Scientists looking at Siberia are alarmed: this would be possible only once in 100,000. years

The air temperature recorded in Siberia last month was up to 10 degrees higher than the average. Therefore, May this year was the warmest in the entire Russian region since the beginning of the temperature record in 1979. The information was obtained through the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), a program controlled by the Commission European. According to C3S findings, last month was the hottest month ever observed, not only in Siberia but worldwide, according to CNN.

According to climatologist Martin Stendel, the temperature deviation recorded in northwestern Siberia last month would only be possible once per 100,000. years. Unfortunately, due to climate change, this pattern may have changed.

Incidentally, not only May can be considered a warmer period than usual in Siberia: the temperature of the groundwater layer in this region was higher than average throughout the winter and spring. This trend has been particularly pronounced since January.

“We have no doubt that this is a worrying signal,” said the head of the C3S program. specialist Freja Vamborg.

Significant changes in air temperature in Siberia, notable when comparing the data recorded annually, are quite common. In previous years, temperature deviations have even been observed that exceed the indicators recorded during the last six months. However, the prolonged period of warmer-than-average weather for so many months in a row is a particularly unusual phenomenon, according to C3S experts.

Although global warming is a global process, it is not uniform.

For example, the western Siberian region should be highlighted as being most characterized by warming trends and temperature changes.

During global warming, air temperatures in the Arctic are increasing, on average, twice as fast as in other parts of the planet.

This year, the Russian Hydrometeorological Center reported that last winter was the warmest in the entire history of 140 years of meteorological observations.

Greater temperature effect

The negative effects of higher temperatures are already evident.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency in the Siberian city of Norilsk when 20,000 people were thrown from a power plant into a nearby river. tons of fuel

Representatives from the company that controls the power plant, Nornickel, said the base of the storage tank could be affected by melting permafrost, which in turn shows how threatening global warming is for Arctic infrastructure and ecosystems. , stressed the Russian state news agency. TASS

“It can now be assumed that the unusually hot summer, as evidenced by temperatures recorded in previous years, may have released a layer of permafrost and drowned the platform supports,” said Nornickel CEO Sergei Djachenko, according to TASS.

Sergei Verkhovec, WWF Russia Arctic Project Coordinator, said the consequences were simply catastrophic.

“We will see the consequences in the coming years,” said Verchovec. “I’m talking about dead fish, contaminated bird feathers, and poisoned animals.”

Last year, the Arctic region was devastated by fires of unprecedented proportions. The amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere must be calculated in megatons, which are official estimates from Russia.