Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Introduction: big is beautiful
- 2 The West Siberian Lowland
- 3 The Amazon River basin
- 4 The Hudson Bay Lowland
- 5 The Congo River basin
- 6 The Mackenzie River basin
- 7 The Pantanal
- 8 The Mississippi River alluvial plain
- 9 The Lake Chad basin
- 10 The River Nile basin
- 11 The prairie potholes of North America
- 12 The Magellanic moorland
- 13 The future of large wetlands: a global perspective
- Index
- References
2 - The West Siberian Lowland
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 August 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Introduction: big is beautiful
- 2 The West Siberian Lowland
- 3 The Amazon River basin
- 4 The Hudson Bay Lowland
- 5 The Congo River basin
- 6 The Mackenzie River basin
- 7 The Pantanal
- 8 The Mississippi River alluvial plain
- 9 The Lake Chad basin
- 10 The River Nile basin
- 11 The prairie potholes of North America
- 12 The Magellanic moorland
- 13 The future of large wetlands: a global perspective
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
The West Siberian Lowland is a geographical region of Russia bordered by the Urals in the west and the Yenisey River in the east, the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Kazakh steppes in the south (Fig. 2.1). The region covers 2 745 000 km2 stretching from 62–89°E to 53–73 °N. The length from west to east is more than 2000 km and from south to north more than 2500 km. It is about seven times the size of Germany, five times the size of France, and approximately equal to the size of Argentina.
The Lowland represents 16% of the territory of Russia; it is the lowest and flattest part of the country and is tilted slightly towards the north. It is confined to Hercynian and West Siberian epiplatforms, which were regularly submerged by polar seas in its geological past. The relief of the Lowland is very flat, and is composed of quaternary sand, loam, and clay deposits. Altitudes range between 0 and 300 m above sea level with an average of 100 m. The climate is continental with winters lasting five to seven months. Mean monthly temperatures vary through a range of 40°C, changing from +5°C to +16°C in July and from −20°C to −25°C in January. Annual precipitation varies from 390 to 600 mm. Permafrost covers one-third of the northern part of the region.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The World's Largest WetlandsEcology and Conservation, pp. 11 - 62Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005
References
and (1989). The role of sea ice and other fresh water in the Arctic circulation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 94(10), 14485–98CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1971). Printsipy zonal'nogo delenia rastitel'nosti Arktiki [Principles of zonal subdivision of Arctic vegetation]. Botanichesky Zhurnal, 56(1), 3–21Google Scholar
Aleksyev, V. A. and Birdsey, R. A. (eds.) (1998). Carbon Storage in Forests and Peatlands of Russia. General/Technical Report NE-244. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North-Eastern Forest Experiment Station. Radnor, PA: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
(1934). Kormovaya baza Yamal'skogo olenevodstva [Forage basis of Yamal peninsula reindeer husbandry]. Sovetskoe Olenevodstvo, 1, 99–164Google Scholar
and (eds.) (2001). Carbon Storage and Atmospheric Exchange by West Siberian Peatlands. Utrecht, the Netherlands: BlackwellGoogle Scholar
, , , , and (1999). Ecosystem recovery and natural degradation of spilled crude oil in peat bog ecosystems of West Siberia. International Peat Journal, 9, 73–82Google Scholar
Botch, M. S. (ed.) (2000). Wetlands in Russia, vol. 2, Important Peatlands. Wetlands International Global Series 2. Moscow: Pensoft Publisher
Botch, M. S. and Masing, V. V. (1983). Mire ecosystems in the USSR. In Ecosystems of the World, vol. 4A, Mires: Swamp, Bog, Fen and Moor, ed. A. J. P. Gore. New York: Elsevier Science, pp. 95–152
, , and (1971). Bolota Yamala [Peatlands of the Yamal Peninsula]. Botanichesky Zhurnal, 56(10), 1421–35Google Scholar
, , , and (1995). Carbon pools and accumulation in peatlands of the former Soviet Union. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 9(1), 37–46CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1930). Verkhovye bolota Narymskogo kraya (bassein reki Vasiugan) [Bogs of the Narymski region (watershed of the Vasiugan River)]. Trudy Nauchno-Issledovatelskogo Torfyanogo Instituta, 3, 3–100Google Scholar
(1936). Gipnovye bolota na yuzhnoi okraine Zapadno-Sibirskoi ravninnoi taigi [Hypnoid mires on the southern limit of the western Siberian plain taiga]. Pochvovedenie, 2, 224–45Google Scholar
Efremov, S. P., Efremova, T. T., and Melentyeva, N. V. (1998). Carbon storage in peatland ecosystems. In Carbon Storage in Forests and Peatlands of Russia, eds. V. A. Alekseev and R. A. Birdseg. General/Technical Report NE-244. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North-Eastern Forest Experiment Station. Radnor, PA: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, pp. 69–76
, , and (2000). Classification of continental hemiboreal forests of North Asia. Braun-Blanquetia, 28, 1–131Google Scholar
Glavtorffond RSFSR (1956). Torfianye mestorozhdenia Zapadnoi Sibiri [Peat Deposits in Western Siberia]. Moscow: Glavtorffond RSFSR
(1991). Northern peatlands: role in the carbon cycle and probable responses to climate warming. Ecological Applications, 1, 182–95CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorodkov, B. N. (1938). Rastitel'nost Arctiki i gornykh tundr S. S. S. R. [Vegetation of arctic and mountain tundras]. In Rastitel'nost' S. S. S. R. [Vegetation of the USSR], vol. 1. Moscow and Leningrad: Akademia Nauk S. S. S. R., pp. 297–354
(1944). Tundry Ob–Yeniseiskogo vodorazdela [Tundras of Ob–Yenisey watershed]. Sovetskaya Botanika, 2(5), 20–31Google Scholar
Gosudarstvennyi Komitet po Okhrane Okruzhaiushchei Sredy (2001). Gosudarstvennyi doklad o sostoianii okruzhaiushchei prirodnoi sredy Rossijskoi Federatsii v 2001 Godu [State Report on the Status of the Environment of the Russian Federation in 2001]. Moscow: Gosudarstvennyi Komitet po Okhrane Okruzhaiushchei Sredy
(1933). Ocherk rastitel'nosti lesnykh pastbishch severnogo olenia v tundrakh Obsko–Tazovskogo poluostrova [Outline of vegetation of reindeer woodland pastures in tundras of Ob–Taz rivers peninsula]. Zemlevedenie, 34(1), 68–92Google Scholar
(1947). Bugristye bolota Severnoy Azii i poteplenie Arktiki (Zapadnaia Sibir', bassein reki Sev. Sos'va) [Palsa mires of northern Asia and Arctic warming (western Siberia, Sev. Sos'va river watershed)]. Uchenye Zapiski Moskovskogo Oblastnogo Instituta, 94, 106–24Google Scholar
, , , et al. (eds.) (1985). Rastitel'nyi pokrov Zapadno-Sibirskoy ravniny [Vegetation Cover of the West Siberian Plain]. Novosibirsk: Nauka, Sibirskoe otdelenieGoogle Scholar
and (eds.) (1976). Bolota Zapadnoi Sibiri, ikh stroenie i gidrologicheski rezhim [Mires of West Siberia, their Structure and Hydrological Regime]. Leningrad: GirdometeoizdatGoogle Scholar
Katz, N. Y. (1939). Bolota nizoviev reki Obi [Mires of the lower Ob river]. In Prezidentu Akademii Nauk SSSR akademiku V. L. Komarovu k 70-letiu so dnia rozhdenia. Leningrad: Nauka, pp. 372–405
and (1946). Istoria rastitel'nosti bolot Severa Sibiri kak pokazatel' izmenenia poslelednikovogo landshafta [History of the northern Siberian mire vegetation as an indicator of changes in the post-glacial landscape]. Trudy Instituta Geografii, 37, 331–48Google Scholar
and (1948). Stratigrafia torfyanikov Priobskogo severa [Stratigraphy of peatlands of the northern part of the Priobsky region]. Trudy Komissii po Izucheniyu Chetvertichnogo Perioda, 7(1), 15–54Google Scholar
Katz, N. Y. and Neishtadt, M. I. (1963). Bolota [Mires]. In Zapadnaia Sibir. Moscow: Geografgiz, pp. 230–48
and (1977). Lesnye i bolotnye fitotsenozy vostochnogo Vasiugania [Forest and Mire Phytocoenosises of eastern Vasiuganie]. Novosibirsk: NaukaGoogle Scholar
. (1994). Okhrana bioraznoobrazia rastitel'nosti stepnogo bioma Zapadnoy Sibiri [Conservation of vegetation biodiversity of the steppe biome in Western Siberia]. Sibirsky Ekologichesky Zhurnal, 1(6), 589–94Google Scholar
. (1999). Phytosociological report from the saline habitats in SW Siberia and N Kasachstan. In Halophyte Uses in Different Climates, eds. and . Leiden, the Netherlands: Backhuys Publishers, pp. 131–44Google Scholar
. (ed.) (1996). Zelyonaya Kniga Sibiri. Redkie i huzhdayushchiesya v okhrane rastitel'nye soobshchestva [Green Book of Siberia. Rare and Endangered Plant Communities]. Novosibirsk: Nauka, Sibirskaya izdatel'skaya firma RANGoogle Scholar
Krivenko, V. G. (ed.) (1999). Wetlands in Russia, vol. 1, Wetlands of International Importance. AEME Publication 52. Moscow: Wetlands International
Krivenko, V. G. (ed.) (2000). Wetlands in Russia, vol. 3, Wetlands Included in the Perspective List of Ramsar Sites. Wetlands International Global Series 6. Moscow: Wetlands International
(1961). Lesa Zapadnoi Sibiri [Forests of Western Siberia]. Moscow: Izdatelstvo AN SSSRGoogle Scholar
Kustova, N. V. (1987a). Sintaksonomia rastitel'nosti nadpoimennykh terras doliny nizhnego Irtysha. I. Associatsii oligotrofnykh sfagnovykh bolot klassov Vaccinietea uliginosi, Oxycocco–Sphagnetea [Vegetation syntaxonomy of upper floodplain terraces of the lower Irtysh valley. Part I. Associations of oligotrophic bogs of the classes Vaccinietea uliginosi, Oxycocco–Sphagnetea]. Deposited in VINITI All-Union Institute of Scientific and Technical Information 07.09.87, N 6558-B87, Moscow
Kustova, N. V. (1987b). Sintaksonomia rastitel'nosti nadpoimennykh terras doliny nizhnego Irtysha. II. Associatsii mesotrofnykh bolot klassa Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae [Vegetation syntaxonomy of upper floodplain terraces of the lower Irtysh valley. Part II. Associations of mesotrophic mires of the class Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae]. Deposited in VINITI All-Union Institute of Scientific and Technical Information 07.09.87, N 6559-B87, Moscow
(1953). Rastitelnost' Baraby [Vegetation of Baraba]. Trudy Pochvennogo Instituta AN SSSR, 36, 106–171Google Scholar
Lapshina, E. I. (1985). Srednetayezhnye elovo–kedrovye lesa i proizvodnye soobshchestva na ikh meste [Middle taiga spruce–cedar forests and secondary forests in their place]. In Rastitel'nyi pokrov Zapadno-Sibirskoy ravniny [Vegetation Cover of the West Siberian Plain], eds. et al. Novosibirsk: Nauka, Sibirskoe otdelenie, pp. 72–90Google Scholar
Lapshina, E. I. (1987). Rastitel'nost' basseina reki Taz v verkhnem techenii [Vegetation of the upper part of the Taz river basin]. In Geobotanicheskie issledovania v Zapadnoy Sibiri [Geobotanical Investigations of Western Siberia], ed. . Novosibirsk: Nauka, Sibirskoe otdelenie, pp. 47–70Google Scholar
, ., , ., and (2000). Struktura rastitel'nogo pokrova zapadnoy chasti Bol'shogo Vasyuganskogo bolota na primere klyuchevogo uchastka “Uzas” [Structure of the vegetation cover of the western part of the great Vasyugan bog example from the key area “Uzas”]. Sibirsky Ecologichesky Zhurnal, 7(5), 563–76Google Scholar
, , and . (2001). Pattern of development and carbon accumulation in homogenous Sphagnum fuscum-peat deposit on the south of West Siberia. In West Siberian Peatlands and Carbon Cycle: Past and Present. Novosibirsk: Nauka, pp. 101–4Google Scholar
and (1981). Bolota Zapadnoy Sibiri [Mires of Western Siberia]. Moscow: Izdatel'stvo Moskovskogo UniversitetaGoogle Scholar
and (1972). Torfianye resursy Zapadno-Sibirskoy ravniny [Peat Resources of the West Siberian Lowland]. Moscow: GeoltorfrazvedkaGoogle Scholar
and (1975). K otsenke prognoznykh zapasov torfa in the USSR [Estimation of peat resources in the USSR]. Torfianaia Promyshlennost, 6, 20–4Google Scholar
Meade, R. H. (ed.) (1995). Contaminants in the Mississippi River. US Geological Survey, Circular 1133
Mel'tser, L. I. (1985). Tundrovaya rastitel'nost' [Tundra vegetation]. In Rastitel'nyi pokrov Zapadno-Sibirskoy ravniny [Vegetation Cover of the West Siberian Plain], Ch. 3, eds. . Novosibirsk: Nauka, Sibirskoe otdelenie, pp. 41–54Google Scholar
, , , , and (2000). Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1977). Vozniknovenie i skorost' razvitia processov zabolachivania [Formation and speed of paludification processes]. In Nauchnye predposylki osvoenia bolot Zapadnoi Sibiri [Scientific Principles Regarding the Peatlands of Western Siberia]. Moscow: Nauka, pp. 39–47Google Scholar
Novikov, S. M. and Usova, L. I. (2000). New data on the peatland areas and peat storage in the territory of Russia. In Dynamics of Mire Ecosystems of Northern Eurasia in Holocene: Materials of International Symposium, October 5–9, 1998, Petrozavodsk, eds. G. A. Elina, O. L. Kuznetsov, and P. F. Shavelin. Petrozavodsk, Russia: Institute of Biology, Karelian Scientific Center RAS, pp. 49–52
(2001). Sravnitel'ny analiz napochvennykh lishainikovykh sinuziy v subarkticheskikh tundrakh poluostrova Yamal [Comparative analysis of epigeous lichen synusias in the subarctic tundras of the Yamal peninsula]. Botanichesky Zhurnal (St. Petersburg), 86(7), 15–25Google Scholar
Romanova, E. A. (1985). Rastitel'nost' bolot [Mire vegetation]. In Rastitel'nyi pokrov Zapadno-Sibirskoy ravniny [Vegetation Cover of the West Siberian Plain], Ch. 8, ed. . Novosibirsk: Nauka, Sibirskoe otdelenie, pp. 138–61Google Scholar
Shvidenko, A. and Nilsson, S. (1998). Phytomass, Increment, Mortality and Carbon Budget of Russian Forests. Interim report IR-98-105. Laxenburg, Austria: International Institute for Applied System Analysis
, , et al. (1997). Red Data Book of Plant Communities in the Former USSR. Lancaster, UK: Lancaster UniversityGoogle Scholar
(1993). Sintaxonomichesky obzor lesnoy rastitel'nosti poimy Credney Obi [Syntaxonomical survey of the forest vegetation of the middle Ob floodplain]. Sibirsky Biologichesky Zhurnal, 6, 85–91Google Scholar
(2001). Assotsiatia Cypero-Limoselletum (Oberd. 1957) Korneck 1960 Isoeto-Nanojuncetea) v poime Sredney Obi [Association Cypero-Limoselletum (Oberd. 1957) Korneck 1960 Isoeto-Nanojuncetea in the middle Ob floodplain]. Rstitel'nost' Rossii (St. Petersburg), 1(1), 43–56Google Scholar
, , , and (2001). Carbon accumulation in West Siberian mires, Russia. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 15, 285–96CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (2002). Estimating carbon accumulation rates of undrained mires in Finland: application to boreal and subarctic regions. The Holocene, 12(1), 69–80CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1998). Vozdeistvie neftegazodobyvaiushchei promyshlennosti na lesnye i bolotnye ecosistemy [Impact of Oil and Gas Industries on Forest and Swamp Ecosystems]. Novosibirsk: NaukaGoogle Scholar
Vasiliev, S. V. (2000). Peat accumulation rates in western Siberia. In Dynamics of Mire Ecosystems of Northern Eurasia in Holocene: Materials of International Symposium, October 5–9, 1998, Petrozavodsk, eds. , , and Petrozavodsk, Russia: Institute of Biology, Karelian Scientific Center RAS, pp. 56–9Google Scholar
Westhoff, V. and van der Maarel, E. (1978). The Braun–Blanquet approach. In Classification of Plant Communities, ed. . The Hague, the Netherlands: Junk, pp. 287–399CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 3
- Cited by