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27-408: Tahe County is divided into 4 towns, 2 townships and 1 ethnic township. The population of the district was 106,732 in 1999. Tahe County has a subarctic climate ( Köppen Dwc ) with short, warm, wet summers and long, brutally cold and dry winters. Monsoonal influences are strong, as 75% of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September. Although snowfall is extremely light, totalling only

54-619: A dry winter, are found in parts of East Asia, like China, where the Siberian High makes the winters colder than places like Scandinavia or Alaska interior but extremely dry (typically with around 5 millimeters (0.20 in) of rainfall equivalent per month), meaning that winter snow cover is very limited. The Dwc climate can be found in: In the Southern Hemisphere, small pockets of the Lesotho Highlands and

81-572: A few centimetres during the winter, it does not melt until May. The region is in the discontinuous permafrost zone, which severely limits land use possibilities since only exposed areas thaw fully during the summer, and fishing is the most important economic activity. Formally part of Oroqen Banner in Inner Mongolia but administered de facto by Daxing'anling Prefecture in Heilongjiang. This Heilongjiang location article

108-413: A number of effects, including precipitation, rain shadowing, leeward winds, and associated clouds. Precipitation induced by orographic lift occurs in many places throughout the world . Examples include: The highest precipitation amounts are found slightly upwind from the prevailing winds at the crests of mountain ranges, where they relieve and therefore the upward lifting is greatest. As the air descends

135-469: A subarctic climate, receives an average rain-equivalent of 101.91 inches (2,588.5 mm) of precipitation per year. Coastal areas of Khabarovsk Krai also have much higher precipitation in summer due to orographic influences (up to 175 millimetres (6.9 in) in July in some areas), whilst the mountainous Kamchatka peninsula and Sakhalin island are even wetter, since orographic moisture isn't confined to

162-405: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate , or boreal climate ) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50°N to 70°N, poleward of

189-565: Is carried over the mountain by strong winds that increase in strength with height. Moisture is removed and latent heat released as the air mass is orographically lifted. As the air mass descends, it is compression heated. The warm foehn wind , locally known as the Chinook wind , Bergwind or Diablo wind or Nor'wester depending on the region, provide examples of this type of wind, and are driven in part by latent heat released by orographic-lifting-induced precipitation. A similar class of winds,

216-507: Is excessive. The frost-free season is very short, varying from about 45 to 100 days at most, and a freeze can occur anytime outside the summer months in many areas. The first D indicates continentality, with the coldest month below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)). The second letter denotes precipitation patterns: The third letter denotes temperature: Most subarctic climates have little precipitation, typically no more than 380 mm (15 in) over an entire year due to

243-676: Is found in the following areas: Further north and east in Siberia, continentality increases so much that winters can be exceptionally severe, averaging below −38 °C (−36 °F), even though the hottest month still averages more than 10 °C (50 °F). This creates Dfd climates, which are mostly found in the Sakha Republic : In the Southern Hemisphere , the Dfc climate is found only in small, isolated pockets in

270-515: The Drakensberg Mountains have a Dwc classification. Orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain . As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically , which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions, precipitation . Orographic lifting can have

297-781: The Pacific Ocean , resulting in increased precipitation, especially during the winter months. This climate zone supports the presence of temperate rainforests, mostly on highest areas of the Valdivian rainforest in Chile and the subantarctic forest in Argentina. Climates classified as Dsc or Dsd , with a dry summer, are rare, occurring in very small areas at high elevation around the Mediterranean Basin , Iran , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Alaska and other parts of

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324-713: The Snowy Mountains of Australia , the Southern Alps of New Zealand , and the Lesotho Highlands . In South America , this climate occurs on the western slope of the central Andes in Chile and Argentina , where climatic conditions are notably more humid compared to the eastern slope. The presence of the Andes mountain range contributes to a wetter climate on the western slope by capturing moisture from

351-420: The humid continental climates . Like other Class D climates, they are rare in the Southern Hemisphere, only found at some isolated highland elevations. Subarctic or boreal climates are the source regions for the cold air that affects temperate latitudes to the south in winter. These climates represent Köppen climate classification Dfc , Dwc , Dsc , Dfd , Dwd and Dsd . This type of climate offers some of

378-667: The northwestern United States ( Eastern Washington , Eastern Oregon , Southern Idaho , California's Eastern Sierra ), the Russian Far East , Akureyri, Iceland , Seneca, Oregon , and Atlin, British Columbia . Turkey and Afghanistan are exceptions; Dsc climates are common in Northeast Anatolia , in the Taurus and Köroğlu Mountains , and the Central Afghan highlands . In the Southern Hemisphere,

405-416: The subpolar oceanic climate , as the sea is approached where winter temperatures average near or above freezing despite maintaining the short, cool summers. In China and Mongolia, as one moves southwestwards or towards lower elevations, temperatures increase but precipitation is so low that the subarctic climate grades into a cold semi-arid climate . The Dfc climate, by far the most common subarctic type,

432-823: The Dsc climate is present in South America as a subarctic climate influenced by Mediterranean characteristics, often considered a high-altitude variant of the Mediterranean climate. It is located on the eastern slopes of the central Argentine Andes and in some sections on the Chilean side. While there are no major settlements exhibiting this climate, several localities in the vicinity experience it, such as San Carlos de Bariloche , Villa La Angostura , San Martín de los Andes , Balmaceda , Punta de Vacas , and Termas del Flaco . Climates classified as Dwc or Dwd , with

459-430: The coldest month should average below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)). Record low temperatures can approach −70 °C (−94 °F). With 5–7 consecutive months when the average temperature is below freezing, all moisture in the soil and subsoil freezes solidly to depths of many feet. Summer warmth is insufficient to thaw more than a few surface feet, so permafrost prevails under most areas not near

486-402: The lee side of the mountain, it warms and dries, creating a rain shadow. On the lee side of the mountains, sometimes as little as 15 miles (25 km) away from high precipitation zones, annual precipitation can be as low as 8 inches (200 mm) per year. Areas where this effect is observed include: Downslope winds occur on the leeward side of mountain barriers when a stable air mass

513-406: The long summer days at such latitudes do permit some agriculture. In some areas, ice has scoured rock surfaces bare, entirely stripping off the overburden. Elsewhere, rock basins have been formed and stream courses dammed, creating countless lakes. Should one go northward or even toward a polar sea, one finds that the warmest month has an average temperature of less than 10 °C (50 °F), and

540-423: The long winters and make use of the short summers. Trees are mostly limited to conifers , as few broadleaved trees are able to survive the very low temperatures in winter. This type of forest is also known as taiga , a term which is sometimes applied to the climate found therein as well. Even though the diversity may be low, the area and numbers are high, and the taiga (boreal) forest is the largest forest biome on

567-425: The low temperatures and evapotranspiration . Away from the coasts, precipitation occurs mostly in the summer months, while in coastal areas with subarctic climates the heaviest precipitation is usually during the autumn months when the relative warmth of sea vis-à-vis land is greatest. Low precipitation, by the standards of more temperate regions with longer summers and warmer winters, is typically sufficient in view of

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594-418: The most extreme seasonal temperature variations found on the planet: in winter, temperatures can drop to below −50 °C (−58 °F) and in summer, the temperature may exceed 26 °C (79 °F). However, the summers are short; no more than three months of the year (but at least one month) must have a 24-hour average temperature of at least 10 °C (50 °F) to fall into this category of climate, and

621-460: The planet, with most of the forests located in Russia and Canada . The process by which plants become acclimated to cold temperatures is called hardening . Agricultural potential is generally poor, due to the natural infertility of soils and the prevalence of swamps and lakes left by departing ice sheets , and short growing seasons prohibit all but the hardiest of crops. Despite the short season,

648-453: The southern boundary of this climate zone. Seasonal thaw penetrates from 2 to 14 ft (0.6 to 4.3 m), depending on latitude, aspect, and type of ground. Some northern areas with subarctic climates located near oceans (southern Alaska , northern Norway , Sakhalin Oblast and Kamchatka Oblast ), have milder winters and no permafrost, and are more suited for farming unless precipitation

675-403: The subarctic climate grades into a tundra climate not at all suitable for trees. Southward, this climate grades into the humid continental climates with longer summers (and usually less-severe winters) allowing broadleaf trees ; in a few locations close to a temperate sea (as in northern Norway and southern Alaska ), this climate can grade into a short-summer version of an oceanic climate ,

702-428: The very low evapotranspiration to allow a water-logged terrain in many areas of subarctic climate and to permit snow cover during winter, which is generally persistent for an extended period. A notable exception to this pattern is that subarctic climates occurring at high elevations in otherwise temperate regions have extremely high precipitation due to orographic lift . Mount Washington , with temperatures typical of

729-519: The warmer months and creates large glaciers in Kamchatka. Labrador , in eastern Canada, is similarly wet throughout the year due to the semi-permanent Icelandic Low and can receive up to 1,300 millimetres (51 in) of rainfall equivalent per year, creating a snow cover of up to 1.5 metres (59 in) that does not melt until June. Vegetation in regions with subarctic climates is generally of low diversity, as only hardy tree species can survive

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