MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Federal State Educational Institution

Higher professional education

KUBAN STATE AGRARIAN UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED ECOLOGY

ESSAY

ON THE TOPIC: "PROBLEMS OF RATIONAL USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE RUSSIAN PLAIN"

1.2 Climate of the Russian Plain

1. General characteristics of the Russian Plain

East European (Russian) Plain- one of the largest plains in the world. Among all the plains of our Motherland, only it goes to two oceans. Russia is located in the central and eastern parts plains. It extends from the coast of the Baltic Sea to Ural mountains, from the Barents and White Seas - to the Azov and Caspian.

1.1 Features of the relief of the Russian Plain

The East European Uplifted Plain consists of uplands with heights of 200-300 m above sea level and lowlands along which large rivers flow. The average height of the plain is 170 m, and the highest - 479 m - on Bugulma-Belebeev Upland in the Ural part. Maximum mark Timan Ridge somewhat smaller (471 m).

According to the features of the orographic pattern within the East European Plain, three bands are clearly distinguished: central, northern and southern. A strip of alternating large uplands and lowlands passes through the central part of the plain: Central Russian, Volga, Bugulma-Belebeevskaya uplands And Common Syrt divided Oka-Don lowland and the Low Trans-Volga region, along which the Don and Volga rivers flow, carrying their waters to the south.

To the north of this strip, low plains predominate. Large rivers flow through this territory - Onega, Northern Dvina, Pechora with numerous high-water tributaries.

The southern part of the East European Plain is occupied by lowlands, of which only the Caspian is located on the territory of Russia.

1.2 Climate of the Russian Plain

The climate of the East European Plain is influenced by its position in temperate and high latitudes, as well as neighboring territories ( Western Europe and North Asia) and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The climate is temperate in terms of thermal regime and medium humidity with increasing continentality towards the south and east. The average monthly temperature in January varies from - 8° in the west to - 11°C in the east, the July temperature ranges from 18° to 20°C from northwest to southeast.

All year round the East European Plain is dominated by western air mass transport. Atlantic air brings coolness and rainfall in summer, and warmth and rainfall in winter.

Differences in the climate of the East European Plain affect the nature of the vegetation and the presence of a fairly clearly expressed soil-vegetation zonality. Soddy-podzolic soils are replaced to the south by more fertile ones - a variety of chernozems. Natural and climatic conditions are favorable for active economic activity and residence of the population.

2. Resources of the Russian Plain

The value of the natural resources of the Russian Plain is determined not only by their diversity and richness, but also by the fact that they are located in the most populated and developed part of Russia.

2.1 Water resources

The hydrographic network is represented by numerous rivers and lakes. The main water management and transport functions are performed by the Volga, Don and Oka.

Volga- the largest river in Europe: its length is 3531 km, and the basin area is 1360 thousand km 2. The Volga basin is located entirely in Russia.

The Volga is of great economic importance, as it crosses the most important economic regions of Russia: it connects the Central Region of Russia with the North-Western, Volga-Vyatka, Volga, Ural and Caspian regions. Its upper reaches are connected by the Volga-Baltic route with the Baltic Sea, and the Volga-Don shipping canal connected it with the Black Sea. The Volga-Kama hydro-industrial complex was built, consisting of a dam, a reservoir and a hydroelectric power station. About 2.4 million hectares of land are irrigated in the Volga basin.

Don has a length of 1870 km, the basin area is 422 thousand km 2. For a considerable distance, the Don valley follows the eastern steep edge of the Central Russian Upland. Below the mouth of the Ilovlya, along which the ancient portage to the Volga passed, the Don valley comes close to the Volga. Near Kalach, in the steppe, the Volga-Don shipping canal was built. A dam was erected near the village of Tsimlyanskaya, supporting the waters of the Tsimlyansk reservoir, which ensures the operation of the hydroelectric station and the supply of water for irrigation and watering, as well as to regulate the required water level for navigation. The flow of the Don has sharply decreased due to the creation of a huge reservoir with a large annual evaporation and water intake for irrigation. All this led to changes in the volume and chemical composition waters of the Taganrog Bay - the main place for the formation of schools of fish and their spawning grounds. The salinity of the sea has increased by 3-4‰ and continues to increase, the surge of sea water in the Don increases to 200 km, and its delta has decreased. The ecological regime for fish is violated, so there is a decrease in fish stocks.

The left tributaries of the Don - Voronezh, Bityug, Khoper flow through the ancient glacier-fluvioglacial Oka-Don plain; their course is slow, in the floodplains there are many oxbow lakes, channels and lakes overgrown with coastal aquatic vegetation. In these hard-to-reach places survived from anthropogenic impact muskrat - endemic of the Russian Plain and river European beaver. Voronezh the biosphere reserve is a center for the restoration, study and resettlement of the river beaver.

Other large reservoirs on the territory of the Russian Plain are Rybinsk, Istra, Kostroma. A large hydraulic structure is the navigable canal named after. Moscow, connecting the Volga (from the Ivankovsky reservoir) with the Moscow River. Moscow is a port of five seas. However, in general, the water balance in the plains is tense, and drinking water is expensive.

The creation of reservoirs solves a whole range of problems: flow regulation, use of hydropower resources, improvement of transport conditions, industrial and domestic water supply, improvement of sanitary and hygienic conditions and fisheries, irrigation and watering of lands. On the Russian Plain, irrigated agriculture is developed in the lower reaches of the Don and in the Trans-Volga steppes.

With the creation of reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade, water losses for evaporation slightly increased, the rate of water exchange in river systems decreased, solid runoff decreased, and climatic conditions changed. An increase in the erosion base of rivers flowing into reservoirs has reduced erosion activity in their basins.

IN last years there is a lot of criticism about the construction of reservoirs on the Russian Plain, and above all on the Volga, and calls to lower the reservoirs. But if on the issue of building reservoirs one can summarize the pros and cons, argue how justified their creation was, then on the issue of lowering reservoirs, the answer is unequivocal: it will bring nothing but harm, since the floodplain soils that were once fertile can no longer be returned: they are covered by a fairly thick layer of bottom sediments containing many harmful substances (and, fortunately, did not get into the Caspian!). Drainage of this surface will lead to dispersion of all these substances and transfer to neighboring territories, and washing of bottom sediments with river waters, which will carry all harmful substances to the Caspian, is capable of destroying this body of water.

Most of the rivers of the Russian Plain are rated as “moderately polluted” and “very polluted” according to the water pollution index, since they contain compounds of nitrogen, phenol, copper, iron, oil products, phosphates and organic substances. The main source of pollution surface water ny objects are objects of housing and communal services (HCS). Thus, the share of "Vodokanal" in Tver accounts for three quarters of the regional volume of discharge of polluted wastewater; on the treatment facilities Housing and communal services in Kostroma - 70%. For major pollutants water bodies also include companies textile industry having finishing production, machine-building and chemical plants, milk - and meat processing enterprises. The discharge of treated wastewater into surface water bodies is insignificant and does not exceed an average of 2-4%. Against this background, only Ryazan Oblast, where high level discharge of normatively treated wastewater, reaching 50% of the volume of wastewater disposal.

In the northwest, the Russian Plain is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea, in the north by the White Sea, in the northeast by the Barents Sea. In the southwest it is washed by the Black Sea, in the southeast by the Caspian Sea.

The Baltic Sea is rich in seafood, in addition, there are oil reserves, in particular, the D6 field (territorial waters of Russia within the Kaliningrad region) is being developed, iron-manganese nodules and amber deposits have been discovered.

The development of deposits may be hampered by stringent environmental requirements associated with an insignificant water exchange between the sea and the ocean, anthropogenic pollution of water with runoff from the territory of coastal states, which contribute to increased eutrophication.

The Nord Stream gas pipeline is being laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea

The resorts of Sestroretsk, Zelenogorsk, Svetlogorsk, Pionersky and Zelenogradsk are located on the Russian coast of the Baltic Sea.

Among the seas washing Russia, the White Sea is one of the smallest (only the Sea of ​​Azov is smaller). Its surface area is 90 thousand square kilometers (with numerous small islands, among which the Solovetsky Islands are the most famous, - 90.8 thousand square meters). The rivers Northern Dvina, Onega, Mezen flow into the White Sea. Main ports: Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk, Onega, Belomorsk, Kandalaksha, Kem, Mezen The White Sea-Baltic Canal connects the White Sea with the Baltic and Volga-Baltic waterways.

In order to better analyze the environmental problems of the Russian Plain, it is necessary to consider in detail what natural resources this geographical area has, what makes it remarkable.

Features of the Russian Plain

First of all, we will answer the question of where the Russian Plain is located. The East European Plain is located on the continent of Eurasia and ranks second in the world in terms of area after the Amazonian Plain. The second name of the East European Plain is Russian. This is due to the fact that a significant part of it is occupied by the state of Russia. It is on this territory that most of the population of the country is concentrated and the largest cities are located.

The length of the plain from north to south is almost 2.5 thousand km, and from east to west - about 3 thousand km. Almost the entire territory of the Russian Plain has a flat relief with a slight slope - no more than 5 degrees. This is mainly due to the fact that the plain almost completely coincides with the East European Platform. It is not felt here and, as a result, there are no destructive natural phenomena(earthquakes).

The average height of the plain is about 200 m above sea level. It reaches its maximum height on the Bugulma-Belebeevskaya upland - 479 m. The Russian plain can be conditionally divided into three bands: northern, central and southern. On its territory there are a number of uplands: the Central Russian Plain, the Smolensk-Moscow Upland - and lowlands: the Polesskaya, Oka-Donskaya Plain, etc.

The Russian Plain is rich in resources. There are all kinds of minerals here: ore, non-metallic, combustible. Special place occupies the extraction of iron ores, oil and gas.

1. Ore

Iron ore of the Kursk Deposits: Lebedinskoye, Mikhailovskoye, Stoilenskoye, Yakovlevskoye. The ore of these developed deposits is distinguished by a high iron content - 41.5%.

2. Nonmetallic

• bauxites. Deposits: Vislovskoye. The content of alumina in the rock reaches 70%.
• Chalk, marl, fine-grained sand. Deposits: Volskoye, Tashlinskoye, Dyatkovskoye, etc.
• Brown coal. Pools: Donetsk, Podmoskovny, Pechora.
• Diamonds. Deposits of the Arkhangelsk region.

3. Combustible

• Oil and gas. Oil and gas bearing areas: Timan-Pechora and Volga-Ural.
• Burning shale. Deposits: Kashpirovskoe, Obschesyrtskoe.

Minerals of the Russian Plain are mined different ways, which renders negative impact on the environment. Soil, water and atmosphere are polluted.

The impact of human activity on the nature of the East European Plain

Environmental problems The Russian Plain is largely associated with human activity: development of mineral deposits, construction of cities, roads, emissions large enterprises, their use of huge volumes of water, the reserves of which do not have time to be replenished, and are also polluted.

Below we consider all the Russian plains. The table will show what problems exist, where they are localized. Represented possible ways fight.

Ecological problems of the Russian Plain. table

Problem	Causes	Localization	What threatens	Solutions
Soil pollution	KMA development	Belgorod region Kursk region	Decreased yield of grain crops	Land reclamation by accumulation of chernozem and overburden
	Industrial engineering	Regions: Belgorod, Kursk, Orenburg, Volgograd, Astrakhan		Proper waste disposal, reclamation of depleted lands
	Construction railways and highway	All areas
	Development of deposits of chalk, phosphorites, rock salt, shale, bauxite	Regions: Moscow, Tula, Astrakhan, Bryansk, Saratov, etc.
Hydrosphere pollution	KMA development		Decreasing groundwater level	Water purification, raising the level of groundwater
	Groundwater pumping	Moscow region, Orenburg region and etc.	The emergence of karst landforms, deformation of the surface due to subsidence of rocks, landslides, funnels
Air pollution	KMA development	Kursk region, Belgorod region	Air pollution with harmful emissions, accumulation of heavy metals	Increase in the area of ​​forests, green spaces
	Large industrial enterprises	Regions: Moscow, Ivanovo, Orenburg, Astrakhan, etc.	Accumulation of greenhouse gases	Installation of high-quality filters on pipes of enterprises
	Big cities	All major centers		Reducing the number of transport, increasing green areas, parks
Decrease species diversity flora and fauna	Hunting and population growth	All areas	The number of animals is decreasing, plant and animal species are disappearing	Creation of reserves and reserves

The climate of the Russian Plain

The climate of the East European Plain is temperate continental. Continentality increases as you move inland. The average temperature of the plain in the coldest month (January) is -8 degrees in the west and -12 degrees in the east. In the warmest month (July), the average temperature in the northwest is +18 degrees, in the southeast +21 degrees.

The greatest amount of precipitation falls in the warm season - approximately 60-70% of the annual amount. More precipitation falls over the highlands than over the lowlands. The annual amount of precipitation in the western part is 800 mm per year, in the eastern part - 600 mm.

On the Russian Plain there are several natural areas: steppes and semi-deserts, forest-steppes, taiga, tundra (when moving from south to north).

The forest resources of the plain are represented mainly conifers are pine and spruce. Previously, forests were actively cut down and used in the woodworking industry. Currently, forests are of recreational, water-regulating and water-protective importance.

Flora and fauna of the East European Plain

Due to small climatic differences on the territory of the Russian Plain, one can observe a pronounced soil-vegetation zonality. Northern soddy-podzolic soils are replaced to the south by more fertile chernozems, which affects the nature of vegetation.

Flora and fauna have been significantly affected by human activities. Many plant species have disappeared. Of the fauna, the greatest damage has been done fur animals, which have always been a desirable object of hunting. Endangered mink, muskrat, raccoon dog, beaver. Such large ungulates as the tarpan have been exterminated forever, the saiga and bison have almost disappeared.

To save certain types animal and plant reserves were created: Oksky, Galichya Gora, Central Chernozem named after. V. V. Alekhina, Forest on Vorskla and others.

Rivers and seas of the East European Plain

Where the Russian Plain is located, there are many rivers and lakes. The main rivers that play a major role in human economic activity are the Volga, Oka and Don.

The Volga is the largest river in Europe. The Volga-Kama hydro-industrial complex is located on it, which includes a dam, a hydroelectric power station and a reservoir. The length of the Volga is 3631 km. Many of its tributaries are used on the farm for irrigation.

Don also plays a significant role in industrial activities. Its length is 1870 km. The Volga-Don shipping canal and the Tsimlyansk reservoir are especially important.

In addition to these large rivers, the Khoper, Voronezh, Bityug, Northern Onega, Kem and others flow on the plain.

In addition to rivers, the Russian Plain includes the Barents, White, Black, Caspian.

The Nord Stream gas pipeline runs along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. This affects the ecological situation of the hydrological object. During the laying of the gas pipeline, clogging of waters occurred, many species of fish decreased their numbers.

In the Baltic, Barents, Caspian, some minerals are being mined, which, in turn, adversely affects the waters. Some of the industrial waste seeps into the seas.

In the Barents and Black Seas, some types of fish are caught on an industrial scale: cod, herring, flounder, haddock, halibut, catfish, anchovy, pike perch, mackerel, etc.

Fishing is carried out in the Caspian Sea, mainly sturgeons. By the sea due to favorable natural conditions there are many sanatoriums and tourist centers. There are navigable routes along the Black Sea. Oil products are exported from Russian ports.

Groundwater of the Russian Plain

In addition to surface waters, man uses groundwater, which, due to rational use adversely affects soils - subsidence is formed, etc. Three large artesian basins stand out on the plain: the Caspian, Central Russian and East Russian. They serve as a source of water supply for a vast territory.

2) Think about which areas of the plain are most favorable for development Agriculture.

The most favorable for the development of agriculture middle lane Russian plain.

Questions in a paragraph

*Name the major ports on the White, Baltic, Azov, Black and Caspian Seas.

White Sea - Arkhangelsk, Mezen, Kandalaksha, Umba, Onega, Kem, Belomorsk.

The Baltic Sea - St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Vysotsk, Primorsk, Baltiysk, Ust-Luga.

Sea of ​​Azov - Azov, Yeysk, Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Temryuk.

Black Sea - Anapa, Gelendzhik, Caucasus, Novorossiysk, Sochi, Taman, Tuapse.

Caspian Sea - Astrakhan, Makhachkala, Olya.

Questions at the end of the paragraph

1. On the map, determine what natural resources the Russian Plain is rich in.

The crystalline basement and sedimentary cover of the platform contain such mineral reserves that are not only important for our entire country, but also of global importance. First of all, these are the rich iron ore deposits of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (KMA).

The sedimentary cover of the platform is associated with deposits of hard (Vorkuta) and brown coal - the Moscow Region basin and oil - the Volga-Ural, Timapo-Pechora and Caspian basins. Oil shale is mined in Leningrad region and in the area of ​​Samara on the Volga. Ore minerals are also known in sedimentary rocks: brown iron ore near Lipetsk, aluminum ores (bauxite) near Tikhvin. Construction Materials: sands, gravel, clays, limestone - distributed almost everywhere. Deposits of apatite-nepheline ores and excellent building granites are associated with outcrops of crystalline Precambrian rocks of the Baltic Shield on the Kola Peninsula and in Karelia.

In the Volga region, deposits of table salt (Lakes Elton and Baskunchak) have long been known, and potassium salts in the Cis-Urals.

Relatively recently, diamonds were discovered in the Arkhangelsk region. Valuable raw materials are mined in the Volga and Moscow regions for chemical industry- phosphorites, and on the Kola Peninsula - apatites.

2. Using the application tables, indicate which of the natural resources have been used since ancient times, which are being acquired highest value in our time.

Since ancient times, peat, gold, gems. A little later, the use of coal and oil began. the total number of types of minerals used in primitive society and later in ancient world, was small. From metals, gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, tin and zinc were used. Non-metallic minerals were used more widely.

The list of minerals used by modern industry is constantly expanding. Many minerals and rocks, which until relatively recently were not considered "mineral resources", have now acquired a special value in connection with the achievements of science and technology. So, for example, for many centuries such valuable metals as nickel, cobalt, tungsten, platinum, uranium and others were thrown away. We can say that there are no non-mineral minerals in the bowels of the earth, any rock or a metal-poor ore may find use if cheap ways of processing it are devised.

3. What is the great anthropogenic load on the landscapes of the Russian Plain?

Intensive centuries-old development of the territory of the plain has led to the fact that at present the natural landscapes of its central and southern regions have been greatly changed. The southern strip of the forest zone is heavily cut down. Forest landscapes are either replaced here by agricultural lands, or are represented by secondary aspen-birch plantations. At present, the northern regions of the taiga zone have also been significantly changed. The forests of Karelia, the Komi Republic, and the Arkhangelsk region have been heavily cut down. Reforestation is one of the most important tasks. The landscapes of the forest-steppe and steppe zones have been changed even more. More than half of their area is plowed up and occupied by grain and industrial crops.

5. What activities should be carried out to protect nature?

Planting forest shelterbelts, snow retention, anti-erosion measures so as not to deplete fertile soils and preserve their potential, land reclamation.

Natural resources The Russian Plain Presentation by Natalia Balalaikina, geography teacher at the Knevitsky Primary School, Balalaikina The Russian Plain is rich in various natural resources. The flat relief, favorable climatic conditions, fertile steppes and vast forests have contributed to its settlement and development since ancient times. Now about 60% of the population of Russia lives here, most of the cities and workers' settlements, a dense network of highways are located. Here is the capital of our Motherland - Moscow. Map Minerals In the bowels of the plain there are deposits of Iron (KMA), hard (Pechersk basin) and brown (Podmoskovny basin) coal, apatites of the Kola Peninsula, table salts Lake Baskunchak. Oil is produced between the Volga and the Ural Mountains, as well as in the north-east of the plain. Most of the deposits are located in well developed areas. This increases their value. The task. Locate the listed mineral deposits on the map. Consequences of mining. During the extraction of minerals, land is disturbed, their fertile layer is destroyed, and new landforms are created. With the mine method of mining large areas occupy waste rock dumps. In areas of open mining, quarries are formed on the surface of the earth. Sometimes these are extensive pits with a depth of 100-200 m or more. There are many disturbed lands in the Moscow basin, in the areas of development of building materials and peat. Much attention is now being paid to restoring the value of these disturbed lands (their reclamation). In their place, reservoirs are created. They are returned to agricultural and forestry use. For the densely populated regions of the Russian Plain, this is of particular importance. Water resources The rivers of the Russian Plain are rich in electricity. They created cascades of hydroelectric power plants. The waters of the Volga and the Don are used to irrigate fields in the steppe zone. Many rivers are connected by canals that provide navigation. So, Moscow, located on a relatively small river, has become a port of five seas. Task: find on the map of the European part of the country the channels to them. Moscow, Volga-Donskoy, Volga-Baltic and White Sea-Baltic. Forest resources Timber is being harvested in the forests of the Russian Plain. Due to the fact that forests have been cut down for more than one century, the composition of the forest stand has changed greatly in many central and western regions. Many secondary small-leaved forests appeared. Significantly reduced forest areas in the southern taiga, in the zone of mixed and broad-leaved forests. Soil resources The main areas of the most fertile soils our country - black soil. They are almost completely open. In the steppe and forest steppe zones wheat and corn, sugar beets and sunflowers, millet and other crops are grown on these soils. The areas of arable lands are also large in forest zones. Rye and barley, potatoes and wheat, flax and oats are grown here. For the further development of agriculture in these zones, where agro-climatic resources are favorable for agricultural production, and the soils are not fertile enough, it is necessary to carry out a complex of melioration. Problems of the use of natural resources. The problem of the Non-Chernozem region is connected with the use of the natural resources of this region, primarily with the development of agriculture in it. The soils here are not as fertile as chernozems, however, soil and agro-climatic resources make it possible to grow rye and barley, flax and potatoes, vegetables and oats, and fodder grasses. Forest and floodplain meadows are good hayfields and pastures for livestock. However, agricultural products are produced here now is not enough. Ways to solve problems. For further development Agriculture of the Non-Black Earth Region requires rational use and improvement (reclamation) of land, construction of roads and improvement of people's living conditions. The main type of land reclamation is the drainage of excessively moistened lands. Along with drainage, fertilization and liming of soils, in some places irrigation and soil erosion control, removal of stones and uprooting of tree and shrub vegetation, snow retention and regulation of snowmelt, enlargement of fields and improvement of their shape are required. Problems of the use of natural resources. In a significant part of the territory, the nature of the Russian Plain has been greatly altered by human activity. Particularly large changes have taken place in the forest-steppe and steppe zones, in mixed and broad-leaved forests, and in the southern part of the taiga. Man not only brought down primary forests and plowed up virgin steppes, but also planted forest belts in the steppes, created ponds and reservoirs in the upper reaches of the beams, reservoirs on large rivers, built cities and highways, restored the number of pine martens and resettled the beaver. In order to preserve areas of unchanged or slightly modified nature, typical and rare natural objects(plants, animals, geological objects, PTK) reserves are created.

East European (Russian) Plain- one of the largest plains in the world. Among all the plains of our Motherland, only it goes to two oceans. Russia is located in the central and eastern parts of the plain. It stretches from the coast of the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains, from the Barents and White Seas to the Azov and Caspian.

Features of the relief of the Russian Plain

The East European Uplifted Plain consists of uplands with heights of 200-300 m above sea level and lowlands along which large rivers flow. The average height of the plain is 170 m, and the highest - 479 m - on Bugulma-Belebeev Upland in the Ural part. Maximum mark Timan Ridge somewhat smaller (471 m).

According to the features of the orographic pattern within the East European Plain, three bands are clearly distinguished: central, northern and southern. A strip of alternating large uplands and lowlands passes through the central part of the plain: Central Russian, Volga, Bugulma-Belebeevskaya uplands And Common Syrt divided Oka-Don lowland and the Low Trans-Volga region, along which the Don and Volga rivers flow, carrying their waters to the south.

To the north of this strip, low plains predominate. Large rivers flow through this territory - Onega, Northern Dvina, Pechora with numerous high-water tributaries.

The southern part of the East European Plain is occupied by lowlands, of which only the Caspian is located on the territory of Russia.

The climate of the Russian Plain

The climate of the East European Plain is influenced by its position in temperate and high latitudes, as well as neighboring territories (Western Europe and North Asia) and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The climate is temperate in terms of thermal regime and medium humidity with increasing continentality towards the south and east. The average monthly temperature in January varies from - 8° in the west to - 11°C in the east, the July temperature ranges from 18° to 20°C from northwest to southeast.

All year round the East European Plain is dominated by western air mass transport. Atlantic air brings coolness and rainfall in summer, and warmth and rainfall in winter.

Differences in the climate of the East European Plain affect the nature of the vegetation and the presence of a fairly clearly expressed soil-vegetation zonality. Soddy-podzolic soils are replaced to the south by more fertile ones - a variety of chernozems. The natural and climatic conditions are favorable for active economic activity and population living.