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Area of Russia’s arid plain lands

  • Systematic Study of Arid Territories
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Abstract

We determine the northern boundary and area of dry lands in Russia’s plains in modern climatic conditions in accordance with the recommendations of the UN Convention to Battle Desertification. We present a map of the moisture index distribution in which the potential evapotranspiration is calculated by the Thornthwaite method. The area of dry lands in Russia’s plains does not exceed 0.7 mln km2. In the discussion, we present a case in favor of keeping the boundary of dry lands in mind in estimating desertification/degradation to decrease the scatter of data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetnyi per. 29, Moscow, 109107, Russia

    A. N. Zolotokrylin & E. A. Cherenkova

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  1. A. N. Zolotokrylin
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  2. E. A. Cherenkova
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Correspondence to A. N. Zolotokrylin.

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Original Russian Text © A.N. Zolotokrylin, E.A. Cherenkova, 2011, published in Aridnye Ekosistemy, 2011, Vol. 17, No. 1 (46), pp. 17–25.

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Zolotokrylin, A.N., Cherenkova, E.A. Area of Russia’s arid plain lands. Arid Ecosyst 1, 8–13 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096111010100

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