Geographia Polonica (2011) vol. 84, iss. Special Issue Part 1

Approaches to assessment of relief-forming processes under conditions of global warming (with reference to Northern Eurasia within the boundaries of the former USSR

Andrej Alekseevič Veličko, Irina I. Spasskaâ

Geographia Polonica (2011) vol. 84, iss. Special Issue Part 1, pp. 179-187 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/GPol.2011.S1.12

Abstract

Palaeoclimatic characteristics based on paleogeographic reconstructions for the optimumsof the Holocene and the last interglacial appear to be close in estimated range of globalwarming to those expected in the current century according to IPCC (scenario A1B). Reconstructionsof the state of environmental components in Northern Eurasia under given seasonaland annual temperature and precipitations allowed developing scenarios of expected changes inecosystems within individual landscape zones. Regions of most probable appearance of instabilityin ecosystems are mostly confined to northern lowlands (permafrost degradation), plains inthe southern East European Plain (accelerated erosion) and southern mountains (mudflows,landslides, etc.).

Keywords: palaeoclimates, global warming, ecosystems, prognosis, relief-forming processes, Northern Eurasia

Andrej Alekseevič Veličko, Laboratory of Evolutionary Geography, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetny per. 29, Moscow 119017, Russia
Irina I. Spasskaâ, Laboratory of Evolutionary Geography, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetny per. 29, Moscow 119017, Russia