The russian climate

Even a quick glance at an atlas will show you just how big Russia is. For people who are not familiar with the country, it’s hard to imagine the distances involved. The city of Vladivostok on the east coast, famous for being the final stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway, is over 9,300 km from Moscow and is seven hours ahead. The total area of Russia is 17,075,200 square kilometers, which is over 130 times the size of England. Anyone interested in the weather will not be disappointed by the range of climates that Russia has to offer. You might expect the south of the country to be generally warmer, and you’d be right. Temperatures in the south average 20°C in the summer, and the record high is 38°C. And most people are aware of the fact that Siberia can be cold, with some areas covered with snow for half of the year, but do you know how cold? The record low is –94°C, recorded at Verkhoyansk.

The wind blows from the south in winter and the north in summer, except for in the Far East, where it’s the opposite way round. This area experiences monsoons and visitors need to be warned about the heavy rains, which can bring potentially dangerous floods.

The country is certainly not short of extremes of weather – but nothing prevents people from enjoying themselves, whatever the weather!

► How do you pronounce: glance, final, hour, area, half, monsoon, warn? Use a dictionary if necessary.

► Find in the text the words which have the same meaning as:

demonstrate, v group, n suggest, v

town, n pour, n

territory, n difficult, adj

3.17. Fill in the words in bold from the text above.

1. A bitter …….. …….. from the East.

2. During the …….. rains, the river is at its highest.

3. The …….. temperature in summer is 24°C.

4. The rainfall …….. 36 inches a year.

3.18. Describe the Siberian climate (or the climate of the area you live) using the phrases from the text.

3.19. Match the words with their definitions:

1. principal, adj a) change

2. variation, n b) to be more

3. rainfall, n c) most important

4. exceed, v d) changing into steam

5. evaporation, n e) affect

6. distinct, adj f) the amount of rain

7. survive, v g) the amount of rain, snow, etc. that falls

8. influence, v h) to live in spite of difficulties

9. precipitation, n i) clear

3.20. Read the text Types of Climate, then do the exercises after it.

Types of climate

The present system of climate classification was devised in 1918 by Vladimir Köppen. The principal categories in the Köppen system are:

A) Tropical rainy climates. The average monthly temperature goes below 18°C (64.4°F) and there is little seasonal variation. Annual rainfall exceeds the water lost by evaporation.

B) Dry climates. The water lost by evaporation exceeds that brought by precipitation.

C) Warm temperature rainy climates. There are distinct summer and winter seasons, with the average temperature of the coldest month lower than 18°C (64.4°F) but higher than –3°C (26.6°F).

D) Cool snow-forest climates. The average temperature of the coldest month is lower than –3°C (26.6°F) and that of the warmest month is higher than 10°C (50°F).

E) Polar climates. The average temperature of the warmest month remains below 10°C (50°F). Trees do not survive in such climates.

The main influences on the climate are: distance from the Equator, distance from the ocean (it is drier inland), and the height above sea level (the higher you go, the colder it gets). Living things are greatly affected by the conditions around them. The temperature, rainfall and other aspects of the climate in an area influence the forms, growth and behaviour of the plants and animals found there.

3.21. Fill in the gaps with the word from the text in activity 3.20.

1. …….. classification 5. …….. temperature

2. …….. categories 6. …….. seasons

3. …….. variation 7. …….. level

4. …….. rainfall 8. …….. things

3.22. Are these statements true (T) or false (F)?

1. There are five principal types of climate.

2. The climate does not influence on different types of plant and animal kingdom.

3. Climates differ considerably around the world.

4. Temperature and precipitation are the most significant weather elements.

5. There is no winter in the tropics.

6. The polar regions have hardly any summer.

3.23. Match the words and phrases with their descriptions. Use a dictionary if necessary.

● Tropical forest –	a) extremes of temperature, little rain, scarcity of life
● Desert –	b) very cold, windy and treeless, little animal life.
● Deciduous forest –	c) hot summers, cold winters, open grassy plains, buffalo.
● Savannah –	d) warm summers, cold winters, mainly deciduous woodland (e.g. oak or beech), variety of animals.
●Coniferous forest –	e) cold all year, dominated by forests of conifers (e.g. spruce and pine), deer and wolves.
● Temperate grassland –	f) hot and wet, with a great diversity of life, e.g. monkeys and exotic birds.
● Tundra –	g) hot with wet winters, open plains with trees, antelopes.

3.24. Read the text Climate and do the exercises after it.