Russia faces unprecedented heat as global warming shifts air currents nationwide
Russia’s main meteorological service reports about unusually high temperatures across the country.
“Temperatures are very high all over Russia. This is due to the transfer of warm air from the Atlantic, – Roman Vilfand, head of the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre, told the Russian news agency Tass, – Global warming changes the circulation of the air. The passage of Atlantic air to Siberia and especially to the Far East used to be extremely rare, but in the current century such a situation is occurring more and more often.”
Vilfand pointed out that in one of the coldest regions of Russia – Yakutia – the air is 16-20 degrees warmer.
The situation is similar in other parts of Siberia:
“Just look at this!” Vilfand exclaims, “It’s already the end of November, but the temperature in the Urals is around 0°C!”
Earlier, the head of the meteorological service told journalists that Russia’s climate is warming faster than on average anywhere else in the world.
The Arctic specifically is the area that is warming the fastest. Meanwhile, researchers in Europe are increasingly worried about the lack of access to data from the Russian side of the Arctic. The war in Ukraine has put scientific exchanges with Russia on hold for almost three years now.
The year 2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
Water temperatures in the Arctic Ocean keep rising, with some fjords in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard experiencing changes in marine life.
Earlier this autumn, tourists had to cancel bookings for winter attractions in Finnish Lapland and Arctic Norway due to a lack of snow.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Glacier melt in Arctic Canada exposes plants frozen under ice for 40,000 years, CBC News
Finland: Sámi knowledge helps developing climate policies, The Independent Barents Observer
Greenland: Alarming, above-average ice loss in Greenland due to rising temperatures, Eye on the Arctic
Iceland: Diplomat warns lessons of EU seal ban harm mustn’t be forgotten amid green transition, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Vegetation in Arctic Europe disturbed by mid-autumn thaw, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Oral histories unlock impact of climate change on nomadic life in Arctic Russia, says study, Eye on the Arctic
Sweden: Another year of shrinking glaciers predicted in Sweden’s Far North, CBC News
United States: New research suggest some salmon species expanding their range in the Arctic, Eye on the Arctic
