The Future of Russia's Landscape

Russia is truly one of the world's most varied landscapes. From the cold, unforgiving arctic landscape of Siberia, to the lush temperate forests that range broadly across the country. No other country can boast having tundra, semi-deserts, steppes, and taiga (coniferous forests). Russia's geography is unique in the sense that it is diverse, yet monotonous at the same time.

The Caucasus Mountains (cc:wikipedia.org)

As with any other landscape, Russia's landscape is changing at slow and steady pace. Due to my extensive knowledge of information I have received from Professor Allen's class, I can hypothesize what the landscape possibly may look like in the near, and distant future.

The Caucasus mountains were formed when the Arabian plate pushed north and collided into the Eurasian plate [3]. The plates are converging with each other, causing the mountain range to rise [2] In the next thousand to ten thousand years, I can comfortably predict that the Caucasus mountains will rise, pushing Mount Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe even further.

Eco-regions of Russia. Notice the taiga in forest green, the largest area.

Siberia is well known for it's harsh, unforgiving landscape. It also known for the Gulags that many political "undesirables" were sent to during the Soviet Union era. The area is mostly encompassed by taiga and fringe tundra in the north. The National Climatic Data estimates an increase of 0.74 degrees Celsius [1]. As the global temperatures rise within the next thousand years, I think the tundra will recede north and Siberia will become a more temperate climate. You can expect to see an increase in vegetation and wildlife as the temperature rises in the tundra within ten thousand years. However, as the Earth tends to balance itself out, the tundra will return eventually in the next million years.

Jack London Lake at Kolyma, Russia (cc: Wikipedia)

In conclusion, Russia's landscape is changing gradually. I can hypothesize that many of the physical features will still be there within the next thousand years, but there are many variables that can change that. Namely, the human variable. As the world demands more and more resources, much of the Russian landscape will be subject to exploitation. Heavy deforestation in our quest for more oil and resources will definitely affect the pristine lakes and untapped beauty that is Russia. I can only hope that the landscape remains unchanged so that future generations can enjoy them.



Sources: [1] http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/earth-actually-getting-warmer

[2] Journal of Geophysical Research http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/directory/?index_id=X17674

[3] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/96JB03736/abstract