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 dominates in the North Caucasus temperate latitudes, in Transcaucasia - subtropical. 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 - “Nords” and “Bora”. 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. Strengthening the western currents of sea air of temperate latitudes from the North Atlantic, which capture the Caucasus. 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 is 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 the Caucasus in the 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, 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 passes 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 advection of tropical air, which causes intense thaws, snow melting, and 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 station Elbrus 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 repeatedly 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. At 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 precipitation 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 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 Mineral-growing region, 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-Priazovskaya 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 decreases also 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 3,700 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 ° С), in the rest of the territory 23-25 \u200b\u200b° С, in the Javakheti-Armenian plateau 18 ° С. 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 the summer, despite the 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 hold for monthly average temperatures air. 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 is 23-25 \u200b\u200b° C everywhere, 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 glaciation area of \u200b\u200b993.6 km2, which makes up 70% of the total number of glaciers and glaciation area of \u200b\u200bthe 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 (17.6 km long, 36.2 km2 area), 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, due to the small height of the mountains, glaciation is small. Its largest areas are concentrated in the Kuban basin near the highest mountain peaks - Dombay-Ulgen, Pshish and others. The glaciation of the Eastern Caucasus is less significant due to the high dryness of the climate and is represented mainly by small glaciers - cirque, hanging, caro-valley.
The total area of \u200b\u200bglaciers is 1965 km2. Greatest development glaciation reaches 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 the slopes for every taste: a fashionable vacation in Krasnaya Polyana or a little more modest, but surrounded by beautiful landscapes, skiing in Elbrus or 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, not only mountainsides, but also numerous entertainments, ice rinks and movie theaters, clubs and restaurants are at the service of vacationers. 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 the middle of 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. Meet 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 gives you the opportunity 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 winter family vacation 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
Fans of outdoor activities are suitable for combined tours of the North Caucasus, 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 Caucasian republic 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 holiday for impression collectors who want to see as much as possible at a time unique corners Of the Caucasus.
The climate of the Caucasus is very diverse. The northern part of the Caucasus is located within the temperate zone, Transcaucasia - in the subtropical. Such geographical position significantly affects the climate formation of various parts of the Caucasus.
The Caucasus is a prime example of the influence of orography and topography on climate-forming processes. Radiant energy is distributed unevenly due to different angles of incidence and different heights of surface levels. The circulation of air masses reaching the Caucasus undergoes significant changes, encountering mountain ranges of both the Greater Caucasus and Transcaucasia on their way. Climatic contrasts occur at relatively short distances. An example is the western, abundantly moistened Transcaucasia and the eastern one with a dry subtropical climate of the Kuro-Araksin lowland. The exposure of the slopes is very significant, which strongly affects the thermal regime and distribution of precipitation. The climate is affected by the seas washing the Isthmus of the Caucasus, especially the Black Sea.
The Black and Caspian Seas moderate air temperature in summer, contribute to a more even diurnal course, moisturize adjacent parts of the Caucasus, increase the temperature of the cold season, and reduce temperature amplitudes. The plain eastern Ciscaucasia and the Kuro-Araksinskaya lowland, deeply extending into the isthmus, do not contribute to the condensation of moisture coming from the Caspian Sea. Ciscaucasia is experiencing big influence continental air masses coming from the north, including the Arctic, often significantly lowering the temperature of the warm season. A spur of high East Siberian barometric pressure often lowers the temperature of the cold season. There are times when cold air flowing from the east and west of the Greater Caucasus spreads to the Transcaucasus, causing a sharp drop in temperature there.
The air masses coming from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean provide high humidity of the western parts of the Caucasus and the slopes of the western exposure ranges. Additional moisture is brought by air masses passing over the Black Sea. The influence of the Caspian Sea is less apparent.
In general terms, the climate of the Caucasus changes significantly in three directions: from west to east in the direction of increasing dryness and continentality, from north to south in the direction of increasing total radiation and radiation balance, and in height in mountain structures, where altitudinal zonation is clearly manifested.
The total radiation within the Caucasus ranges from 460,548 J / sq. cm in the north to 586 152 J / sq. see in the extreme south. The annual radiation balance is from 146538 to 188406 J / sq. see. The magnitude of solar radiation depends not only on latitude, but also on cloud cover. Many peaks of the Caucasus are characterized by stable cloud cover; therefore, direct solar radiation is below average norm here. To the east, it increases due to a decrease in humidity. The exceptions are Lankaran and Talysh, where the relief contributes to the condensation of water vapor and increased cloud cover.
The magnitude of the total radiation and radiation balance in different regions of the Caucasus is not the same due to contrasts in orography, relief, different angles of incidence of sunlight and the physical properties of the underlying surface. In summer, the radiation balance in some areas of the Caucasus approaches the balance of tropical latitudes, therefore, air temperatures are high (Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasian plains), and in highly humid areas there is high evaporation and, accordingly, increased air humidity.
The air masses participating in the circulation over the territory of the Caucasus are different. Basically, the continental air of temperate latitudes dominates over the Ciscaucasia, while in the Caucasus it is subtropical. High mountain belts are influenced by air masses coming from the west, and the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus and Arctic ones from the north.
In the Ciscaucasia, located south of the high barometric pressure band, cold air often arrives. Over the Black Sea and in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, reduced pressure remains. Pressure contrasts lead to the spread of cold air to the south. In this situation, the barrier role of the Greater Caucasus is especially great, which serves as an obstacle to the wide penetration of cold air into the Caucasus. Typically, its influence is limited to the Ciscaucasia and the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus to approximately 700 m. It causes a sharp decrease in temperature, an increase in pressure, and an increase in wind speed.
There are incursions of cold air masses from the northwest and northeast, bypassing the ridges of the Greater Caucasus along the shores of the Caspian and Black Seas. Accumulated cold air passes through low ridges. and spreads along the western and eastern coasts to Batumi and Lankaran, causing a decrease in temperatures on the western coast of Transcaucasia to -12 ° C, on the Lankaran lowland to -15 ° C and below. A sharp drop in temperature disastrously affects subtropical crops and especially citrus fruits. Baric gradients in these situations between Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasia are sharply contrasted, the distribution of cold air from Ciscaucasia to Transcaucasia proceeds very rapidly. Cold winds of high, often catastrophic speeds are known as “bora” (in the Novorossiysk region) and “north” (in the Baku region).
Air masses coming from the west and southwest from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean have the greatest influence on the western coast of Transcaucasia. When moving further east, they, overcoming the ridges located on their way, adiabatically heat up and dry out. Therefore, Eastern Transcaucasia is characterized by a relatively stable thermal regime and low rainfall.
The mountain structures of the Lesser Caucasus and the Javakheti-Armenian Highlands contribute to the formation of a local anticyclone in winter, which causes a strong decrease in temperature. In summer, low pressure is set above the highlands.
In the second half of summer, the Caucasus is influenced by the spur of the Azores barometric maximum located within the Russian Plain between 50 and 45 ° C. w. It determines the decrease in summer cyclonic activity. It is associated with a decrease in precipitation in the second half of summer (compared with the first). At this time, the value of local convective precipitation due to the daily course of air temperatures increases.
In the Caucasus, hairdryers, which are usual for mountains with dissected relief, are actively manifesting themselves. Hot weather in spring and summer is associated with them. Mountain-valley winds and breezes are also characteristic.
On the plains of Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasia, the average July temperature is 24--25 ° С, its increase is observed to the east. The coldest month is January. In the Ciscaucasia, the average January temperature is -4, -5 ° C, in the western Transcaucasia 4-5 °, in the eastern 1-2 ° C. At an altitude of 2000 m, the temperature in July is 13 °, in January -7 ° C, in the highest zones - in July 1 °, in January from -18 to -25 ° C.
The annual precipitation increases with rising upward and at all levels decreases noticeably from west to east (most evenly in high belts). In the Western Ciscaucasia, the amount of precipitation is 450-500 mm, in the foothills and on the Stavropol Upland at an altitude of 600-700 m - up to 900 mm. In the east of the Ciscaucasia - 250-200 mm.
In the humid subtropics of Western Transcaucasia on the coastal plains, the annual precipitation reaches 2500 mm (in the Batumi region). Maximum in September. In the region of Sochi, 1400 mm, of which in November - February, 600 mm falls. On the western slopes of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, the amount of precipitation increases to 2500 mm, on the slopes of the Meskheti ridge to 3000 mm, on the Kuro-Araksin lowland, it decreases to 200 mm. The Lankaran Lowland and the eastern slopes of the Talysh Range, where 1,500-1800 mm of rainfall, are abundantly moistened.
The hydrographic network of the Caucasus is represented by numerous rivers and lakes, the distribution of which over the territory is associated not only with climatic conditions, but also with orography and relief.
Almost all the rivers of the Caucasus originate in the mountains, where a huge amount of moisture accumulates in the form of liquid and solid precipitation and glaciers. With a rise upwards due to an increase in precipitation, a decrease in evaporation loss, the annual surface runoff increases, and the density of the river network increases. Rivers originating in the mountains, within the plains of the Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasia, play a transit role.
The dividing ridge of the Greater Caucasus delimits the river basins of the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas.
Plain rivers of the Ciscaucasia with a slow course and a small flood stand out. Some of them originate on the slopes of the Stavropol Upland. Their spring floods are associated with melting snow. In summer, they either dry up or form chains of lakes (Western and Eastern Manych).
At rivers of mixed nutrition, the upper reaches are located in the mountains, and the lower sections are located within the plains. These include the Kuban, Kuma, Rioni, Those Rivers, Kuri and Araks.
Typically mountainous are Bzyb, Kodor, Inguri and the upper sections of most rivers of the Caucasus. Their sources are located in the nival belt, rivers flow in deep, often canyon-shaped gorges (Sulak, Terek, etc.). They are characterized by high flow rates, rapids, waterfalls.
Depending on the topography, amount and mode of precipitation, the density of the river network of the Caucasus ranges from 0.05 km / sq. km in the east of Ciscaucasia d6 1.62 km / sq. km in the mountains.
The food of the rivers starting in the alpine zone is snowy, snow-glacial (Kuban, Terek, Rioni, Kodor, etc.). In rivers of snow-ice nutrition, maximum costs are observed not only in spring due to melting snow, but also in summer as snow and glaciers melt in the upper altitude zones.
The rivers of humid subtropics have mainly rain nutrition, they are characterized by sharp fluctuations in flow. During heavy rainfall, they turn into violent powerful streams that carry a mass of coarse material and unload it in the lower reaches. In the absence of rain, such rivers turn almost into streams; they belong to the Mediterranean type (rivers between Tuapse and Sochi).
The sources of the rivers of the Lesser Caucasus are in the belt of 2,000--3,000 m. Groundwater plays a great role in their nutrition. Melting snow in the spring contributes to a sharp increase in levels and costs, minimum spending in June and July (Kura, Araks).
Turbidity of water depends on the nature of eroded rocks and sediments. Many rivers of the Caucasus, especially Dagestan, are characterized by a high turbidity of -5000-7000 g / cu. m (clays, shales, sandstones, limestones). The turbidity of the Kura and Terek is high. Rivers flowing in crystalline rocks have the least turbidity.
The hardness and mineralization of river waters varies significantly. In the Kura basin, hardness reaches 10--20 mg / l, and mineralization is 2000 kg / l.
The transport significance of the rivers of the Caucasus is small. Only in the lower reaches are navigable Kura, Rioni and Kuban. Many rivers are used for rafting and especially widely for irrigation. Hydroelectric power stations (Zangezur cascade, etc.) were built on many rivers of the Caucasus.
There are relatively few lakes in the Caucasus - about 2000. Their area is usually small, with the exception of the mountain lake Sevan (1416 sq. Km). On the plains of the Caucasus, along the shores of the Azov and Caspian seas, lagoon and estuary type lakes are common. Manych lakes are peculiar, forming a whole system. In summer, the mirror of the lakes of the Kumo-Manych depression. sharply reduced, and some dry up. On the lower slopes of the mountains and in the foothills of the lake are absent, but higher in the mountains they are quite widespread.
The largest lake is Sevan. until recently, it occupied an area of \u200b\u200b1416 square meters. km, its maximum depth was 99 m with an absolute height of the water mirror of 1916 m. The descent of the lake water in connection with hydropower construction lowered its level by more than 18 m, due to which its depth and area decreased. This caused serious changes in the hydrological regime of the lake and was reflected on other sides. natural conditions the lake basin itself and the surrounding area. In particular, the masses of feathered, nesting and resting during flights on the group of subsidiary lakes of Sevan - Gilly disappeared. In connection with the descent of the water of Sevan, this area turned into extensive naked peatlands. Dozens of species of animals and birds disappeared, and fish wealth, especially the resources of the most valuable Sevan trout - Ishkhan - have catastrophically decreased.
The lake is located in a mountain basin, which is a complex synclinal deflection, which in some places experienced fault dislocations. A well-known role in the formation of the basin was played by the loading of the tectonic valley with a lava flow. A project was developed to utilize this huge reservoir as a powerful source of hydropower and irrigation water. To increase runoff flowing from the lake p. The upper layer of lake waters, which then passed through 6 hydroelectric stations of the Sevan-Hrazdan cascade, began to be distributed Hrazdan. The surface runoff in the upper Hrazdan has stopped - Sevan water went through the tunnel into the turbines of the Sevan HPP.
Under the new project for the use of Sevan waters, further lowering of their level has been suspended. It will remain at the level of 1898 m, and the picturesque reservoir will remain within the boundaries close to natural. Through the 48-kilometer tunnel in the Vardenis ridge in Sevan water is supplied from the upper river. Arps. A recreation area with a national park is being created on the shores of the lake; afforestation of the land strip freed from under the waters of the lake is underway. The main problem of the lake and its basin at present is the preservation and restoration of largely unique natural conditions and endemic species of flora and fauna, in particular the named Sevan trout, which is also of great commercial importance. In the future, measures should be taken to increase the lake level by 4-5 m.
The hollows of mountain lakes are tectonic, karst, volcanic, and kar. Some occupy lower moraine topography. Volcanic lakes are mainly dammed, distributed on the Karabakh plateau and the Armenian Highlands. There are many karst lakes in western Georgia. Glacial lakes are well preserved in the Teberda basin - Baduksky, Muruzhinsky, Klukhorsky (on the pass of the same name). There are lakes in the floodplains of the plains of the Caucasus. Peculiar and very beautiful dammed lake Ritsa. Colchis lakes were formed in the process of the formation of the lowland itself, the largest of them is Lake Paleostomy.
Of the Caucasus. They are significant in stocks and diverse in chemical composition and degree of mineralization. Their formation is associated with geotectonic structures and atmospheric precipitation infiltration. Fractured and formation-fissured waters are common in folded geostructures. The movement of water occurs along the cracks of tectonic faults, faults and thrusts, along the stretching of folds into river valleys.
The mineral composition of groundwater is determined by the composition of the rocks. Crystalline rocks are difficult to dissolve; therefore, the underground water circulating in them is relatively poorly mineralized. Groundwater occurring in sedimentary sediments is often saturated with readily soluble compounds and highly mineralized. The underground waters of the Caucasus are mostly cold - up to 20 ° C. There are subthermal - above 20 and hot - above 42 ° C (the latter are not uncommon within the Greater and Lesser Caucasus).
The chemical composition of the underground waters of the Caucasus is very diverse. Carbonic mineral springs are especially characteristic, there are soda-type Borjomi, salt-alkaline-type Essentuki, sulfate-hydrocarbonate-type Kislovodsk narzan (in the Ardon, Chkhalta basin, etc.). There are also chloride waters, hydrogen sulfide (Matsesta, Chkhalta), thermal radon up to 35 ° C (sources of Tskhaltubo). Mineral waters of the Caucasus are used by numerous resorts.
Climate, orography and relief determine the modern glaciation of the Caucasus. The total area of \u200b\u200bits glaciers is about 1965 square meters. km (about 1.5% of the entire territory of the Caucasus). The Greater Caucasus is the only mountain region of the Caucasus with the widespread development of modern glaciation. The number of glaciers is 2047, the area of \u200b\u200bglaciation is 1424 sq. km About 70% of the number of glaciers and the area of \u200b\u200bglaciation falls on the northern slope and about 30% on the southern. The difference is due to orographic features, snowstorm snow transfer by westerly winds beyond the barrier of the Dividing Range, increased insolation on the southern slope. The most icy is the Central Caucasus, where 5 glaciers (Dykhsu, Bezengi, Karaugom on the northern slope, Lehzyr and Zanner on the southern) have an area of \u200b\u200bapproximately 40 square meters. km Their length is more than 12km. The modern snow border of the Greater Caucasus in the southwest lies at an altitude of 2800-3200 m, in the east it rises to 3600 m. The area of \u200b\u200bglaciers of Transcaucasia is small - a little more than 5 square meters. km (Zanzegursky Range, peak of Aragats). The glaciers of the Caucasus play a large role in the nutrition of the rivers of the Caucasus, causing their full flow and the nature of the water regime of the alpine type.
Together they bring this product to the consumer. The most picturesque of all was determined by the product they sell travel agents specializing in recreation - they sell dreams. Based on world practice, as well as articles 128-134 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, a tourist product is not only a set of services and, moreover, not a right to it, but a more complex and not yet familiar product for us, consisting of a set of “things, rights , works and services, information, intellectual property and intangible goods. " “A tourist product is a combination of material (consumer goods), non-material (in the form of services) consumption values \u200b\u200bnecessary to meet the needs of a tourist arising during his travel.”
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, 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 the 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 moist tropical air of the Mediterranean, and, finally, although very rare, 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, eastern 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. The entire 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 continue sometimes 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 outskirts along the Caspian coast, reaching Baku and its environs, often along the way exerting a devastating effect on the coastal regions of Dagestan.
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 amicably, 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, 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 against 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 occur at a time when the upper layers of dry soil, still loosely bonded by recently sprouted plants, are blown away 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 soil layer is carried away during dust storms.
In the fall, the influx of solar heat weakens. At first, the features of summer circulation are still preserved. Anticyclone weather with weak air movement prevails. Subsequently, the earth's surface begins to noticeably cool, and from it the lower layers of air. In the mornings, thick milky-white fogs creep over the earth that has cooled overnight. More and more often, already very chilled 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 drops 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 falls 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 of more than 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, flew down with a terrible roar, 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, height is still of leading importance, which determines the vertical separation into climatic zones.
The climatic features of the Greater Caucasus are determined by the altitudinal zonality and the rotation of the mountain barrier formed by it at an angle to the western moisture-bearing air flows - the Atlantic cyclones and the western Mediterranean air currents of the middle layers of the troposphere. This rotation has a decisive influence on the distribution of precipitation.
The wettest part is the western part of the southern slope, where more than 2500 mm of precipitation falls annually in the highlands. A record amount of precipitation falls on the Achishkho ridge in the Krasnaya Polyana region - 3200 mm per year, this is the wettest place in Russia. Winter snow cover in the area of \u200b\u200bAchishkho meteorological station reaches 5-7 meter height!
In the east of the Central Caucasus, up to 1,500 mm per year falls in the highlands, and only 800-600 mm per year on the southern slope of the East Caucasus.
By the nature of the air masses, the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus belongs to the subtropical zone, the border of which moderate belt emphasized by the highland barrier. The west of the lower part of the southern slope has a humid subtropical climate, and the east is semi-dry. The northern slope of the Greater Caucasus as a whole is the southern land.
In the mountains of the Greater Caucasus in a relatively small area there is a wide range 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 winter on the plains of the Caucasus, the temperate continental climate of the foothills with significant rainfall (especially in the western part) and in snowy winters (in the Krasnaya Polyana region, on the Bzyb and Chkhalta rivers watersheds, 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 ° С. 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 cereals (hail).
The average January temperatures at the foot of the mountains are -5 ° C in the north and from 3 ° to 6 ° C in the south at an altitude of 2000 m -7-8 ° C, at an altitude of 3000 m -12 ° C, at an altitude of 4000 m -17 ° C . The average July temperatures at the foot of the mountains in the west are 24 ° C, in the east up to 29 ° C at an altitude of 2000 m 14 ° C, at an altitude of 3000 m 8 ° C, at an altitude of 4000 m 2 ° C.
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 mark 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 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 number of clastic material, accumulating in the form of various moraines on the sides and near the tongue of glaciers.
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 represented 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 spread of glacial relief, 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 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 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. Third difference high mountain climate - its amazing diversity from place to place in connection with the height of the mountains, exposure of the slope, proximity or remoteness from the sea. The fourth difference is the peculiarity of atmospheric circulation.
3. From figure 102 explain the features altitude Greater Caucasus.
There are high-altitude belts of the Caucasus, related to two types of vertical zoning: continental and coastal (coastal). The second is represented 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).