Russian climate doctrine and strategy include climate change as one of the biggest 21st century challenges especially socio-economic development of the Arctic region with both opportunities and risks (Drachkova et al., 2023, Kremlin, 2020). The Arctic is warming twice as fast as other areas with reduced snow cover, reduced permafrost, increased precipitation. Sea ice is…
Category: Russian North
A regulatory shhh across Arctic coastal ecosystems?
Alongside the Arctic Ocean, the Barents, White, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi seas are marine ecosystems including seabeds, ocean floor and subsoils. Increases in drilling of the continental shelf increases environmental impact. Yakovleva noted the most common issues are emissions, oil / oil product spills, pollution, waste (including metals, radioactive, plastic etc ), and…
Why do people move in, out and around Siberia?
Researchers looked at the ‘impact of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the migration of the rural Arctic population of Western Siberia’. They focused on the Yamal–Nenets Autonomous Okrug. They analysed long-term migration data collected from surveys and interviews between 2012 and 2021, Rosstat and other Russian databases including open-source platforms. Districts included Nadymsky, Yamalsky, Tazovsky,…
Understanding hydrological pressures caused by melting permafrost
Researchers evaluated the current network of hydrometeorological observation across the permafrost. They wanted to find out how to improve statistical approaches for modelling engineering design and hydrological impact from melting permafrost such as increased flooding. They reviewed the distribution of ground temperature stations and hydrological gauges that currently measure streamflow discharge, where permafrost is covering…
Less fizz, more plants – acids and eutrophication in Arctic lakes
Russian researchers identified acidification of lakes during 1990s in Murmansk, Karelia, Archangelsk and Vologda regions and found up to 5% of lakes have acidification due to human causes in humid areas of European Russia and West Siberia. Nornickel was identified as the main contributor of sulphur dioxide SO2 in Kola and Norilsk areas. However since…
Pine trees enjoying Russian warmth
A study by Krasnoyarsk Science Centre in 2019 caught attention, highlighting how birch trees are ‘climbing mountains’ with e.g., the increases in temperature affecting their habitats. Researchers from the Botanic Garden Institute in Yekaterinburg and the Institute of Soil and Water Conservation in Xianyang, recently studied Pinus Sibirica species (Siberian cedar/stone pine) in the Ural…
Understanding rain, snow and cyclones across the Barents Sea
[Ed. Alexander Kislov and his team are some of Russia’s leading climate scientists] Interest in the effect of warming temperatures in the Arctic continues to grow, with researchers studying a range of impacts such as reduced sea ice, animal migration, flora changes and overall adaptation. However building an overall picture takes multiple projects and multiple…
Shamanic Dress, Reindeer Herding, and the Challenge of Climate Change in Northern Siberia
Vera Solovyeva is researching how the Éven indigenous people are adapting to climate change, and how it affects their shamanic beliefs particularly for breeding and managing reindeer. For example: During the celebration of the new year at the summer solstice, a reindeer is sacrificed in honor of Hɵvki, the highest deity. The sun reindeer is…
Siberian trees are telling the humans it’s too hot !
Increases in sea ice melt, permafrost melt and wildfires are observed whilst Siberian temperatures continue to escalate beyond previous records, for example 38°C last year inside the Arctic Circle. To understand the changes, researchers looked at proxy records. Historically in the Siberian Arctic they have mostly included low-resolution pollen records and laminated lake sediments. They…
Permafrost and cryogenic monitoring in the western Russian Arctic.
Permafrost is currently analysed by reviewing temperatures at different layers compared with air and ground surface temperatures, depth of freezing and thawing, as well as overall coverage including snow and vegetation. Mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and mean annual ground temperatures (MAGT) are a widely used source of analysis with the practical measurements being completed…
Russian Climate Research 