Earth Science 7 - Russia, China, and Japan - 8

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Russia

Countries in Russia

Russia is a single country.

Latitude and Longitude Ranges

Latitude: about 50 degrees North to about 75 degrees North

Longitude: about 28 degrees East to about 160 degrees West

Elevation Range

The range is 5,661 meters from the highest spot to the lowest spot.

• Highest Spot: Mt. Elbrus = 5,633 meters

• Lowest Spot: Caspian Sea = -28 meters

Large Bodies Of Water

Rivers: There are over 100,000 rivers with a length of 7 miles or greater, and even more streams, brooks, creeks, etc.

Major rivers:

• Volga

• Dnieper

• Dvina

• Lena

• Ob

• Yenisey

• Amur

Major Lakes: Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world (1,620 meters).

Major Topographic Features

• Ural Mountain Range

• The broad European Plain extends from the Ural Mountains to its western borders with Europe.

• The Caucasus Mountains include the country's highest point, Mt. Elbrus.

• The Central and Southern areas include large fertile areas, marsh, steppes (plains without trees) and massive coniferous forests.

• A few mountain ranges on the Kamchatka Peninsula contain active volcanoes.

Bordering Oceans

• Arctic Ocean

• North Pacific Ocean

Climate (using Koppen Scale)

Almost all of Russia is Dfc, the most common subarctic climate. Locations in the Dfc area, such as Siberia, have cold, long winters and brief cool summers. In addition, Russia includes similar zones, such as Dfd, Dwd, and Dwc. Russia also has Dfb, which means humid continental climate, hot summer, cold winters. An example of this climate is Russia's capital, Moscow.

Monthly Highs and Lows

• January- High: 24°, Low: 17°

• February- High: 25°, Low: 16°

• March- High: 36°, Low: 24°

• April- High: 51°, Low: 36°

• May- High: 65°, Low: 46°

• June- High: 71°, Low: 54°

• July- High: 75°, Low: 58°

• August- High: 71°, Low: 54°

• September- High: 60, Low: 46°

• October- High: 47°, Low: 37°

• November- High: 32°, Low: 26°

• December- High: 25°, Low: 18°

Average Monthly Rainfall

• January- 1.57 in

• February- 1.28 in

• March- 1.07 in

• April- 0.95 in

• May- 1.54 in

• June- 2.33 in

• July- 2.19 in

• August- 2.22 in

• September- 1.81 in

• October- 1.96 in

• November- 1.5 in

• December- 1.41 in

Average Precipitation

• January- 1.7 in

• February- 1.4 in

• March- 1.3 in

• April- 1.7 in

• May- 2 in

• June- 3 in

• July- 3.7 in

• August- 3 in

• September- 2.6 in

• October- 2.3 in

• November- 2.3 in

• December- 2.2 in

How These Things Affect Russia's Climate

Latitude: The latitude of Russia affects the climate because it is near the North Pole. This basically means that Russia's climate is mainly cold.

Elevation:In Russia, high elevation places (such as Mount Elbrus, a tall mountain) is cold because air at higher points is less dense, therefore holding less heat. In addition, temperature decreases with altitude, so Mount Everest would be extremely cold because of its high altitude. The Caspian Sea, a low elevation point, is going to be warmer because air at lower points is denser and therefore holds more heat.

Topography: Mountain ranges, like the Ural Mountain Range, can act as barriers to wind and rainfall, so areas on the leeward side of mountains (such as Chelyabinsk) will have drier climates. The Ural Mountains can have a cooler temperature because temperature decreases with altitude.

Proximity to Water: Climate is also changed by Russian locations’ proximity to water. Locations near water such as: Rostov-Na-Donu, Sochi, and Astrakhan have a higher precipitation level than places farther away from water such as: Surgat, Tomsk, and Nizhniy Tagil.

Prevailing Winds: Prevailing winds can also change climate. Prevailing winds can change water’s surface temperature which can easily change the temperature of cities on the coast such as Okhotsk, Maykhop, and Tumany.

Vegetation: Vegetation also changes the climate. Places with forests such as Pechora Ylych will warm slower than places with meadows or no trees which warm quickly.

Russia is a High/Low Pressure Zone: High and low pressure zones also affect climate. In winter an intense high pressure system causes winds to blow from the south and southwest and in the summer a low-pressure system brings winds from the north and northwest. High pressure zones tend to have sunny weather while low pressure zones mostly have cloud, rainy weather. Since wind flows from a high pressure area to a low pressure zone if there is a high and low next to each other the location would be extremely windy.

Ocean Currents: Ocean currents play a part in affecting climate as well. The North Equatorial Warm Current and the Kuroshio Warm Current would warm up cities such as: Moroshechnoye, Kronoki, and Ust' Tigil. The Oyashio Cold Current would cool off cities such as: Kavacha, Paknachi, and Khatyrka.

Geology

Mining Resources

• Coal

• Tin

• Bauxite

The most important regions for mining are Siberia (particularly East Siberia), the Kola Peninsula, the North Caucasus, and the Urals.

Minerals

• Gold

• Diamonds

• Silver

• Iron

• Lead

• Copper

• Mica

• Talc

• Zinc

About half of Russia’s mineral resources are east of the Urals.

Rock Types

• Near the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Baikal would be sedimentary rocks because water deposits the sediments that later compact and cement together to form sedimentary rocks.

• Near the Ural Mountains there would be many metamorphic rocks because of heat and pressure (from mountain-building).

• Near the Bezymianny Volcano, which last erupted in 2011, there would be lots of igneous rocks due to the cooling of lava.

China

Countries in China

China is a single country.

Latitude and Longitude Ranges

Approximate latitude: 18°15′N to 53°30′N

Approximate longitude: 74°E to 134°30′°E

Coordinates of its capital, Beijing:

Latitude: 39°54′50″N

Longitude: 116°23′30″E

Elevation Range

Highest Spot: The highest point in China is Mount Everest. It is 8848.13 m high. They are between Nepal and China, but we can say that it is the highest mountain in China. [1]

Lowest Spot: Turpan Pendi (the Turpan Depression) 700 meters

Large Bodies of Water

Major Rivers:

• Hong Ze Hu

Major Topographic Features

Volcanoes:

• Baekdu Mountain

• Honggeertu

• Holocene Jingbo

• Keluo Group

• Holocene Kunlun Volcanoes

• Leizhou Bandao

• Holocene Longgang Group

• Tengchong

• Tianshan Volcanic Group

• Turpan

• Holocene Wudalianchi

Mountains:

• Tai Shan

• Heng Shan Bei

• Hua Shan

• Heng Shan Nan

• Song Shan

Bordering Oceans

The Pacific Ocean,the Mediterranean Sea, and the China Sea border China.

Climate (using Koppen Scale)

Using the Koppen Climate Scale, the climate is very arid and dry and humid subtropical in the country china. China's Year Average Temperature 11.8 °C, Year Average High Temperature 17.5 °C, Year Average Low Temperature 6.1 °C. The average annual rainfall 578 mm[2] [3]

Monthly Highs and Lows

January high:35 lows:15

Febuary high: 39 lows:20 [4]

March high: 52 lows:31 [5]

April high: 68 lows:45 [6]

May high: 80 lows: 56 [7]

June high:87 lows:: 65 [8]

July high: 87 lows:71 [9]

August high: 85 lows:69 [10]

September high:78 lows:58 [11]

October high: 66 lows:45 [12]

November high: 50 lows:31 [13]

December high: 38 lows:20 [14]

Average Monthly Rainfall

January- 3.0 (mm)[15]

Febuary- 7.4 (mm)[16]

March- 8.6 (mm)[17]

April- 19.4 (mm)[18]

May - 33.1 (mm)[19]

June- 77.8 (mm)[20]

July- 192.5 (mm)[21]

August- 212.3 (mm)[22]

September- 57.0 (mm)[23]

October- 24.0 (mm)[24]

November- 6.6 (mm)[25]

December- 2.6(mm)[26]

Average Precipitaion

China's precipitation varies from an average of 394 mm (15.5 in) in July to only 31 mm (1.2 in) in December. The greatest rainfall and highest relative humidity occur in the southeast coastal regions, which receive an annual rainfall in excess of 1,000 mm (39.4 in).[27]

How These Things Affect China's Climate

Latitude: The climate in China is extremely diverse due to its wide coverage, assortment of terrains as well as the different distances to the sea from different locations. The tremendous differences in latitude, longitude, and altitude cause much variation in precipitation and temperature within China, which combine to make the climate in China climate very complex. Most of China lies in the temperate belt, with its south in subtropical belt and north in subarctic belt. Climates vary a lot from region to region because of the country's extensive territory and complex landscapeIn most parts of China, summer coincides with much rainfall and winter coincides with little rainfall due to the influence of the southeast monsoon. However, in northeast China summer is short, with mostly sunshine as it is less cloudy, while winter is long and cold. The cold temperature within the northwest of China, mean rainfall is limited.

Elevation: The higher in altitude the colder the temperature. Temp. drop 4°F every 1000 feet. That means that 75° at the bottom and 10000 feet up it will be 35°. This colder temp does affect plant growth but it also affects the soil which in turn affects plant growth. Mountain vegetation (depending on the elevation) is comparable to the vegetation in areas of high latitude. Areas found up in the northern regions are affected by the colder temp as are the soils - same happens in mountainous areas.

You tend to see more evergreens and soils are more acidic and less rich (poor nutrients). You will also get your permafrosts. Eventually a treeline occurs - mountain tops become treeless as does the north arctic areas. You find mosses growing in and around the rocks with some shrubs whereever there is enough soil for the roots to take.

"An increase in altitude, such as climbing a mountain is similar to heading north (in the northern hemisphere) plant and animal species will be similar at a mountain top to those which are further north. " [28]

Topography: The territory of modern China is characterized by dramatic geographical diversity. Topographically, it is low in the east and high in the west. The land surface ascends like a three-step staircase. The plains and lowlands in the east and southeast constitute the first step, occupying about 12 percent of the land. Two-thirds of the country, the two higher steps, are mostly mountains and high plateaus. [29]

Proximity to Water; one way a climate is affected by the proximity (closeness) of water , is that it raises the precipitation level and makes it relatively high compared to a continental climate. The Yangtze River is already one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Because of it’s proximity to several city centers, the dumping of industrial wastEnter away message text here.e and sewage has always been a serious problem. More than 265 billion gallons of raw sewage are dumped into the Yangtze annually. In addition, the reservoir itself flooded 1,600 abandoned factories, mines, dumps, and potential toxic waste sites. So basically it effects it alot because it goes to places where people work.

Prevailing Winds: The prevailing winds blow across southern China from the southeast. Further north they blow in from the west. Cold air pours down from Siberia in the winter. Warm air comes up from Southeast Asia and the South China Sea in the summer. There are often vicious storms, heavy rains, floods and landslides in the early summer.

Seasonal monsoon winds do not influence China as much as other Asian countries. However the early summer is the peak rainy season in much of China. Seasonal rain fall is often unpredictable, resulting in droughts and floods. Cyclonic storms sometimes approach from Europe. Typhoons strike from time to time, particularly along the southeast coast, in late summer and early fall. [30]

Vegetation: Generally speaking, plants are adapted to the climate in which they live. Just as plants have their own optimum temperature range they also have an optimum climate. Desert plants are adapted to a hot dry sunny climate whereas plants in northern China are adapted to survive hot sunny summers as well as freezing snowy winters. Adaptations include thick waxy leaves to reduce moisture loss or dropping leaves and entering a state of dormancy to survive freezing temperatures. Learn more about specific adaptations of alpine plant.

China is a High/Low Pressure Zone:China is the largest producer of greenhouse gases and the largest emitter of carbon dioxide. It was not supposed to overtake the United States as the world’s leading producer of greenhouse gases until 2020 but a study by a Dutch government-funded group released in June 2007 determined that China was already the world’s No. 1 emitter of carbon dioxide then. It surpassed the United States in 2006 when it produced 7.5 percent more of these gasses than the United States compared to 2 percent less in 2005. In August 2008, Germany’s IWR Institute concluded that China’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2008 were 6.8 million tons—the most of any nation and 178 percent higher than the 1990 level. The United States and China together account for 40 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, most of which is derived from coal. [31]

Ocean Currents: Fossil evidence and computer models demonstrate that Earth’s complex and dynamic climate system has more than one mode of operation. Each mode produces different climate patterns. The evidence also shows that Earth’s climate system has sensitive thresholds. Pushed past a threshold, the system can jump quickly from one stable operating mode to a completely different one—“just as the slowly increasing pressure of a finger eventually flips a switch and turns on a light,” the NAS report said. Scientists have so far identified only one viable mechanism to induce large, global, abrupt climate changes: a swift reorganization of the ocean currents circulating around the earth. These currents, collectively known as the Ocean Conveyor, distribute vast quantities of heat around our planet, and thus play a fundamental role in governing Earth’s climate.

Mining Resources

• Oil

• Natural Gas

• Coal

• Uranium

Minerals

Almost all of the world's known minerals can be found in China. As of 2004, geologists have confirmed reserves of 158 different minerals. Some of these include:

• Iron Ores (such as hematite)

• Manganese

• Copper

• Aluminum

• Lead (or galena)

• Zinc

• Graphite

• Sulfur

Rock Types

• At Mount Kailash, a mountain in the Gangdise Mountains, metamorphic rock such as metaconglomerate is formed by the process of mountain building.

• Mount Heishan (1,422 meters above sea level), the tallest volcano in the Datong Volcanoes, creates igneous rock like scoria and pumice when it erupts.

• When rivers like the Indus River deposit sediments, they get cemented and/or compacted to form sedimentary rocks like limestone.

Japan

Countries in Japan

Although it is a chain of islands, Japan is a single country.

Latitude and Longitude Ranges

• Latitude Range: about 24 degrees North to 44 degrees North

• Longitude Range about 123 degrees East to 145 degrees East

Elevation Range

Highest Spot: Fujiyama(3,776 meters)

Lowest Spot: Hachiro-gata (-4 meters)

Large Bodies Of Water

• Sea of Japan

• Philippine Sea

• East China Sea

Major Topographic Features

Volcanoes:

• Aso

• Bandai

• Fuji

• Iwo-Jima

• Kikai

• Kirishima

• Unzen

• Sakura-jima

• AsamaKomaga-take

• Oshima

• Suwanosejima

• Tokachi

• Yake-dake

• Usu

Japan contains four main islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu) and numerous smaller islands to the north and south, all prone to earthquakes.

Bordering Oceans

• North Pacific Ocean

Climate (using Koppen Scale)

Japan contains the Cwa, Dfa, and Dfb zones.

• Cwa: Humid, onshore movement in summer, cyclonic storms in winter

• Dfa: Humid continental hot summers with year-round precipitation

• Dfb: Humid continental mild summer with year round rainfall

Monthly Highs and Lows

Average temperature of Aomori, a city in Dfa zone:

• January - High: 34, Low: -23

• February - High: 35, Low: 22

• March - High: 41, Low: 27

• April - High: 55, Low: 36

• May - High: 65, Low: 46

• June - High: 70, Low: 55

• July - High: 77, Low: 63

• August - High: 81, Low:66

• September - High: 63, Low: 44

• October - High: 73, Low: 57

• November - High: 51, Low: 35

• December - High: 39, Low: 28

Average temperatures of Asahikawa (Dfb):

• January - High: 24, Low:7

• February - High: 26, Low: 8

• March - High: 35, Low: 18

• April - High: 50, Low: 31

• May - High: 64, Low: 42

• June - High: 72, Low: 52

• July - High: 78, Low: 60

• August - High: 79, Low: 61

• September - High: 70, Low: 50

• October - High: 57, Low: 38

• November - High: 42, Low: 28

• December - High: 30, Low: 17

Average Monthly Rainfall

• January - 1.91 in

• February - 2.37 in

• March - 4.51 in

• April - 5.13 in

• May - 5.04 in

• June - 6.49 in

• July - 6.36 in

• August - 6.11 in

• September - 8.21 in

• October - 6.42 in

• November - 3.64 in

• December - 1.56 in

Average Precipitation

• January - 2.9 in

• February - 2 in

• March - 2 in

• April - 2 in

• May - 2.6 in

• June - 2.8 in

• July - 3.8 in

• August - 6.3 in

• September - 5.2 in

• October - 4.4 in

• November - 4.6 in

• December - 3.7 in

How These Things Affect Japan's Climate

Latitude: Japan’s latitude is located in the temperate zone, a very similar latitude to that of Eastern United States. Because this country is in the temperate zone, the temperatures in this zone are usually warm and mild with a plentiful amount of precipitation.

Elevation: Japan ranges in elevation from 500 feet, to around 5,000 feet. Due to the fact that temperature drops steadily as elevation increases in an area, the areas closer to sea level, like the Sea of Japan and Hachiro-gata, it is generally warmer than those at at a much higher elevation, like Mount Fuji, which is located on the border of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, where temperatures are extremely low and snow found almost year round.

Topography: Japan is covered by rugged mountains that occupy 3/4 of the entire country. On these mountains, because of the high elevation, precipitation is common and temperatures are colder. Once past a mountain, the air tends to be less saturated, and the land is dry and arid.

Proximity to Water; Japan is a archipelago of islands completely surrounded by water, which brings countless days filled with rain due to the evaporation of the ocean water, lots of typhoons (5-6 a year), and a large number of dangerous hurricanes.

Prevailing Winds: In winter months, prevailing winds coming from the northwest provide large amounts of rainfall in cities such as Niigata, on the western side of Japan. In summer months, prevailing winds coming from the southeast lead to great amounts of rain in eastern cities, such as Tokyo.

Vegetation: Since the maritime location and tropical climate brings steady amounts of rain and constant humidity to the country, rice, an essential food staple in many Asian countries, is one of Japan's most important economic link to the rest of the world.

Japan is a High/Low Pressure Zone: Japan is a low pressure system. A low pressure zone is basically a system where the air is warmer and less dense, and prevailing winds blow from different countries into the system. Characteristics included in Japan's low pressure zone are a hot, humid climate with constant and steady rainfall.

Ocean Currents: Two major ocean currents affect this climatic pattern: the warm Kuroshio Current (Black Current; also known as the Japan Current); and the cold Oyashio Current (Parent Current; also known as the Okhotsk Current). The Kuroshio Current flows northward on the Pacific side of Japan and warms areas as far north as Tokyo. The Oyashio Current, which abounds in plankton beneficial to coldwater fish, flows southward along the northern Pacific, cooling adjacent coastal areas. The meeting point of these currents at 36 north latitude is a bountiful fishing ground..

Geology

Mining Resources

• Japan is the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas.

• Japan is the second largest importer of oil.

• Coal

Minerals

• Iron ores (such as hematite)

• Copper

• Lead (or galena)

• Zinc

Rock Types

• Because Japan is mostly rugged and mountainous, you would expect to find mostly metamorphic rocks. This is the reason that Japan is the world’s largest exporter of coal, a metamorphic rock.

• Japan does not have many rivers, but where there are rivers, you can find sedimentary rocks. For example, by rivers such as the Kiso River, Yodo River, and Gouno River, you can find rocks such as shale.