West Siberian taiga

West Siberian taiga
West Siberian taiga
Yugansky Nature Reserve,
in the south-center of the region
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
RealmPalearctic
Biomeboreal forests/taiga
Geography
Area1,670,283 km2 (644,900 sq mi)
CountryRussia
Elevation100- 300 meters
RiversOb River
Climate typeDfb Humid continental climate, cool summer

The West Siberian taiga ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0611) covers the West Siberian Plain in Russia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Yenisei River in the east, and roughly from 56° N to 66° N latitude. It is a vast, flat lowland region of boreal forests (taiga), and wetlands (40% of the region is swamps and bogs), covering an area about 1,800 km west–east, by 1,000 km north–south.[1]

Also known as the Siberian Lowlands, the region is a large sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, both in the forests and boggy peatlands. It is also a source of methane gas.[2] The peatlands of Western Siberia are the most extensive in the world, covering an area the size of Texas.[3]

  1. ^ "West Siberian Taiga". World Ecoregions. GlobalSpecies.org. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  2. ^ Grippa, M.; Mognard, N. M.; Le Toan, T.; Biancamaria, S. (2007). "Observations of changes in surface water over the western Siberia lowland" (PDF). Geophysical Research Letters. 34 (15). doi:10.1029/2007GL030165. ISSN 0094-8276.
  3. ^ "Western Siberia". Climate Hot Spots. Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search