#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The increase in atmospheric air temperature in Norilsk amounted to 0.6 degrees per decade. This was shown by a study conducted by Nornickel together with scientists from the Atmospheric Physics Institute.
“Together with the scientists, we have carried out one of the first comprehensive studies in this area. We looked at how the climate in Norilsk has changed since the 1960s. And we understand that in Norilsk the Paris Agreement condition – two degrees of warming – has already been passed. The trend is about 0.6 degrees in ten years, that is, it’s already more than two degrees”, said Sergey Golovachev, head of the methodology and sustainable development standards area at Nornickel, at the expert and scientific seminar Low-Carbon Transformation in Metallurgy: Risks and Opportunities For Russia.
According to him, the study results confirm the global conclusion that in the northern latitudes, warming is accelerating – several times faster than the average on the planet, TASS writes.
The study also showed an increase in the duration of periods with precipitation in the cold season and a decrease in the duration of periods without precipitation, a shift in days with stable snow cover, an increase in the height of snow cover, and an increase in the average depth of thawing of permafrost soils. The latter factor is especially important in the context of ensuring the Nornickel and other companies’ work safety and continuity in the region.
The scientists also modeled possible future climate changes in Norilsk on the 2050 horizon in three different scenarios. Experts predict continued growth in the average annual air temperature from 0.1 to 0.6 degrees per decade.
An increase in precipitation is also expected, which in the cold period will lead to an increase in the depth of snow cover by 20-30 percent. An increase in the depth of seasonal thawing of permafrost soils is also predicted. More thunderstorms are possible.
Sergey Golovachev also said that in 2023 Nornickel plans to release the first thematic public report on climate change.
Earlier, This Is Taimyr wrote that Nornickel had worked out three possible climate change scenarios. We also reported that Arctic lakes are drying up due to climate change.
Scientists express fears that polar bears may disappear: due to the melting of ice, predators are not able to provide themselves with food. Grass began to grow in the tundra instead of reindeer moss. Warming also affects shipping in high latitudes.
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Text: Ekaterina Maksimova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko and Olga Polyanskaya
