Editing Central Asia (section)

== Climate ==
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 Central Asia 1991–2020.svg|alt=Köppen–Geiger climate classification map at 1-km resolution for Central Asia (1991–2020)|thumb|300x300px|Köppen–Geiger climate classification map at 1-km resolution for Central Asia (1991–2020)]]
Because Central Asia is landlocked and not buffered by a large body of water, temperature fluctuations are often severe, excluding the hot, sunny summer months. In most areas, the climate is dry and continental, with hot summers and cool to cold winters, with occasional snowfall. Outside high-elevation areas, the climate is mostly semi-arid to arid. In lower elevations, summers are hot with blazing sunshine. Winters feature occasional rain or snow from low-pressure systems that cross the area from the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Average monthly precipitation is very low from July to September, rises in autumn (October and November) and is highest in March or April, followed by swift drying in May and June. Winds can be strong, producing dust storms sometimes, especially toward the end of the summer in September and October. Specific cities that exemplify Central Asian climate patterns include [[Tashkent]] and [[Samarkand]], Uzbekistan, [[Ashgabat]], Turkmenistan, and [[Dushanbe]], Tajikistan. The last of these represents one of the wettest climates in Central Asia, with an average annual precipitation of over {{convert|22|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=in}}.

Biogeographically, Central Asia is part of the [[Palearctic realm]]. The largest [[biome]] in Central Asia is the [[temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]] biome. Central Asia also contains the [[montane grasslands and shrublands]], [[deserts and xeric shrublands]] and [[temperate coniferous forests]] biomes.

=== Climate change ===
{{Main|Climate change in Asia}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map Central Asia future.svg|thumb|2071–2100 Central Asia map under [[Representative Concentration Pathway|the worst climate change scenario]]. Mid-range scenarios are currently considered more likely<ref name="HausfatherPeters2020">{{cite journal|last1=Hausfather|first1=Zeke|last2=Peters|first2=Glen|title=Emissions – the 'business as usual' story is misleading|journal=Nature|date=29 January 2020|volume=577|issue=7792|pages=618–20|doi=10.1038/d41586-020-00177-3|pmid=31996825|bibcode=2020Natur.577..618H|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Schuur2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Schuur |first1=Edward A.G. |last2=Abbott |first2=Benjamin W. |last3=Commane |first3=Roisin |last4=Ernakovich |first4=Jessica |last5=Euskirchen |first5=Eugenie |last6=Hugelius |first6=Gustaf |last7=Grosse |first7=Guido |last8=Jones |first8=Miriam |last9=Koven |first9=Charlie |last10=Leshyk |first10=Victor |last11=Lawrence |first11=David |last12=Loranty |first12=Michael M. |last13=Mauritz |first13=Marguerite |last14=Olefeldt |first14=David |last15=Natali |first15=Susan |last16=Rodenhizer |first16=Heidi |last17=Salmon |first17=Verity |last18=Schädel |first18=Christina |last19=Strauss |first19=Jens |last20=Treat |first20=Claire |last21=Turetsky |first21=Merritt |year=2022 |title=Permafrost and Climate Change: Carbon Cycle Feedbacks From the Warming Arctic |journal=Annual Review of Environment and Resources |volume=47 |pages=343–371 |doi=10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-011847 |quote="Medium-range estimates of Arctic carbon emissions could result from moderate climate emission mitigation policies that keep global warming below 3°C (e.g., RCP4.5). This global warming level most closely matches country emissions reduction pledges made for the Paris Climate Agreement..." |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022ARER...47..343S }}</ref><ref name="Phiddian2022">{{Cite web |last=Phiddian |first=Ellen |date=5 April 2022 |title=Explainer: IPCC Scenarios |url=https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/climate/explainer-ipcc-scenarios/ |website=[[Cosmos (magazine)|Cosmos]] |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote="The IPCC doesn't make projections about which of these scenarios is more likely, but other researchers and modellers can. [[The Australian Academy of Science]], for instance, released a report last year stating that our current emissions trajectory had us headed for a 3°C warmer world, roughly in line with the middle scenario. [[Climate Action Tracker]] predicts 2.5 to 2.9°C of warming based on current policies and action, with pledges and government agreements taking this to 2.1°C. |archive-date=20 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920224129/https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/climate/explainer-ipcc-scenarios/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
As of 2022, there has been a scarcity of research on climate impacts in Central Asia, even though it experiences faster warming than the global average and is generally considered to be one of the more [[climate change vulnerability|climate-vulnerable]] regions in the world.<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|last1=Vakulchuk|first1=Roman|last2=Daloz|first2=Anne Sophie|last3=Overland|first3=Indra|last4=Sagbakken|first4=Haakon Fossum|last5=Standal|first5=Karina|date=26 May 2022|title=A void in Central Asia research: climate change|journal=Central Asian Survey|volume=42|pages=1–20|doi=10.1080/02634937.2022.2059447|s2cid=249116255|issn=0263-4937|doi-access=free|hdl=11250/2999461|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Along with [[West Asia]], it has already had greater increases in hot temperature extremes than the other parts of Asia,<ref name="AR6_WGII_Chapter10" />{{rp|1464}} [[Rainfall]] in Central Asia had decreased, unlike elsewhere in Asia, and the frequency and intensity of [[dust storm]]s had grown (partly due to poor [[land use]] practices). [[Drought]]s have already become more likely, and their likelihood is expected to continue increasing with greater climate change.<ref name="AR6_WGII_Chapter10" />{{rp|1465}} By 2050, people in the [[Amu Darya]] basin may be faced with severe water scarcity due to both climate and socioeconomic reasons.<ref name="AR6_WGII_Chapter10">Shaw, R., Y. Luo, T. S. Cheong, S. Abdul Halim, S. Chaturvedi, M. Hashizume, G. E. Insarov, Y. Ishikawa, M. Jafari, A. Kitoh, J. Pulhin, C. Singh, K. Vasant, and Z. Zhang, 2022: [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_Chapter10.pdf Chapter 10: Asia]. In [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/ Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability] [H.-O. Pörtner, D. C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E. S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, New York, US, pp. 1457–1579 |doi=10.1017/9781009325844.012.</ref>{{rp|1486}}