Sakhalin Island taiga | |
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Ecology | |
Realm | Palearctic |
Biome | Boreal forests/taiga |
Geography | |
Area | 403,504.46 km2 (155,793.94 sq mi) |
Climate type | Dfc |
The Sakhalin Island taiga ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0607) covers most of Sakhalin Island, the largest island of Russia, which is separated from the mainland by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. The region is one of taiga, coniferous and mixed broad leaf forest landscape, with mixed larch forests at the lower elevations and shrubs at higher elevations. The vegetation is influenced by a maritime climate that is relatively warmer than the colder continental taiga in Siberia to the west. A long, thin island, 1,000 km by 200 km, Sakhalin is connected to the mainland by ice bridges in the winter, so it shares certain flora and fauna species. It is in the Palearctic realm, and mostly in the taiga biome with a Humid continental climate, cool summer climate. It covers 403,504 km2 (155,794 sq mi). [1] [2] [3]
The Sakhalin Island taiga covers nearly all of Sakhalin Island, with the exception of the extreme southwestern tip, where warmer conditions support a predominantly broad leaf forest cover. The island is flat in the north, while the southern extent of the island, totaling 70% of the area, is mountainous. The mountains are split into two ridges: the East Sakhalin mountains and the West Sakhalin mountains.
Altitude zones play a large role in the types of forest cover. The island stretches north of Hokkaido, the northern major island of Japan, separated by 42 km. [4] The mainland to the west is separated by the Sea of Okhotsk in the north, the Sea of Japan in the south, and the Tatar Strait at the narrowest point (8 km). To the east is the Pacific Ocean, and to the north the Sea of Okhotsk. [4] [5] [6] The mountains are medium height, averaging 500–800 meters above sea level. [7]
The climate of the region is Subarctic climate, without dry season (Köppen climate classification Subarctic climate (Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above 10 °C (50.0 °F)) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below −3 °C (26.6 °F)). [8] [9] The warm Tsushima Current flows up the southwest side of the island, while the cold Sea of Okhotsk current chills the northern part of the island.
The cold influence of the Okhotsk Sea, which is covered in ice much of the year, drives much of the taiga ecology of the island, even at the relatively southern latitudes. The island stretches from 46 degrees north to 54 degrees. The collisions of warm and cold sea current in a humid area produce frequent storms and fog.
Midpoint: 50.75 N, 142.75 E | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The island is wet, with monsoon characteristics. Precipitation is highest in the summer. Precipitation various from 600 to 1,200 mm/year, depending on location, altitude, etc. [7] The Poronaysky Nature Reserve in the southeast of the island gets more than 100 rainstorms per year, average precipitation 600 mm/year, with frequent fog in the summer.
Most generally, the dominant trees in the region are Ezo spruce (Picea jezoensis), Sakhalin fir (Abies sachalinensis), Sakhalin spruce (Picea glehnii), Pinus thunbergii , Prunus nipponica , Cryptomeria japonica , Sciadopitys verticillata , Salix pierotii , Castanopsis sieboldii , Camphora officinarum , Cercidiphyllum japonicum , Fagus crenata , Larix gmelinii , Larix sibirica , Larix × czekanowskii , Betula dahurica , Betula pendula , Pinus koraiensis , Pinus sibirica , Pinus sylvestris , Picea obovata , Abies sibirica , Quercus mongolica , Quercus acutissima , Ginkgo biloba , Prunus serrulata , Prunus padus , Tilia amurensis , Salix babylonica , Acer palmatum , Carpinus laxiflora , Populus tremula , Ulmus davidiana , Ulmus pumila , Pinus pumila , Haloxylon ammodendron , Elaeagnus angustifolia , Tamarix ramosissima , and Prunus sibirica ; the forest cover of Sakhalin grades from light taiga (mostly Larix (Larch) species in the north, through dark taiga Picea (Spruce) species in the middle, to dark taiga Abies (Fir) species dominant in the south. The On the coast are meadows and at the high altitudes aspects of tundra. [4] In the north, Kurile larch is found in wet, swampy soil. In the middle and south, Yeddo spruce and Sakhalin fir dominate the mountain ridges. [11] There are few endemic species because the island became separated from the mainland only recently.
The rivers are important spawning grounds for migratory fish, including Cypriniformes (Carp), Gobiidae (Gobys), Cottidae (Sculpin), and Salmonidae (Salmon, Trout, etc. The freshwater rivers of Sakhalin Island are in the "Sakhalin, Hokkaido, & Sikhote - Alin Coast" freshwater ecoregion (ID #641). The rivers and streams of this ecoregion are characterized by three levels of flood: snowmelt from lowlands in spring, snowmelt from the mountains in early summer, and floods from monsoon rains in later summer. [7]
The area in the past has suffered from poor logging practices. Today, commercial logging is an important industry in the middle third of the ecoregion, threatening soil erosion and habitat degradation. [4] Gas production fields are being developed in the northern areas.
There is a federally protected area in the southeast of the island, and a number of regional nature reserves ("zakazniks").
The only city in the ecoregion is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, at the southern end of the island. Otherwise, the region is sparsely populated.
The East Siberian taiga ecoregion, in the Taiga and boreal forests biome, is a very large biogeographic region in eastern Russia.
The Southern Korea evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion at the southern end of the Korean Peninsula.
Sokhondo Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' in the south of Eastern Siberia, 25 km north of the border with Mongolia. It is the farthest source of the Amur River, and is centered on the Sokhondo Mountain massif, in the highest sector of the Khentei-Chikoy Highlands in the Khentei Range mountain range. The Sokhondo massif has two peaks, and is an ancient volcano. Also within the borders are many lakes of glacial origin. In 1985, Sokhondo was named a UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve. The reserve is situated in the Chita district of Chita Oblast.
Poronaysky Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' covering Cape Patience, on the eastern side of Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East. A specific purpose of the reserve is to protect rookeries for arctic birds on Cape Patience, which is a 65 km peninsula extending into the Okhotsk Sea. The reserve includes the southern part of the East Sakhalin Mountains, and the widest part of the Tym-Poronaisk dale. The reserve is situated in the Poronaysky District of Sakhalin Oblast, 50 km east of the regional city of Poronaysk. It was formally established in 1988, and covers 56,695 ha (218.90 sq mi).
The West Siberian taiga ecoregion 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, covering an area about 1,800 km west–east, by 1,000 km north–south.
The Northeast Siberian taiga ecoregion is an area of "sparse taiga forest" between the Lena River and the Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia, Russia. The ecoregion's internal borders form a patchwork of territory constituting the southern part of the East Siberian Lowland, as well as lowlands around the East Siberian Mountains, including the ridges and peaks of the Verkhoyansk Range and the Chersky Range. On the southern border of the ecoregion is the north coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, giving the region maritime boreal forests as well as the continental forests situated inland. The ecoregion is one of the largest tracts of virgin boreal forest in the world, due to the very sparse population and difficult access. It is mostly in the Sakha Republic.
The Okhotsk-Manchurian taiga ecoregion is an area of coniferous forests in the Russian Far East, covering the Amur River delta, the west coast of the Okhotsk Sea, and the rugged extension of the northern Sikhote-Alin Mountains that run southwest-to-northeast through the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions. It is the southernmost taiga forest in Eurasia. The ecoregion is distinguished from surrounding ecoregions by the slightly warmer climate due to the maritime influence and the shield of the mountains to the west, and by the mixing of flora and fauna species from Okhotsk-Kamchatka communities to the north and Manchurian species from the south. The forest at lower altitudes is "light taiga", and "dark taiga" at higher altitudes.
The Sayan montane conifer forests ecoregion covers the mid-elevation levels of the Sayan Mountains, the high mountain range between the taiga of Siberia, Russia to the north, and the steppes of Mongolia to the south. The slopes of the mountains at the mid-altitudes are covered by Temperate coniferous forest. The ecoregion is in the Palearctic realm, with a cold semi-arid climate. It covers 35,741,835 km2 (13,800,000 sq mi).
The West Siberian broadleaf and mixed forests, also known as the Western Siberian hemiboreal forests, is an ecoregion in Russia. It consists of a thin band of mixed forest along the southernmost edge of the West Siberian taiga in Western Siberia, and north of the forest steppe belt. The biodiversity of the zone is the highest in Siberia, due to its transitional position between many different ecoregions. The area acts as a long corridor for migration of animals along the east-west axis. The ecoregion is in the Palearctic realm, with a Humid Continental climate. It covers 223,516 km2 (86,300 sq mi).
The Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion covers a mountainous areas above the lower Amur River and Ussuri River in Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in the Russian Far East. The ecoregion is in the Palearctic realm, with a Humid Continental climate. It covers 187,357 km2 (72,339 sq mi).
The Changbai Mountains mixed forests ecoregion covers the Changbai Mountains and surrounding foothills in China and North Korea. The region features extensive and naturally preserved deciduous and conifer forests. The region exhibits high biodiversity due to its relative isolation, temperate climate with high rainfall, and centrality to central Chinese, Siberian, and European floral communities. In 1979, a significant portion of the ecoregion was designated the Changbaishan Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
The Changjiang Plain evergreen forests ecoregion covers the plain of the Yangtze River (Changjiang) from where it leaves the mountains at the Three Gorges in the west, to the mouth of the Yangtze at the East China Sea. This plain is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, and most of the original oak and conifer forests have long been converted to agriculture. Extensive wetlands, however, provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and for diverse aquatic species.
The Manchurian mixed forests ecoregion covers the forested hills surrounding the river plains of northern China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. The ecoregion supports a number of rare species due to the relative isolation, the diversity of habitat, with mixed forests of deciduous Mongolian oak and conifers of Korean pine. Because mountains rise above the region on three sides, with plains and wetlands below, the area supports high biodiversity as a transition zone.
The Central Korean deciduous forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion on the Korean Peninsula, covering portions of South Korea and North Korea.
The Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion covers the Nihonkai mountain slopes of Japan's central island of Honshu, including most of the northern half of the island. Also included in the ecoregion are the forested lowland hills of the Oshima Peninsula, which is the southern extension of Hokkaido Island.
The Nihonkai evergreen forests ecoregion covers a thin strip of land on the western coast of the island of Honshu in Japan. It is bounded on the east by the Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion.
The Hokkaidō deciduous forests ecoregion covers the northern and southern coasts of the island of Hokkaido, the northernmost of the main islands of Japan. The region sits in the transition zone between the colder subarctic forests to the north and the more temperate forests to the south. Characteristic trees include Mongolian oak, Basswood, and Ash trees.
The Hokkaido montane conifer forests ecoregion covers the mountainous central regions of Hokkaido Island, the northernmost of Japan's main islands. Forests of spruce and fir thrive in the subalpine, cool climate. On the northeastern edge of the island, the conifer forests extend down to the sea under the influence of the cold Oyashio Current coming down from the north, although logging in recent years has put pressure on these stands.
Tokinsko-Stanovoy National Park is located at the mountainous headwaters of the Zeya River, in the Stanovoy Highlands of the Russian Far East. It was created in 2019 to protect important natural features - particularly the Siberian snow sheep, and also the cultural heritage of the reindeer-herding indigenous Evenki people. The park is located in the Zeysky District of Amur Oblast, at the meeting point of the borders of Amur Oblast, the Sakha Republic, and Khabarovsk Krai.
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