East Ural Nature Reserve () is a Russian '

zapovednik A zapovednik is an established term on the Post-Soviet states, territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which is kept "forever wild". It is the highest degree of environmental protection for the assigned areas, which are strictly ...

' (strict nature reserve) that is near the site of the 1957

Kyshtym disaster The Kyshtym disaster, ( Russian: Кыштымская авария), sometimes referred to as the Mayak disaster or Ozyorsk disaster in newer sources, was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on 29 September 1957 at Mayak, a pluto ...

, the world's second highest radioactivity release after

Chernobyl Chernobyl, officially called Chornobyl, is a partially abandoned city in Vyshhorod Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, to the north of Kyiv and to the southwest of Gomel in neighbouring Belarus. ...

. As a state "radiation reserve", the site functions for the protection of a contaminated area, and for long-term scientific study of the effects of radiation on the forest-steppe ecology on the east slope of the southern

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

. The reserve is situated in Ozyorsk,

Chelyabinsk Oblast Chelyabinsk Oblast; , is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chel ...

. It was formally established in 1968, and covers . The reserve, as of 2007, is under the control of

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom (commonly referred to as Rosatom rus, Росатом, p=rosˈatəm}), also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, (), or Rosatom State Corporation, is a Russian State corporation (Russia), sta ...

, a state-run corporation, which conducts regular radiation and radio ecological monitoring.

Topography

The East Ural Reserve is oblong in shape, pointing towards the northeast, with a width of approximately 10 km and a length of 50 km.

Ecoregion and climate

East Ural Nature Reserve is located in the '' West Siberian taiga'' ecoregion, a region that covers the West Siberian Plain, from the Urals to the Central Siberian Plateau. It is a region of extensive conifer boreal forests, and also extensive wetlands, including bogs and mires. The climate of East Ural Nature Reserve is '' humid continental climate, cool summer'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

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 ...

). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ).

Ecoeducation and access

As a state radiation and strict nature reserve, the East Ural Reserve is not accessible to the public.

References

External links

Map of East Ural Reserve, OpenStreetMap

Discussion of the East Ural Reserve, and map, at Wikimapia
{{Russian Zapovedniks Nature reserves in Russia Radioactively contaminated areas Protected areas established in 1968 1968 establishments in Russia Geography of Chelyabinsk Oblast Zapovednik

Topography

Ecoregion and climate

Ecoeducation and access

See also

References

External links