Few people remember from the school curriculum, which is high-altitude zone.This term describes the change as you move up the weather characteristics of the formation of the relief, rocky soil composition, as well as flora and fauna.But due to several reasons, such as inaccurate information about each individual component, high-altitude zone landscape is characterized most accurately measured parameters: climatic and geomorphological.
vegetation and other components that form the high-altitude zone
Although vegetation (with all its dynamic permanence and separation of habitats) are not always shows the state of the modern total barrier to a number of factors, it should not detract from its importance in the formation of ideas aboutthat such a high-altitude zone.
For this reason, a conditional union vegetation habitats for a variety of heights relief is considered acceptable and logical.The characteristics of the components - vegetation, soil composition, climate, fauna and ecosystems as a whole landscape can be divided into zones of altitudinal zones.For various mountain systems are quite different.In particular, the high-altitude zone of the Ural Mountains will differ from the altitudinal zones of Tibet.To properly and reliably divide the landscape in the area, it is necessary to allocate the total variable sign.
reasons altitudinal zones
Compared to the plains in the highlands of species diversity is much higher - 2-5 times.But what is the cause of "high-rise" of natural areas in the highlands?
main factors - the height of the mountains, and their geographical position.Natural areas are changing around the same as when moving across the plain from south to north.However, when moving up the highlands of this change is tangible, and it occurs at a relatively low altitude.
altitude zones in the largest quantities in the tropics.The strip of the Arctic Circle at the mountain of the same height the smallest number of such zones.
climate in the mountains
Altitude zonation in the mountains is inseparably linked with climate.All the high-altitude mountain belt cover on each side, but on the opposite slopes of the tiers are not the same.At the foot of the mountains the climate is more similar to the weather conditions the adjacent plains.Above the tiers are more moderate, and then quite severe weather.At the top there is a zone of permafrost and snow.And, like, the closer to the Sun - so, in theory, warmer, but in reality it is not.
Although exceptions occur, too.This proves that the altitude zone - not an isolated phenomenon, and it depends on many factors.In Siberia, there are places where the climate is harsh at the foot than on the slopes.It is caused by a lack of air circulation in the valley between the mountains.
What characterizes high-altitude zone of Eurasia?
closer the mountains to the south, the greater the number and variety of altitude zones.Urals - one of the most representative mountain systems.
in the southern part of high-altitude zone of the Ural Mountains has more than tiers than in the north, despite the fact that the southern mountains below.In the northern part there is only mountain-tundra belt.
Black Sea coast and the Amur-Sakhalin region
even more pronounced contrast zones on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.Just an hour away by car you can go from the subtropical coast of Sochi for the sub-alpine climate of the Western Caucasus.
The Amur-Sakhalin Region inherent in all the provinces of the same sign - the structure of landscape pages.They are divided into:
- gornotundrovuyu;
- bald - overgrown with cedar forests, sparse forests Ajan spruce, as well as varying degrees of concentration of stone birch.
in southern Sikhote-Alin have all the characteristics that are typical for the Amur altitudinal zones.
among tiers are the following: low mountains stripe (cedar wood with broad leaves, and formed their soil and climate), Mid-Band (forest conifer trees and the corresponding underlying surface), bald stripe (a mixture of conifer Scilla, dense growthSlanic cedar, stone birch groves) Goltsovoye band itself, which in its pure form tundra.
If the climate becomes more continental, in such a scheme is added deciduous forests.In the western mountains of southern Sikhote-Alin present times are mountain tundra strip podgoltsevyh shrubs (or creeping mountain forests), the band Erman crooked belt fir-spruce forests (spruce), belt broadleaf-pine forests (cedar), a belt of deciduous forests and belt forest.
dependence border forests and mountain heights
To date, accumulated a considerable amount of data about how high is the upper boundary of the forest strip in southern Sikhote-Alin.The amplitude of heights, created treeline on certain peaks and slopes of the same mountain range, it takes a rather large value, and reaches more than 300 meters vertically.
Good noticeable general trend with an increase in the height of the top of the treeline and moves up (the effect of the height of the array).However, although the mountains and are away from the sea at a distance in the range from 15 to 105 kilometers, the proportion between the height of the upper edge of the forest and the top is almost identical for every slope.This result is not very logical and forward, and, therefore, needs to be explained.
Illogicalness manifested in the fact that the proportion refutes the great influence of the sea on the position of the upper boundary of the forest.To be more precise, within the boundaries of the South Sikhote-Alin influence of the sea is felt in the upper zones with similar force.That is, the high-altitude zone of Eurasia are not so dependent on the availability of the seas.
Otherwise, such proportion to the mountain tops in the coastal latitudes (Hualaza-Litovka, Pidan-Livadia, Tavayza-cranberry) should not be so large.Here affects impact on the top of the forest heights of the mountain range.In accordance with this feature is only allocated Cloud Mountain, the highest peak in the Southern Sikhote-Alin.
explain this phenomenon in two ways: either the array at this point is so high that the threshold temperature, which determines the upper limit of the forest, reached a maximum height of the region, or derived from the state of equilibrium with the climate the vegetation is not yet adapted to it.Components of altitudinal zones inherent in the mountain cranberry, is also characterized by the heights of the seaside and the South and Middle Sikhote-Alin that much forest highland oak forests.
Altitude zoning - a unique phenomenon in nature
In order to answer the question of what high-altitude zone, one must understand that this is a very peculiar phenomenon that defies a universal laws.There are many individual factors that lead to the development of a climate, vegetation and animal species.Knowledge in this area appear due to numerous methodical research.Changing latitude affects the rate of change of the day and night, as well as seasonal weather patterns.All the above information, however, not clearly explain what high-altitude zone.In a nutshell - this change in climatic zones with increasing altitude mountains.
