Latvia Changing

The physical world around us is alive and constantly changing, forming and dismantling itself, Latvia being no exception. Its hills, open flatlands, and many lakes of the land were formed by glacial movements during the several ice ages of the past. Because glaciers were retreating, they left behind loose material (till, fig. 1) or mounds of ice, the latter, after time, making lakes (fig. 2) Latvia’s landscape is primarily formed by glaciers, little seismic or platonic activity shaping the land due to fact that it is not near the Eurasian plate border.

Figure 2
The ice left behind by the glacier
depresses into the ground because
of its intense weight. The ice will
melt after time to form a lake.

Figure 1
Till is a loose deposit of rock, clay, or
other lose material left by glaciers as they
retreated

1,000 Years

From what we know about the past, we are able to take a gander about the future. Since we are coming out of an ice age, even further in 1,000 years, temperatures are sure to rise which will melt glaciers and raise sea levels, though not too significantly too have an adverse affect on Latvia.. The air flow Latvia gets from the sea is sure to be warmer and more humid. The climate will perhaps become wetter, winters may lighten up and summers will be warmer, but the amount of precipitation in either season will definitely increase as the temperature does since warmer air can hold more moisture.

Figure 3
The river moves around by erosion, the banks cutting into
the land. Each time it leaves a scar on the land,
showing where a river has been, making it easy to map
its previous locations.

10,000 Years

The ice age can be assumed to be over at this point, record high temperatures around the globe will be present. With more of the glaciers melted and the sea levels rising to a greater significance, the coast line of Latvia will have moved further inland, with the humidity in the air increasing. Because of this increase and the land itself becoming closer to the ocean, it could start to have an effect on both the soils and the plants in Latvia, perhaps making them both richer and greener. The rivers in Latvia will have moved around, a process called meandering (fig. 3) as well as causing several floods through the years.

1,000,000 Years

Figure 4
the wetlands of Latvia are
extensive and cover most of
the land.

It may be seemingly far into the future for us, but 1million years is short in geographical terms. Due to the constant movement of the tectonic plates in massive ways, Latvia could be located a few degrees away from where it is now. Perhaps there will be another ice age by then, glaciers moving once more into the land, leaving valleys, deposits, and changing the formation of the land. If another ice age hasn't happened by then, perhaps the warmer temperature will have had a more adverse effect on the land, making winters warmer, summers longer, and giving even more rain. The wetlands would surely increase in size and rivers could cute further into the land, creating small valleys.









While it takes much time for geography to change drastically, it is always changing. It is never still and never at rest. Though Latvia’s landscape seems simple and straightforward, it took a lot to form these lands and it will still take a lot to change them. Even if it’s something as simple as rising sea levels or rivers cutting into the land, these things can create drastic changes in a land.

Sources

Information
Information 1
Information 2

Information 3

Information 4

Pictures
Glacial Till (fig. 1)
Glacial Lakes (fig. 2)

Meandering River (fig. 3)
Wetlands (fig. 4)