Good afternoon, T3V. Today's lesson is going to be a little different from the usual format. You will individually delve into paragraph 7.1 Untameable Nature via this Wikiwijs. This paragraph explores the variety of natural landscapes within Russia, and their challenges. Today will be a student-paced lesson, meaning you get to decide how quickly you go through each of the chapters within this Wikiwijs. Keep in mind that chapters marked with a purple line contain extra information you do not need to know for your test, so feel free to skip them if you wish. Do note that you have to take a short test about the information from the wikiwijs at the end of class.
Learning goals
This Wikiwijs is based on paragraph 7.1 Untameable nature, from your textbook. The goal of this Wikiwijs is answering the question 'What are the main natural characteristics of Russia?'
To achieve this, navigate through the chapters on the left, starting with 'Start' and ending with 'Review'. If you follow those chapters, read the texts and do the exercises, you will gradually get closer to uncovering the answer to the question 'What are the main natural characteristics of Russia?' I will be available to assist if necessary, just raise your hand. Good luck!
Start
To start this lesson, let's revisit some topics covered in the 'Start' of this chapter...
... What do you know about the topography of Russia?
... What is the difference between the Latin and the Cyrillic alphabet used in Russia? H Extra H
Russian Topography
Scroll down to see the exercise attached to this map.h
(EMK Cartografie, 2023)
Exercise 1.1
Cyrillic Alphabet
H Extra HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The Cyrillic alphabet, used in Russia, differs significantly from the Latin Alphabet, used in the Netherlands. One of the big differences is the letters: the Latin alphabet consists of 26 letters, whereas the Cyrillic alphabet has 33. Some of these letters can be recognised as their Latin counterpart, but others do not exist in our alphabet.
Exercise 1.3
Russia's Untameable Nature
The expansive and varying scenery of Russia can be mesmerizing, such as the landscapes along and around the Trans-Siberian Railway. From the mountains of the Caucasus to the plains of Siberia. This 'untameable nature' and these diverse landscapes each come with their own set of challenges and opportunities. Within paragraph 7.1 we are going to look into some factors that play a role in the nature of these varying landscapes: shields, soil and permafrost, and the climates.
Shields, soils and permafrost
Watch the video below for an explanation about the shields, soils and permafrost within Russia. The video includes an assignment, how you score on that assignment dictates what the next step is for you:
If you got 9 questions right you can skip the theory below;
If you got 5 to 8 questions right (quickly) scan the theory below;
If you got 4 or less questions right read the theory below and do the exercise.
This exercise is mandatory, I can see your answers so take it seriously.
Video
Theory
HExtra if you scored 9 out of 9 on the video assignmentH...........HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Shields
A shield is an ancient piece of the Earth's crust where rocks of over 500 milion years old have surfaced. These old rocks surface because the material on top has been removed by the processes of weathering and erosion.
(IASbaba, 2018)
Within Russia there are two of those shields:
The Baltic Shield
This shield roughly covers the European part of Russia and it is geologically stable.
The Siberian Shield
This shield is located in the north(-eastern) part of Russia and it is geologically unstable. The Siberian Shield has been uplifted several times over the past millions of years. The magma that flowed upward through the faults often contained valubale minerals. This is why Siberia is rich in all kinds of ores.
Soils
Soil is the uppermost layer of the Earth's crust, in the Netherlands to about 1.20 metres deep. Some type of soils have very distinctive layers, these layers are called horizons. The formation of the horizons is caused by the climate and vegetation on the surface.
In a warm climate, there are more organisms living in the soil. These organisms break down the plant matter that reaches the ground, e.g. fallen leaves, dead plants, etc. Therefore the humus (part of the soils formed by decomposed plant and animal matter) gets broken down easily. Which lead to a thinner top layer with humus, see podzol.
In a wet climate, where there is more precipitation than evaporation, the water dissolves the humus and minerals from the ground (eluviation) and puts those down deeper in the ground (illuviation). h
(De Boer et al., 2023)
With in Russia two types of soils are predominant:
Podzol
This soil can be identified by the clearly visible horizons and the presence of an eluvial (light grey) and illuvial (darker coloured) zone.
Chernozem (black earth or soil)
This soil can be identified by the lack of visible horizons and thick layer of black earth.
Other examples of soils, as seen in the figure above, are the latosol and desert soil.
Latosol
This is the type of soil found in tropical rainforests. The red colour is caused by a high iron content. And it has a very thin fertile top layer, making the soil in total very infertile.
Desert soil
This soil is found in deserts. At top of this soil you can find a slat crust, because it rain so little and there is so much evaporation, that only the minerals within the rain stay behind.
Permafrost
Permafrost is soil that is permanently frozen. In Russian it is sometimes refered to as merzlota. A few characeristics of permafrost are:
It is located in area where it is always cold;
The closer to the arctic, the thicker the layer;
The top layers thaws in summer;
The meltwater cannot flow deeper into the ground, because it is still frozen;
This muddy period in summer gets called rasputitsa (time without roads);
The tundra turns into marsh with mosses, grasses and low shrubs.
The melting of the permafrost also plays a role in the greenhouse effect:
Plant remains in the frozen ground do not decompose, because oxygen cannot reach.
The melting releases oxygen, which enables the decomposition of plant remains, which releases greenhouse gases.
The melting releases large amounts of greenhouse gases, e.g. methane and carbon dioxide.
(EEA, 2017)
Fertile Triangle
Within Russia, there are many factors that play a role in the inability to use the ground for agricultural purposes: the permafrost, the cold climates, the infertile soils. This leaves a relatively small portion of Russia's territory suitable for agriculture. This area is called the Fertile Triangle and it spans from Odessa (in Ukraine), to Saint Pertersburg, to Irkutsk.
Terms exercise
Practice the terms of paragraph 7.1 here, you can chose how to practice in the bottom right corner.
After practicing, test your knowledge by choosing the test option in the bottom right corner.
Climates
To test your knowledge about climates, play the game below.
If you reached the end with 2 mistakes or less you can skip the theory below;
If you reached the end with 3 to 7 mistakes (quickly) scan the theory below;
If you reached the end with 8 mistakes or more read the theory below and do the exercise.
This exercise is mandatory, I can see your answers and the time you spend in the game so take it seriously.
Game
Theory
HExtra if you finished the game with 2 mistakes or less H............HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The Köppen climate classification is repetition from chapter three, if you want to refresh your knowledge consult your geoguide number 73.
Climates within Russia
Within Russia there are two predominant climates:
Continental climate
Russia has a large surface area, because of this the moderating influence of the oceans do not reach far into the country. Leaving the majority of the country a continental climate with a big difference in temperature between the summer and winter.
Tundra climate
The northern part of Russia is adjacent to the arctic sea. It gets so cold here that many places do not see an average summer temperature of over 10°C. Leaving many places barren in this tundra climate.
Natural landscapes within Russia
(De Boer et al., 2023)
Within Russia four different natural landscapes can be distinguished:
(Spokojna, 2020)
1. Tundra
The summer temperatures barely exceed 0°C, makeing trees unable to grow here. The tundra is a vast expanse with only a few grasses, mosses and shrubs.
(Sudyin, 2019)
2. Taiga (coniferous forest)
Within the taiga regions the temperatures are a bit higher, meaning conifers are able to grow here. This landscape is recognisable by its coniferous forests.
(Karits, 2020)
3. Deciduous forest
Only in the west of Russia, where the moderating influence of the atlantic ocean causes the winters to be less strong, can deciduous forests be found.
(Salzgeber, 2020)
4. Grass steppe
Lastly, to the south of Russia the proximity of the Caucasus causes the region to be rather dry. Here you can find grass steppes and even some deserts.
Landscapes exercise
Scroll down to see the exercise attached to this map.h
(EMK Cartografie, 2023)
Review
Great work, you are nearly finished with the Wikiwijs. All that remains is to take the test below and to provide feedback about this lesson.
Het arrangement 7.1 Russia's Untameable Nature is gemaakt met
Wikiwijs van
Kennisnet. Wikiwijs is hét onderwijsplatform waar je leermiddelen zoekt,
maakt en deelt.
Auteur
R. van Buren
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Laatst gewijzigd
2024-03-11 13:44:31
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(EMK Cartografie, 2023)
