Russia, Asian part

The applicability of these approaches for the assessment of acidification loading on the terrestrial ecosystems in Asia is made here using the examples of Asian domain (Asian part of Russia, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand). In spite of the great differences in climate, soil and vegetation conditions, these regions can serve as a good test of the proposed methodology. 

In the ecosystems of the Asian part of Russia the values of critical loads for N, CL(N), and S, CL(S), compounds are shown to be less than in Europe due to many peculiarities of climate regime (long winter with accumulation of pollutants in snow cover) and depressed biogeochemical cycling of elements (see section 1). The minimum values of both CL(N) and CL(S) are <50 eq/ha/yr and the maximum ones are >300 eq/ha/yr (Figures 15 and 16). 

Indeed this approach is shown to be the most appropriate for the Asian part of Russia, China, Thailand, Taiwan, where, at present, adequate information on the great spatial variability of natural and anthropogenic factors is either limited or absent (Bashkin and Park, 1998). 

The assessment of air pollution in the Central Asian region is of great significance for environmental risk estimates. Case study countries, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are located in Central Asia and have long boundaries with China, the Asian part of Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Emissions from these countries as well as the... 

The modern biogeochemical accumulation of silicon species was monitored in various parts of northern Eurasia, like Island Greenland, European (Karelia and Kola peninsula) and the Asian part of Russia (Chukotka peninsula). Enlarged concentrations of silicon (15-30mg/L) were found in surface waters, especially in lakes. The source... 

Regarding the uncertainty analysis of critical loads of acid forming compound at different terrestrial ecosystems of the Asian part of Russia, one can see the following. The strongest influential factor for the values of CL(N) is the parameter,... 

Brief analysis of the tables confirms that three above-mentioned main regions of pollution (Europe, the Urals industrial region, and East Asia) have a definite influence on each other. There is a considerable transport from Europe to the East. In particular, up to 40% of the oxidized nitrogen deposition onto the European territory of Russia comes from Europe. For the Asian part of Russia this fraction is about 10%. Corresponding figures for sulfur and ammonia are not so large, which is explained by comparably short transport distance of these species. 

As noted earlier, East Asia is mainly a self-polluted region. Only a few countries are affected by remote sources (first of all, by emitters located in the Asian part of Russia and in Central Asia). The most affected territory belongs to Mongolia, where the fraction of sulfur deposition from remote sources amounts to 30%. The sources in Asia affect Eastern Russia, the shelf seas, and the Pacific Ocean. The main source of all types of pollutants is China. Its annual emission exceeds the values of other countries taken together by a factor of several fold (for sulfur and oxidized nitrogen) or by one order of tar (for ammonia). Consequently this country is the most important donor of the acidifying and euthrophic substances in Asia. The relevant recipients are South Korea and Japan. 

In the European part of the former USSR iodine deficiency areas cover vast territories in the north and west of Russia, Baltic states, Belorussia, western part of Ukraine, the Urals, the Caucasus. Iodine deficiency is also common for the Asian part of the country Siberia, Central Asia, Far East. About 65% of inhabited territory of CIS is considered to be iodine deficient. 

East Asian geographical region occupies the continental part of Far East (Russia, China, North and South Korea) and island parts (Russia, Japan). It is characterized by different subtypes of Cambisols (Spodi-Distric, Spodi-Distric Cryic, Humid, Orti-Distric, Distric) and Podzols, especially in Hokkaido island, in Manchurian and Sikhote-Alin mountains in Dark Needle Forest ecosystems. 

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