West Siberian Plain description according to the plan. Geographical position of the West Siberian Plain: description and features. Questions at the end of the paragraph

The West Siberian Plain is one of the largest accumulative low-lying plains of the globe. It stretches from the shores of the Kara Sea to the steppes of Kazakhstan and from the Urals in the west to the Central Siberian Plateau in the east. The comparative uniformity of the relief (Fig. 3) determines the distinct zonality of the landscapes of Western Siberia, from tundra in the north to steppe in the south (Fig. 4). Due to the poor drainage of the territory, hydromorphic complexes play a very prominent role within it: swamps and swampy forests occupy a total of about 128 million hectares, and in the steppe and forest-steppe zones there are many solonetzes, solod and solonchaks. The plain has the shape of a trapezoid tapering to the north: the distance from its southern border to the northern reaches almost 2500 km, the width is from 800 to 1900 km, and the area is only slightly less than 3 million km2.

The geographical position of the West Siberian Plain determines the transitional nature of its climate between the temperate continental climate of the Russian Plain and the sharply continental climate of Central Siberia. Therefore, the landscapes of the country are distinguished by a number of peculiar features: the natural zones here are somewhat shifted to the north compared to the Russian Plain, there is no zone of broad-leaved forests, and landscape differences within the zones are less noticeable than on the Russian Plain. The West Siberian Plain is the most inhabited and developed (especially in the south) part of Siberia. Within its boundaries are located Tyumen, Kurgan, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, a significant part of the Altai Territory, as well as some eastern regions of the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions and the western regions of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Rice. 3

Rice. four

Provinces: 1 - Yamail; 2 - Tazovskaya; 3 - Gydanskaya; 4 - Obsko-Tazovskaya; 5 - Yenisei-Tazovskaya; 6 - Severososvinskaya; 7 - Obsko-Purskaya; 8 - Yenisei: 9 - Poduralskaya; 10 - Sredneobskaya; 11 - Vasyugan; 12 - Chulym-Yenisei; 13 - Nezhneobskaya; 14 - Zauralskaya; 15 - Priishimskaya; 16 - Barabinskaya; 17 - Verkhneobskaya; 18 - Priturgayskaya; 19 - Priirtyshskaya; 20 - Kulundiskaya.

The acquaintance of Russians with Western Siberia took place for the first time, probably, as early as the 11th century, when the Novgorodians visited the lower reaches of the Ob. Ermak's campaign (1581-1584) opens a brilliant period of the Great Russian geographical discoveries in Siberia and the development of its territory. However, the scientific study of the nature of the country began only in the 18th century, when detachments of the Great Northern, and then academic expeditions were sent here. In the 19th century Russian scientists and engineers are studying the conditions of navigation on the Ob, Yenisei and the Kara Sea, the geological and geographical features of the route of the Siberian railway that was being designed at that time, salt deposits in the steppe zone. A significant contribution to the knowledge of the West Siberian taiga and steppes was made by studies of soil-botanical expeditions of the Resettlement Administration, undertaken in 1908-1914. in order to study the conditions for the agricultural development of plots allocated for the resettlement of peasants from European Russia.

The study of the nature and natural resources of Western Siberia acquired a completely different scope after the Great October Revolution. In the research that was necessary for the development of the productive forces, no longer individual specialists or small detachments took part, but hundreds of large complex expeditions and many scientific institutes created in various cities of Western Siberia. Detailed and versatile studies were carried out here by the USSR Academy of Sciences (Kulunda, Baraba, Gydan and other expeditions) and its Siberian branch, the West Siberian Geological Administration, geological institutes, expeditions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydroproject and other organizations. As a result of these studies, ideas about the country's relief have changed significantly, detailed soil maps of many regions of Western Siberia have been compiled, and measures have been developed for the rational use of saline soils and the famous West Siberian chernozems. Forest typological studies of Siberian geobotanists and the study of peat bogs and tundra pastures were of great practical importance. But especially significant results were brought by the work of geologists. Deep drilling and special geophysical studies have shown that the depths of many regions of Western Siberia contain the richest deposits of natural gas, large reserves of iron ore, brown coal and many other minerals, which already serve as a solid base for the development of industry in Western Siberia.

The West Siberian Plain is not only one of the largest objects of its kind on the globe. It is the most developed and populated part of Siberia. Its borders are marked by the steppes of Kazakhstan, the shores of the Kara Sea, the Urals and the Central Siberian Plateau. The first characteristic of the West Siberian Plain was formed after Yermak's campaign and his conquest of the region. But a serious study was made much later.

Speaking in the language of numbers

The shape of the plain resembles a trapezoid with a narrow side in the north. Its width ranges from 800 to 1900 km, and its length is about 2500 km. The total area of the area is almost three million square kilometers. The plain has a slope coming from the south. But its entire territory is distinguished by an exceptionally flat surface without large differences in height (up to a hundred meters above sea level). Only near the borders (except for the northern part) are there elevations reaching up to 300 m.

The composition of the plain

To give a complete description of the West Siberian Plain, it is necessary to describe separately its components. The whole territory is divided into several parts. It:

Ishim Plain, located between the Irtysh and Tobol rivers. This is a flat area, indented with hollows, hollows, manes. It has a large number of lakes (fresh, salty, bitter-salty). The soil is suitable for agriculture, so almost the entire plain is plowed up.
The Kulunda Plain is located between the Irtysh and the Ob. It is distinguished by the presence of high crests, depressions filled with rivers, drainless lakes and deposits of salt and soda. Most of the plain is used for agriculture.
The Baraba lowland is an undulating plain dominated by birch forests, swamps, salt marshes and meadows. Part of it has been plowed up, land reclamation is being carried out, the district specializes in agriculture and dairy farming.
The Vasyugan Plain is a heavily swampy area between the Ob and the Irtysh. Here is the largest swamp in the world (Vasyuganskoe), many rivers. Rich deposits of oil, gas, peat and iron ore have been discovered.
Siberian Uvaly is a chain of hills that stretches from the Ob from west to east to the Yenisei. The area is covered with coniferous and small-leaved trees (taiga).
The Irtysh plain stretches for 800 km along the Irtysh. Used for agricultural work (agriculture and dairy farming) in Russia and Kazakhstan.

Other features of the area

The characterization of the West Siberian Plain will be incomplete without mentioning the climate, rivers, flora and fauna. It has a very harsh continental climate. Droughts are not uncommon in the southern part, the snow cover lasts up to six months. The region is rich in groundwater; there are many rivers on the surface. The largest of them are the Ob, Yenisei and Irtysh, which are characterized by a slow and calm flow. They have bream and carp. From the trees on the plain there are birch, linden, pine, cedar, aspen. The fauna is represented by almost five hundred species, among which the most common are: hamster, chipmunk, mink, teleut squirrel.

WESTERN SIBERIAN PLAIN, The West Siberian Lowland, one of the largest plains in the world (the third largest after the Amazonian and East European plains), is located in the north of Asia, in Russia and Kazakhstan. It occupies the whole of Western Siberia, stretching from the coast of the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Turgai plateau and the Kazakh uplands in the south, from the Urals in the west to the Central Siberian plateau in the east. The length from north to south is up to 2500 km, from west to east from 900 km in (north) to 2000 (in south). The area is about 3 million km 2, including 2.6 million km 2 in Russia. The prevailing heights do not exceed 150 m. The lowest parts of the plain (50–100 m) are located mainly in its central (Kondinskaya and Sredneobskaya lowlands) and northern (Nizhneobskaya, Nadymskaya and Purskaya lowlands) parts. The highest point of the West Siberian Plain - up to 317 m - is located on the Priobsky Plateau.

At the base of the West Siberian Plain lies West Siberian Platform. To the east it borders on Siberian platform, in the south - with Paleozoic structures of Central Kazakhstan, the Altai-Sayan region, in the west - with the folded system of the Urals.

Relief

The surface is a low accumulative plain with a rather uniform relief (more uniform than that of the East European Plain), the main elements of which are wide flat interfluves and river valleys; various forms of manifestation of permafrost (common up to 59 ° N), increased waterlogging, and developed (mainly in the south in loose rocks and soils) ancient and modern salt accumulation are characteristic. In the north, in the area of distribution of marine accumulative and moraine plains (Nadymskaya and Purskaya lowlands), the general flatness of the territory is disturbed by moraine gently sloping and hilly-sloping (North-Sosvinskaya, Lyulimvor, Verkhne-, Srednetazovskaya, etc.) uplands 200–300 m high, the southern boundary of which runs around 61–62 ° N. sh.; they are horseshoe-shaped covered from the south by flat-topped uplands, including the Poluyskaya Upland, Belogorsky Mainland, Tobolsky Mainland, Siberian Uvaly (245 m), etc. In the north, permafrost exogenous processes (thermal erosion, heaving of soils, solifluction) are widespread, deflation is common on sandy surfaces, in swamps - peat accumulation. Permafrost is ubiquitous on the Yamal, Tazovsky, and Gydansky peninsulas; the thickness of the frozen layer is very significant (up to 300–600 m).

To the south, the area of moraine relief is adjoined by flat lacustrine and lacustrine-alluvial lowlands, the lowest (40–80 m high) and swampy of which are the Konda lowland and the Sredneobskaya lowland with the Surgut lowland (105 m high). This territory, not covered by the Quaternary glaciation (to the south of the line Ivdel - Ishim - Novosibirsk - Tomsk - Krasnoyarsk), is a poorly dissected denudation plain, rising up to 250 m to the west, to the foothills of the Urals. In the interfluve of the Tobol and the Irtysh, there is an inclined, in places with ridges, lacustrine-alluvial Ishim Plain(120–220 m) with a thin cover of loess-like loams and loess occurring on salt-bearing clays. It is adjacent to alluvial Baraba lowland, Vasyugan Plain and Kulunda Plain, where the processes of deflation and modern salt accumulation are developed. In the foothills of Altai - the Ob plateau and the Chulym plain.

On the geological structure and minerals, see Art. West Siberian Platform ,

Climate

The West Siberian Plain is dominated by a harsh continental climate. The significant length of the territory from north to south determines the well-defined latitudinal zonality of the climate and noticeable differences in the climatic conditions of the northern and southern parts of the plain. The nature of the climate is significantly influenced by the Arctic Ocean, as well as the flat relief, which contributes to the unhindered exchange of air masses between north and south. Winter in the polar latitudes is severe and lasts up to 8 months (the polar night lasts almost 3 months); the average January temperature is from -23 to -30 °C. In the central part of the plain, winter lasts almost 7 months; the average January temperature is from -20 to -22 °C. In the southern part of the plain, where the influence of the Asian anticyclone is increasing, at the same average monthly temperatures, winter is shorter - 5–6 months. Minimum air temperature -56 °C. The duration of snow cover in the northern regions reaches 240–270 days, and in the southern regions - 160–170 days. The thickness of the snow cover in the tundra and steppe zones is 20–40 cm; in the forest zone, from 50–60 cm in the west to 70–100 cm in the east. In summer, the western transfer of Atlantic air masses predominates with intrusions of cold Arctic air in the north, and dry warm air masses from Kazakhstan and Central Asia in the south. In the north of the plain, summer, which occurs under polar day conditions, is short, cool, and humid; in the central part - moderately warm and humid, in the south - arid and dry with dry winds and dust storms. The average July temperature rises from 5°C in the Far North to 21–22°C in the south. The duration of the growing season in the south is 175–180 days. Atmospheric precipitation falls mainly in summer (from May to October - up to 80% of precipitation). Most precipitation - up to 600 mm per year - falls in the forest zone; the wettest are the Kondinskaya and Sredneobskaya lowlands. To the north and south, in the tundra and steppe zone, the annual precipitation gradually decreases to 250 mm.

surface water

On the territory of the West Siberian Plain, more than 2,000 rivers flow, belonging to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. Their total flow is about 1200 km 3 of water per year; up to 80% of the annual runoff occurs in spring and summer. The largest rivers - the Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh, Taz and their tributaries - flow in well developed deep (up to 50–80 m) valleys with a steep right bank and a system of low terraces on the left bank. The feeding of the rivers is mixed (snow and rain), the spring flood is extended, the low water is long summer-autumn and winter. All rivers are characterized by slight slopes and low flow rates. The ice cover on the rivers lasts up to 8 months in the north, up to 5 months in the south. Large rivers are navigable, are important rafting and transportation routes, and, in addition, have large reserves of hydropower resources.

There are about 1 million lakes on the West Siberian Plain, the total area of which is more than 100 thousand km2. The largest lakes are Chany, Ubinskoye, Kulundinskoye, and others. Lakes of thermokarst and moraine-glacial origin are widespread in the north. There are many small lakes in the suffusion depressions (less than 1 km 2): on the interfluve of the Tobol and Irtysh - more than 1500, on the Baraba lowland - 2500, among them there are many fresh, salty and bitter-salty ones; there are self-sustaining lakes. The West Siberian Plain is distinguished by a record number of swamps per unit area (the area of the wetland is about 800 thousand km 2).

Landscape types

The uniformity of the relief of the vast West Siberian Plain determines the clearly pronounced latitudinal zonality of landscapes, although, compared with the East European Plain, the natural zones here are shifted to the north; landscape differences within the zones are less noticeable than on the East European Plain, and the zone of broad-leaved forests is absent. Due to the poor drainage of the territory, hydromorphic complexes play a prominent role: swamps and swampy forests occupy about 128 million hectares here, and in the steppe and forest-steppe zones there are many solonetzes, solods and solonchaks.

On the Yamal, Tazovsky and Gydansky peninsulas, in conditions of continuous permafrost, landscapes of arctic and subarctic tundra with moss, lichen and shrub (dwarf birch, willow, alder) vegetation have formed on gleyzems, peat-gleyzems, peat-podburs and soddy soils. Polygonal grass-hypnum swamps are widespread. The share of primary landscapes is extremely insignificant. To the south, tundra landscapes and swamps (mostly flat-hummocky) are combined with larch and spruce-larch light forests on podzolic-gley and peat-podzolic-gley soils, forming a narrow forest-tundra zone, transitional to the forest (forest-bog) zone of the temperate zone, represented by subzones of the northern, middle and southern taiga. Swampiness is common to all subzones: over 50% of the area of the northern taiga, about 70% of the middle taiga, and about 50% of the southern taiga. The northern taiga is characterized by flat and large-hummocky raised bogs, the middle taiga is characterized by ridge-hollow and ridge-lake bogs, the southern taiga is characterized by ridge-hollow, pine-shrub-sphagnum, transitional sedge-sphagnum and fen woody-sedge bogs. The largest swamp Vasyugan Plain. The forest complexes of different subzones, formed on slopes with different degrees of drainage, are peculiar.

Northern taiga forests on permafrost are represented by sparse low-growing, heavily waterlogged, pine, pine-spruce and spruce-fir forests on gley-podzolic and podzolic-gley soils. The indigenous landscapes of the northern taiga occupy 11% of the plain area. Indigenous landscapes in the middle taiga occupy 6% of the area of the West Siberian Plain, in the southern - 4%. Common to the forest landscapes of the middle and southern taiga is the wide distribution of lichen and shrub-sphagnum pine forests on sandy and sandy loamy illuvial-ferruginous and illuvial-humus podzols. On loams in the middle taiga, along with extensive swamps, spruce-cedar forests with larch and birch forests are developed on podzolic, podzolic-gley, peat-podzolic-gley and gley peat-podzols.

In the subzone of the southern taiga on loams - spruce-fir and fir-cedar (including urman - dense dark coniferous forests with a predominance of fir) small-grass forests and birch forests with aspen on sod-podzolic and sod-podzolic-gley (including with a second humus horizon) and peat-podzolic-gley soils.

The subtaiga zone is represented by park pine, birch and birch-aspen forests on gray, gray gley and soddy-podzolic soils (including those with a second humus horizon) in combination with steppe meadows on cryptogley chernozems, solonetsous in places. Indigenous forest and meadow landscapes are practically not preserved. Boggy forests turn into lowland sedge-hypnum (with ryams) and sedge-reed bogs (about 40% of the zone). Forest-steppe landscapes of sloping plains with loess-like and loess covers on salt-bearing tertiary clays are characterized by birch and aspen-birch groves on gray soils and solods in combination with forb-grass steppe meadows on leached and cryptogleyed chernozems, to the south - with meadow steppes on ordinary chernozems, in places solonetzic and saline. On the sands are pine forests. Up to 20% of the zone is occupied by eutrophic reed-sedge bogs. In the steppe zone, the primary landscapes have not been preserved; in the past, these were forb-feather grass steppe meadows on ordinary and southern chernozems, sometimes saline, and in drier southern regions - fescue-feather grass steppes on chestnut and cryptogley soils, gley solonetzes and solonchaks.

Environmental issues and protected natural areas

In areas of oil production due to pipeline breaks, water and soil are polluted with oil and oil products. In forestry areas - overcutting, waterlogging, the spread of silkworms, fires. In agricultural landscapes, there is an acute problem of lack of fresh water, secondary salinization of soils, destruction of soil structure and loss of soil fertility during plowing, drought and dust storms. In the north, there is degradation of reindeer pastures, in particular due to overgrazing, which leads to a sharp reduction in their biodiversity. No less important is the problem of preserving hunting grounds and natural habitats of fauna.

Numerous reserves, national and natural parks have been created to study and protect typical and rare natural landscapes. Among the largest reserves: in the tundra - the Gydansky reserve, in the northern taiga - the Verkhnetazovsky reserve, in the middle taiga - the Yugansky reserve and Malaya Sosva, etc. The national park Pripyshminsky Bory was created in the subtaiga. Natural parks are also organized: in the tundra - Deer streams, in the north. taiga - Numto, Siberian Ridges, in the middle taiga - Kondinsky lakes, in the forest-steppe - Bird's harbor.

The first acquaintance of Russians with Western Siberia took place, probably, as early as the 11th century, when the Novgorodians visited the lower reaches of the Ob River. With the campaign of Yermak (1582–85), a period of discoveries began in Siberia and the development of its territory.

WESTERN SIBERIAN PLAIN (West Siberian Lowland), one of the largest plains in the world. It is located in the northern part of Asia, in Russia and Kazakhstan. The area is over 3 million km2, including 2.6 million km2 in Russia. The length from west to east is from 900 km (in the north) to 2000 (in the south), from north to south up to 2500 km. In the north it is washed by the Arctic Ocean; in the west it borders on the Urals, in the south - on the Turgai plateau and the Kazakh hills, in the southeast - on the mountains of Southern Siberia, in the east - along the valley of the Yenisei River with the Central Siberian plateau.

Relief. It is a low accumulative plain with a rather uniform relief, various forms of permafrost (common up to 59 ° north latitude), increased swampiness, and ancient and modern salt accumulation developed in the south in loose rocks and soils. Heights of about 150 m predominate. In the north, in the area of \u200b\u200bdistribution of marine accumulative and moraine plains, the general flatness of the territory is disturbed by moraine gently sloping and hilly-sloping (North-Sosvinskaya, Lyulimvor, Verkhne-, Srednetazovskaya, etc.) hills 200-300 m high, the southern border of which runs about 61-62 ° north latitude; they are horseshoe-shaped from the south covered by flat-topped elevations Belogorsky Continent, Sibirskie Uvaly, etc. In the northern part, permafrost exogenous processes (thermal erosion, heaving of soils, solifluction) are widespread, deflation occurs on sandy surfaces, and peat accumulation occurs in swamps. There are numerous ravines on the plains of the Yamal and Gydansky peninsulas and on the moraine uplands. To the south, the area of moraine relief is adjoined by flat lacustrine-alluvial lowlands, the lowest (height 40-80 m) and swampy of which are Kondinskaya and Sredneobskaya. The area not covered by the Quaternary glaciation (south of the line Ivdel - Ishim - Novosibirsk - Tomsk - Krasnoyarsk) is a weakly dissected denudation plain, rising (up to 250 m) to the Urals. In the interfluve of the Tobol and the Irtysh, there is an inclined, in places with ridges, lacustrine-alluvial Ishim plain (120-220 m) with a thin cover of loess-like loams and loess occurring on salt-bearing clays. It is adjacent to the alluvial Baraba lowland and Kulunda plain, where the processes of deflation and modern salt accumulation are developing. In the foothills of Altai there are the ridge-ridged Priobskoe plateau (height up to 317 m - the highest point of the West Siberian Plain) and the Chulym Plain. On the geological structure and minerals, see the article The West Siberian Platform, with which the West Siberian Plain is geostructurally connected.

Climate. Continental climate prevails. Winter in the polar latitudes is severe and lasts up to 8 months (the polar night lasts almost 3 months), the average January temperatures are from -23 to -30 ° С; in the central part, winter lasts up to 7 months, average January temperatures are from -20 to -22 °С; in the south, where the influence of the Asian anticyclone intensifies, winters are shorter at the same temperatures (up to 5-6 months). The minimum air temperature is -56 °С. In summer, the western transfer of Atlantic air masses predominates with intrusions of cold air from the Arctic in the north, and dry warm air masses from Kazakhstan and Central Asia in the south. In the north, summer is short, cool and humid with a polar day, in the central part it is moderately warm and humid, in the south it is arid and dry, with dry winds and dust storms. The average July temperature rises from 5°C in the Far North to 21-22°C in the south. The duration of the growing season in the south is 175-180 days. Atmospheric precipitation falls mainly in summer. The wettest (400-550 mm per year) are the Kondinskaya and Sredneobskaya lowlands. To the north and south, the annual precipitation gradually decreases to 250 mm.

surface waters. There are more than 2,000 rivers in the West Siberian Plain belonging to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. Their total flow is about 1200 km 3 of water per year; up to 80% of the annual runoff occurs in spring and summer. The largest rivers are the Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh, Taz and their tributaries. The feeding of the rivers is mixed (snow and rain), the spring flood is extended, the low water is long summer-autumn and winter. The ice cover on the rivers lasts up to 8 months in the north, up to 5 months in the south. The total area of lakes is more than 100 thousand km2. The largest lakes are located in the south - Chany, Ubinskoye, Kulundinskoye. In the north - lakes of thermokarst and moraine-glacial origin. There are many small lakes in the suffusion depressions (less than 1 km 2): on the Tobol-Irtysh interfluve - more than 1500, on the Baraba lowland - 2500, including fresh, salty and bitter-salty ones; there are self-sustaining lakes.

Landscape types. The uniformity of the relief of the vast West Siberian Plain determines the clearly pronounced latitudinal zonality of landscapes, although, compared with the East European Plain, the natural zones here are shifted to the north. On the Yamal, Tazovsky and Gydansky peninsulas, in conditions of continuous permafrost, landscapes of arctic and subarctic tundra with moss, lichen and shrubs (dwarf birch, willow, alder) cover on gleyzems, peat-gleyzems, peat-podburs and soddy soils were formed. Polygonal mineral grass-hypnum bogs are widespread. The share of primary landscapes is extremely insignificant. To the south, tundra landscapes and swamps (mostly flat-hilly) are combined with larch and spruce-larch woodlands on podzolic-gley and peat-podzolic-gley soils, forming a narrow forest-tundra zone, transitional to the forest (forest-bog) zone of the temperate zone, represented by subzones of the northern, middle and southern taiga. Swampiness is common to all subzones: over 50% of the area of the northern taiga, about 70% - middle, about 50% - southern. The northern taiga is characterized by flat and large-hilly raised bogs, the middle taiga is characterized by ridge-hollow and ridge-lake bogs, the southern taiga is characterized by ridge-hollow, pine-shrub-sphagnum, transitional sedge-sphagnum and low-lying tree-sedge bogs. The largest marsh massif is the Vasyugan Plain. The forest complexes of different subzones, formed on slopes with different degrees of drainage, are peculiar. Northern taiga forest complexes on permafrost are represented by sparse and low-growing pine, pine-spruce and spruce-fir forests on gley-podzolic and podzolic-gley soils. The indigenous landscapes of the northern taiga occupy 11% of the area of the West Siberian Plain. Common to the forest landscapes of the middle and southern taiga is the wide distribution of lichen and shrub-phagnum pine forests on sandy and sandy loamy illuvial-ferruginous and illuvial-humus podzols. On loams in the middle taiga, spruce-cedar forests with larch and birch forests are developed on podzolic, podzolic-gley, peat-podzolic-gley and gley peat-podzols. In the subzone of the southern taiga, on loams, there are spruce-fir small-grass forests and birch forests with aspen on sod-podzolic and sod-podzolic-gley (including those with a second humus horizon) and peat-podzolic-gley soils. Primary landscapes in the middle taiga occupy 6% of the area of the West Siberian Plain, in the southern - 4%. The subtaiga zone is represented by park pine, birch and birch-aspen forests on gray, gray gley and soddy-podzolic soils (including those with a second humus horizon) in combination with steppe meadows on cryptogley chernozems, solonetsous in places. Indigenous forest and meadow landscapes are practically not preserved. Boggy forests turn into lowland sedge-hypnum (with ryams) and sedge-reed bogs (about 40% of the zone). For the forest-steppe landscapes of sloping plains with loess-like and loess covers on salt-bearing tertiary clays, birch and aspen-birch groves on gray soils and malts are typical in combination with forb-grass steppe meadows on leached and cryptogley chernozems, to the south - with meadow steppes on ordinary chernozems, in places solonetzic and saline. On the sands - pine forests. Up to 20% of the zone is occupied by eutrophic reed-sedge bogs. In the steppe zone, the primary landscapes have not been preserved; in the past, these were forb-feather grass steppe meadows on ordinary and southern chernozems, saline in places, and in the drier southern regions - fescue-feather grass steppes on chestnut and cryptogley soils, gley solonetzes and solonchaks.

Environmental problems and protected natural areas. In areas of oil production due to pipeline breaks, water and soil are polluted with oil and oil products. In forestry areas - overcutting, swamping, the spread of silkworms, fires. In agricultural landscapes, there is an acute problem of lack of fresh water, secondary salinization of soils, destruction of soil structure and loss of soil fertility during plowing, drought and dust storms. In the north - degradation of reindeer pastures, in particular due to overgrazing, which leads to a sharp reduction in their biodiversity. No less important is the problem of preserving hunting grounds and natural habitats of fauna.

Numerous reserves, national and natural parks have been created to study and protect typical and rare natural landscapes. Among the largest reserves are: in the tundra - the Gydansky reserve, in the northern taiga - the Verkhnetazovsky reserve, in the middle taiga - the Yugansky reserve, etc. A national park - Priishimsky Bory - has been created in the sub-taiga. Natural parks are also organized: in the tundra - Deer streams, in the northern taiga - Numto, Siberian Uvaly, in the middle taiga - Kondinsky lakes, in the forest-steppe - Bird's harbor.

Lit.: Trofimov V. T. Patterns of spatial variability of engineering-geological conditions of the West Siberian plate. M., 1977; Gvozdetsky N. A., Mikhailov N. I. Physical geography of the USSR: Asian part. 4th ed. M., 1987; Soil cover and land resources of the Russian Federation. M., 2001.

The West Siberian Plain (it will not be difficult to find it on the world map) is one of the largest in Eurasia. It stretches for 2500 km from the harsh shores of the Arctic Ocean to the semi-desert territories of Kazakhstan and for 1500 km - from the Ural Mountains to the mighty Yenisei. The whole area consists of two bowl-shaped flat depressions and many wetlands. Between these depressions stretch the Siberian Ridges, which rise to 180-200 meters.

The West Siberian Plain is a rather interesting and fascinating moment that deserves detailed consideration. This natural object is located almost at the same distance between the Atlantic and the continental center of the mainland. About 2.5 million sq. km covers the area of this huge plain. This distance is very impressive.

Climatic conditions

The geographical position of the West Siberian Plain on the mainland causes interesting climatic conditions. Therefore, the weather in most of the plain has a temperate continental character. From the north, large arctic masses enter this territory, which bring with them severe cold in winter, and in summer the thermometer shows from + 5 ° С to + 20 ° С. In January, on the southern and northern sides, the temperature regime can range from -15 °С to -30 °С. The lowest indicator in winter was recorded in the north-east of Siberia - down to -45 °С.

Humidity on the plain also spreads gradually from south to north. With the beginning of summer, most of it falls on the steppe zone. In the middle of summer, in July, the heat takes possession of the entire south of the plain, and the humid front moves to the north, thunderstorms and showers sweep over the taiga. At the end of August, the rains reach the tundra zone.

water streams

Describing the geographical position of the West Siberian Plain, it is necessary to talk about the water system. A huge number of rivers flow through this territory, as well as numerous lakes and swamps. The largest and most full-flowing river is the Ob with a tributary of the Irtysh. It is not only the largest in the region, but also one of the greatest in the world. In terms of its area and length, the Ob dominates among the rivers of Russia. The water streams Pur, Nadym, Tobol and Taz, suitable for navigation, also flow here.

Plain in terms of the number of swamps is the world record holder. Such a vast territory cannot be found on the globe. Marshes occupy an area of 800 thousand square meters. km. There are several reasons for their formation: excessive moisture, a flat surface of the plain, a large amount of peat, and low air temperature.

Minerals

This region is rich in minerals. This is largely influenced by the geographical position of the West Siberian Plain. Oil and gas deposits are concentrated here in huge quantities. On its vast swampy areas there is a large supply of peat - approximately 60% of the total amount in Russia. There are iron ore deposits. Siberia is also rich in its hot waters, which contain salts of carbonates, chlorides, bromine and iodine.

Animal and plant worlds

The climate of the plain is such that the flora here is quite poor compared to neighboring regions. This is especially noticeable in the taiga and tundra zone. The reason for such a poverty of plants is perennial glaciation, which does not allow plants to spread.

The fauna of the plain is also not very rich, despite the vast extent of the territories. The geographical position of the West Siberian Plain is such that it is almost impossible to meet interesting individuals here. There are no unique animals living only in this territory. All species that live here are common with the rest of the regions, both neighboring ones, and the entire mainland of Eurasia.