Vol 44, No 8 (2019)

The characteristics of spatiotemporal variability of air temperature and ozone mass mixing ratio at 26 levels from the ground to the altitude of 64 km are considered using the ERA-Interim reanalysis data for 1979–2016. Differences are revealed in the distribution of air temperature trends between seasons and latitude zones, between the Atlantic-European, Asian-Pacific, and American sectors of the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, and between the thermal regime over the land and ocean. The correlations between the layers and atmospheric circulation patterns in different seasons are assessed.

The potential of using data of long-term AMSR-E (EOS Aqua satellite) microwave radiometer measurements for the determination of heat fluxes in the North Atlantic energy active zones in 2003–2011 is investigated. It is shown that there is a direct (linear regression) correlation between seasonal and interannual variations in average monthly vertical turbulent fluxes of total (sensible and latent) heat at the sea surface and brightness temperature of the ocean-atmosphere system in these zones. It is found that the highest accuracy of reproducing variations in average monthly brightness temperature can be reached using AMSR-E radiometer channels which are sensitive to the total column water vapor and sea surface temperature.

The study presents the quantification of changes in agroclimatic conditions for the growth of varieties of cotton, spring wheat, and spring barley in Central Asia by the middle of the 21st century. The quantification is based on the ensemble of future climate projections provided by the regional climate model with the resolution of 25 km. The IPCC RCP8.5 radiative forcing scenario is used. The expected agroclimatic consequences of global warming and the possibility of adapting agriculture in the Central Asian republics to future climate change are analyzed.

The study presents the results of the comparative analysis of statistical characteristics for summer and autumn precipitation over the 60-year observation period in the territories protected against hail and in adjoining areas. It is found that a trend toward the precipitation decrease in May–August is observed at all analyzed weather stations. At the same time, at the weather stations located in the center of protected territories, the precipitation increases by 7–9% as compared to the background weather station. The statistical verification using the F-test corroborated the change in the characteristics of summer total precipitation at Korneshty weather station (the protected territory) at the significance level of 0.05. It is revealed that a 30% increase is registered at weather stations in the area of hail suppression activities in September (the increase in total precipitation by the first month after the end of antihail activities). The authors associate this fact with the presence of the “aftereffect” of cloud seeding with the reagents based on silver iodide.

The transformation of tropical cyclones arriving from the Northwest Pacific on the polar front is considered. Almost always it causes natural disasters in the Russian Far East. The pressure-circulation analysis of the most typical cases is presented, and the synoptic conditions accompanying them are studied in detail. The quantitative indicator of the transformation is proposed for its further use in forecasting.

The vertical structure and annual variations in the urban heat island (UHI) and dry/wet islands over Moscow are investigated using MetOp satellite data for 2015–2017. It is shown that Moscow is characterized by the dominance of the evening maximum of UHI intensity; however, the UHI intensification during the cold season mainly occurs in the daytime. According to satellite data, the maximum development of UHI over Moscow is observed in the forenoon in January. The urban effect propagates to the height of ~2000 m during the warm season and to the height of 1250 m in the forenoon and to 800 m in the evening during the cold season. During the warm season, UHI is accompanied by the dry island in the forenoon and by the wet island at the upper levels in the evening. The existence of the wet island in the lower air layers was not corroborated. Due to the current accuracy of temperature and humidity retrieval (0.5–1 K and 10%, respectively) as well as due to the low vertical resolution of satellite data, the present research is mainly methodological, and the results are preliminary and open to discussion.