Climate research in Arctic regions of Siberia

Abstract

The paper shows the impact of recent changes in air temperature and wind speed on the living conditions of human population in the Arctic regions of Siberia (to the north of 66°N and within 66-162°E). The combined effect of subzero temperatures and wind speed on the thermal status of the exposed surface of the human body was evaluated as a proxy indicator for the severity of the climate. As average monthly temperatures increase, this indicator decreases in the Arctic territories of Siberia. The dynamics of daily fluctuations of threshold values of the weather severity index from October to April from 1966/67 to 2017/2018 has been analysed for the Verkhoyansk station. We found a decrease in the number of days prohibiting and an increase in the number of days restricting a person’s stay outdoors. In the more recent period from 1981/82 to 2017/18, a noticeable decrease in the number of days with prohibitive weather conditions was observed. At the same time, little variation was observed in the average number of days with restrictions in outdoor activities over longer time intervals: the difference between 1936-1964, 1966-2018, and 1981-2018 periods was less than five days.