Abstract
In addition to latitude, elevation, and the land-sea configuration, the Asian monsoon system is also a major control on climates, generating some of the unique features of the region. Except for polar, alpine, and some high-latitude steppe areas, Northeast Asia consists primarily of forest climates throughout. Northeast Asia, and indeed East Asia in general, show lower mean winter temperatures than in other parts of the world at the sane latitude. Extreme temperatures, however, do not fall far below winter means, either in Siberia (high latitude, long nights) or to the south (protective effect of at least somewhat east-west mountain ranges). Three main regions can be distinguished: boreal ultra-continental eastern Siberia, monsoonal continental China and Korea, and maritime Japan. The prospect of future climate change poses special problems for East Asia, due to the many obstacles to northward migration.
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Box, E.O., Choi, J. (2003). Climate of Northeast Asia. In: Kolbek, J., Šrůtek, M., Box, E.O. (eds) Forest Vegetation of Northeast Asia. Geobotany, vol 28. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0143-3_2
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