Long-term Changes in Climatic Characteristics in St. Petersburg and their Possible Environmental Consequences

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 65-71
Author(s):  
V.V. Drozdov ◽  
G.T. Frumin ◽  
A.V. Kosenko

The review and analysis of the long-term variability of the average annual and average air temperature for winter and summer, as well as the values of the amounts of atmospheric precipitation in St. Petersburg were carried out. The correlation between the dynamics of the values of these indicators and the intensity of atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic in the form of the NAO1 index (North Atlantic Oscillation) was estimated. The possible environmental consequences of climate change in the region of St. Petersburg are justified.

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1389-1399 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. De Vita ◽  
V. Allocca ◽  
F. Manna ◽  
S. Fabbrocino

Abstract. Thus far, studies on climate change have focused mainly on the variability of the atmospheric and surface components of the hydrologic cycle, investigating the impact of this variability on the environment, especially with respect to the risks of desertification, droughts and floods. Conversely, the impacts of climate change on the recharge of aquifers and on the variability of groundwater flow have been less investigated, especially in Mediterranean karst areas whose water supply systems depend heavily upon groundwater exploitation. In this paper, long-term climatic variability and its influence on groundwater recharge were analysed by examining decadal patterns of precipitation, air temperature and spring discharges in the Campania region (southern Italy), coupled with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The time series of precipitation and air temperature were gathered over 90 yr, from 1921 to 2010, using 18 rain gauges and 9 air temperature stations with the most continuous functioning. The time series of the winter NAO index and of the discharges of 3 karst springs, selected from those feeding the major aqueducts systems, were collected for the same period. Regional normalised indexes of the precipitation, air temperature and karst spring discharges were calculated, and different methods were applied to analyse the related time series, including long-term trend analysis using smoothing numerical techniques, cross-correlation and Fourier analysis. The investigation of the normalised indexes highlighted the existence of long-term complex periodicities, from 2 to more than 30 yr, with differences in average values of up to approximately ±30% for precipitation and karst spring discharges, which were both strongly correlated with the winter NAO index. Although the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) had already been demonstrated in the long-term precipitation and streamflow patterns of different European countries and Mediterranean areas, the results of this study allow for the establishment of a link between a large-scale atmospheric cycle and the groundwater recharge of carbonate karst aquifers. Consequently, the winter NAO index could also be considered as a proxy to forecast the decadal variability of groundwater flow in Mediterranean karst areas.


2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 493-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Makrogiannis ◽  
H. S. Sahsamanoglou ◽  
A. A. Flocas ◽  
A. A. Bloutsos

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 11233-11275
Author(s):  
P. De Vita ◽  
V. Allocca ◽  
F. Manna ◽  
S. Fabbrocino

Abstract. Climate change is one of the issues most debated by the scientific community with a special focus to the combined effects of anthropogenic modifications of the atmosphere and the natural climatic cycles. Various scenarios have been formulated in order to forecast the global atmospheric circulation and consequently the variability of the global distribution of air temperature and rainfall. The effects of climate change have been analysed with respect to the risks of desertification, droughts and floods, remaining mainly limited to the atmospheric and surface components of the hydrologic cycle. Consequently the impact of the climate change on the recharge of regional aquifers and on the groundwater circulation is still a challenging topic especially in those areas whose aqueduct systems depend basically on springs or wells, such as the Campania region (Southern Italy). In order to analyse the long-term climatic variability and its influence on groundwater circulation, we analysed decadal patterns of precipitation, air temperature and spring discharges in the Campania region (Southern Italy), coupled with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The time series of precipitation and air temperature were gathered over 90 yr, in the period from 1921 to 2010, choosing 18 rain gauges and 9 air temperature stations among those with the most continuous functioning as well as arranged in a homogeneous spatial distribution. Moreover, for the same period, we gathered the time series of the winter NAO index (December to March mean) and of the discharges of the Sanità spring, belonging to an extended carbonate aquifer (Cervialto Mount) located in the central-eastern area of the Campania region, as well as of two other shorter time series of spring discharges. The hydrogeological features of this aquifer, its relevance due to the feeding of an important regional aqueduct system, as well as the unique availability of a long-lasting time series of spring discharges, allowed us to consider it as an ideal test site, representative of the other carbonate aquifers in the Campania region. The time series of regional normalised indexes of mean annual precipitation, mean annual air temperature and mean annual effective precipitation, as well as the time series of the normalised annual discharge index were calculated. Different methods were applied to analyse the time series: long-term trend analysis, through smoothing numerical techniques, cross-correlation and Fourier analysis. The investigation of the normalised indexes has highlighted long-term complex periodicities, strongly correlated with the winter NAO index. Moreover, we also found robust correlations among precipitation indexes and the annual discharge index, as well as between the latter and the NAO index itself. Although the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation had already been proved on long-term precipitation and streamflow patterns of different European countries and Mediterranean areas, the results obtained appear original because they establish a link between a large-scale atmospheric cycle and the groundwater circulation of regional aquifers. Therefore, we demonstrated that the winter NAO index can be considered as an effective proxy to forecast the decadal variability of groundwater circulation in Mediterranean areas and in estimating critical scenarios for the feeding of aqueduct systems.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Meirelles

<p>Climate change cause large, long-term impacts on human well-being and adds more pressure to terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The archipelago of the Azores is located in the subtropical region of the North Atlantic and is therefore highly influenced by the North Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclone. As it is an almost stationary high pressure system, whose development and orientation determine the nature and characteristics of the air masses that reach the region. The motivation for this research has two phases; the first was to study the effects of some meteorological parameters (temperature, radiation, wind speed, humidity, precipitation, evaporation, tank temperature and tank level) for the period 2010-2012, on the biodiversity of phytoplankton communities in relation to the abundance of these organisms in the lagoons of Fogo, Furnas, and Sete Cidades of the island of São Miguel - Azores, for the period 2010-2012, using an analysis in Principal  Components, which will allow correlating the meteorological parameters and the abundance of phytoplankton. The phytoplankton and meteorological community data were obtained from the website of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change of the Azores Government. In a second phase, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis of the ERA5 project (ECMWF Re-Analyzes) was used for the 1979-2019 observation period and for the Azores region. For this region, the deviations of the surface air temperature, average annual precipitation and climatological extremes were calculated, this referring to the maximum number of consecutive days with precipitation <1 mm, and also, the number of tropical nights using the ERA5 reanalysis series in the period 1979-2019 with reference to 1961-1990. Projections were also estimated up to 2100 and according to scenarios RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 for the referred parameters. Finally, variations for the end of the century (2071-2100) were estimated with reference to the most recent situation of 1991-2020.</p><p>The thermal balance of a lagoon is associated with climatic and meteorological conditions. Much of the biological processes in the lagoons are directly affected by thermal changes in the water, and therefore, indirectly affected by climatic variation. Understanding the interaction between the lagoon-atmosphere system is important to predict the consequences of the effects of climate change on the abundance of phytoplankton. In this study, a positive correlation was verified between precipitation and abundance of Bacillariophyta, Dinophyta and Cryptophyta. From the calculations performed, the average of the models results in an increase in the maximum number of consecutive days with low rainfall (<1mm) from + 0.2 to 4.8 days / year until the year 2100, with a lower abundance of these algae being expected. On the other hand, Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta and Chrisophyta are well correlated with high values ​​of air temperature, lagoon water temperature and solar radiation. Thus, it is estimated an increase in the abundance of these algae, due to the forecasts of several models, that point to an increase in the average annual temperature in this region between 1 and 3 K until the year 2100, with reference to the period from 1961 to 1990.</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1783) ◽  
pp. 20133350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grégory Beaugrand ◽  
Eric Goberville ◽  
Christophe Luczak ◽  
Richard R Kirby

Phenological, biogeographic and community shifts are among the reported responses of marine ecosystems and their species to climate change. However, despite both the profound consequences for ecosystem functioning and services, our understanding of the root causes underlying these biological changes remains rudimentary. Here, we show that a significant proportion of the responses of species and communities to climate change are deterministic at some emergent spatio-temporal scales, enabling testable predictions and more accurate projections of future changes. We propose a theory based on the concept of the ecological niche to connect phenological, biogeographic and long-term community shifts. The theory explains approximately 70% of the phenological and biogeographic shifts of a key zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus in the North Atlantic and approximately 56% of the long-term shifts in copepods observed in the North Sea during the period 1958–2009.


Author(s):  
Māris Kļaviņš ◽  
Zanita Avotniece ◽  
Valērijs Rodinovs

Abstract The sea ice regime is considered to be a sensitive indicator of climate change. This study investigates long-term changes in the ice regimes of the Gulf of Riga along the coast of Latvia in comparison with those of inland waters. The ice regime of the studied region indicates the impact of climate change related to increasing air and sea water temperatures. Ice cover duration on both the sea and inland waters has decreased during recent decades. In addition, long-term records on ice break in the studied region exhibit a pattern of periodic changes in the intensity of ice regime, while trends of the sea ice regime are not consistent between periods of time. Alternating mild and severe winters also occur. The ice regime was shown to be strongly influenced by large-scale atmospheric circulation processes over the North Atlantic, as indicated by close correlation with the North Atlantic Oscillation index.


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