This is the conclusion reached by scientists from Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, after analyzing the features of changes in the duration of winter in the Russian Arctic over the past 60 years.

The Arctic is a unique region in terms of research, since the climate change processes occurring here are faster than in other parts of our planet.

The basis of the conducted research was the study of the shift of the boundaries of climatic seasons over the years, allowing us to judge global climate changes. The boundaries of the seasons of the year are usually determined by the average daily air temperature, taking into account the accepted errors. At the same time, the timing of the formation and melting of snow cover for the Arctic territories is a direct indicator of climate change.

Scientists analyzed average daily temperature and snow cover data at 620 weather stations from 1958 to 2023. Based on the processed data, maps with interpolation surfaces were constructed, reflecting changes in the boundaries of winter and its duration in comparison with the periods of 1991-2020 and 1961-1990 for the Russian Arctic. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the duration of the winter period in this area has decreased.

Despite the almost equal average values ​​of the change in the date of the end and beginning of winter in the territory under consideration, the duration of winter in the Russian Arctic changes unevenly. Thus, scientists have discovered that the end of winter comes on average 5-10 days earlier in the coastal areas of the Arctic seas. In turn, winter begins later by 3-10 days in the European part of the Russian Arctic compared to its eastern part, with the exception of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

The results of the study were published in the highly rated Russian journal “Arctic: Ecology and Economics”:

http://eng.arctica-ac.ru/article/729/

The work was carried out within the framework of the RSF grant 22-77-10074 “Atmospheric transport as a source of pollution of ecosystems of the western sector of the Russian Arctic” under the supervision of PhD in Geographical Sciences E.I. Kotova.