expect exceptional service.
By the way, in the mountains of the Caucasus you can relax in the winter, but do not ski: just settle in an alpine camp or in one of several high-mountain hotels and enjoy stunning views. Such a vacation will be saving for those who are tired of the constant flow of information and need privacy and the opportunity to reflect.
New Year holidays are held in the ski resorts of the Caucasus fun thanks to entertainment programs. To celebrate the New Year on a mountain or on a slope means getting an unforgettable experience for a lifetime. But there is one caveat: hotel prices, food and entertainment here take off by the end of December and remain very high throughout January.
Improving winter holidays in the Caucasus
Caucasian Mineral Waters is 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 whole range of their usual services, while each of them tries to make a good entertainment program for the whole weekend. A calm and unhurried 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.
Living in Kislovodsk or Pyatigorsk makes it possible to plunge into the interesting history of these cities, to visit with excursion places associated with the names of great Russian writers and public figures.
A health holiday in the Caucasus is a wonderful option for a winter family holiday in Russia.
Hiking and car tours in the Caucasus
The Caucasus is teeming with hiking trails and they are accessible year-round. As a rule, simple tracking routes are built so that people walking along them can see the maximum of 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 spend a relaxing day in Kislovodsk all day, walking in the famous Resort Park on the mountain, which offers amazing views of Elbrus.
Tours to the Chegem waterfalls in Kabardino-Balkaria in winter are extremely popular. The legendary waterfalls of the Chegem Gorge are fascinating with beauty at any time of the year, but in winter they are especially impressive. Frozen water forms ice pillars, more like giant candles. Tours to the mountain lakes of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria are also in great demand among tourists. However, it is advisable to travel to the mountain beauties, accompanied by experienced guides.
Combined tours
For lovers of outdoor activities, combined tours of the North Caucasus are suitable; they are offered by many travel agencies. Typically, 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 in 6-7 days and “visit” Elbrus. The most daring can include climbing Mount Elbrus in their tour.
Horse riding is very popular; they are organized in almost every of the Caucasian republics of Russia. Safari tours are also interesting, during which on SUVs for several days you can visit several beautiful places at once. This is the best New Year's holiday for impression collectors who want to see as many unique corners of the Caucasus as possible.
1) What features of the nature of the mountains do you know from the geography course of grade 7.
Mountains are characterized by altitudinal zonation in changing natural zones. In mountains with altitude, pressure and temperature drop.
Questions in the paragraph
* Remember how much the air temperature decreases when rising for every 100 m. Calculate how much the air will cool when rising to a height of 4000 m, if its temperature at the earth’s surface is + 200C. What happens to moisture in the air?
When rising for every 100 m, the air temperature drops by 0.60 ° C. The temperature at an altitude of 4000 m will be -40C. Moisture in the air will begin to condense.
* Explain why there are no snow avalanches in the mountains of the East Caucasus.
Due to the dry climate, there is very little snow.
* Think about what differences will be observed in the change in altitude zones on the western and eastern slopes.
There are high-altitude belts of the Caucasus related to two types of vertical zoning: continental and coastal (coastal). The second is presented in the mountains of the Western Caucasus, which are influenced by the Atlantic, moist sea air. In the east, there are slightly different altitudinal belts of the Caucasus, which are often called the continental, or Dagestan type of vertical zoning.
Questions at the end of the paragraph
1. What are the main features of the nature of the highlands and explain their reasons.
A large amount of precipitation, a short warm season, the dependence of natural conditions on the height of the mountains and the exposure of the slopes, the distribution of glacial landforms, altitudinal zonation.
2. Describe 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, warm, on the plains the average July temperature everywhere exceeds 20 ° C, 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. In the North Caucasus is the city of Sochi, where the warmest winter in Russia with a January temperature of + 6.1 ° С. The climate of the highlands is very different from the lowland and foothill parts. The first main difference is that there is much more rainfall in the mountains: at an altitude of 2000 m - 2500-2600 mm per year. The second difference between the highlands climate is a decrease in the duration of the warm season due to a decrease in air temperature with altitude. The third difference of the alpine climate is its amazing diversity from place to place due to the height of the mountains, exposure of the slope, proximity or distance from the sea. The fourth difference is the peculiarity of atmospheric circulation.
3. According to Figure 102, explain the features of the altitudinal zonality of the Greater Caucasus.
There are high-altitude belts of the Caucasus related to two types of vertical zoning: continental and coastal (coastal). The second is presented in the mountains of the Western Caucasus, which are influenced by the Atlantic, moist sea air. We list the main altitudinal zones 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 bells, cereal and umbrella plants.
5. The nival zone (at an altitude of 2800–3200 m).