"Look at this! It's the end of November, but it's 0°C in the Urals"
Russia's main meteorological service reports about unusually high temperatures across the country.
Global warming visualised by NASA. Photo: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Elizaveta Vereykinajournalist
20 November 2024 -
THE BARENTS OBSERVER
"Temperatures are very high all over Russia. This is due to the transfer of warm air from the Atlantic, - Roman Vilfand, head of the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre, told the Russian news agency Tass, - Global warming changes the circulation of the air. The passage of Atlantic air to Siberia and especially to the Far East used to be extremely rare, but in the current century such a situation is occurring more and more often."
Vilfand pointed out that in one of the coldest regions of Russia - Yakutia - the air is 16-20 degrees warmer.
The situation is similar in other parts of Siberia:
"Just look at this!" Vilfand exclaims, "It's already the end of November, but the temperature in the Urals is around 0°C!"
Earlier, the head of the meteorological service told journalists that Russia's climate is warming faster than on average anywhere else in the world.
The Arctic specifically is the area that is warming the fastest. Meanwhile, researchers in Europe are increasingly worried about the lack of access to data from the Russian side of the Arctic. The war in Ukraine has put scientific exchanges with Russia on hold for almost three years now.
The year 2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
Water temperatures in the Arctic Ocean keep rising, with some fjords in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard experiencing changes in marine life.
Earlier this autumn, tourists had to cancel bookings for winter attractions in Finnish Lapland and Arctic Norway due to a lack of snow.
20 November 2024 -
THE BARENTS OBSERVER
"Temperatures are very high all over Russia. This is due to the transfer of warm air from the Atlantic, - Roman Vilfand, head of the Russian Hydrometeorological Centre, told the Russian news agency Tass, - Global warming changes the circulation of the air. The passage of Atlantic air to Siberia and especially to the Far East used to be extremely rare, but in the current century such a situation is occurring more and more often."
Vilfand pointed out that in one of the coldest regions of Russia - Yakutia - the air is 16-20 degrees warmer.
The situation is similar in other parts of Siberia:
"Just look at this!" Vilfand exclaims, "It's already the end of November, but the temperature in the Urals is around 0°C!"
Earlier, the head of the meteorological service told journalists that Russia's climate is warming faster than on average anywhere else in the world.
The Arctic specifically is the area that is warming the fastest. Meanwhile, researchers in Europe are increasingly worried about the lack of access to data from the Russian side of the Arctic. The war in Ukraine has put scientific exchanges with Russia on hold for almost three years now.
The year 2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
Water temperatures in the Arctic Ocean keep rising, with some fjords in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard experiencing changes in marine life.
Earlier this autumn, tourists had to cancel bookings for winter attractions in Finnish Lapland and Arctic Norway due to a lack of snow.
As Arctic climate warms, even Santa runs short of snow
By AFP
November 26, 2024
Rovaniemi should be pretty with snow at this time of year - instead it is wet and grey - Copyright AFP Dale DE LA REY
Anna KORKMAN
With a month to go until Christmas, Santa Claus is busy preparing, but the warming climate and lack of snow in his Arctic hometown have him worried.
By this time of year, the town of Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland — marketed by tourism officials since the 1980s as the “real” home of Santa Claus — should be white and pretty.
But on a recent visit, rain poured down from a gloomy slate sky and the temperature was well above freezing, with the thermometer showing +2C.
“My reindeer can fly, so that’s no problem,” said the man in the red suit and long white beard, resting his weary legs after a long day of meeting excited children and adults.
But “we can see that climate change is real. And it’s affecting the reindeer. It’s affecting life here in the Arctic,” added the man, whose employers declined to identify him by his real name.
Herders say milder and more unpredictable winters have left reindeer struggling to dig up their main food, lichen.
Snow and ice have melted and refrozen, burying it under layers of packed ice.
The Arctic is warming faster than other parts of the world due to climate change — nearly four times as fast, according to research published by Finland-based scientists in the journal Nature in 2022.
Warming global temperatures, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, have been aggravating weather disasters such as floods and droughts worldwide in recent years.
In Finnish Lapland, after a historically warm summer, a new November temperature record was set a few weeks ago when 11.1C was measured in the town of Utsjoki, breaking the previous record of 11.0C from 1975.
– Tourism boom –
Tourists flock to Rovaniemi from around the world to see its enchanting snowy landscapes and experience the Arctic cold.
With only a few hours of daylight this time of the year, many also hope to see the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights streaking across the dark skies.
Last year, the town registered a record high of more than one million overnight stays.
Visitors looking to get a glimpse of Santa can meet the man himself at different locations in Rovaniemi, including the Santa Park underground theme park and the nearby Santa Claus Village.
“It’s super nice. It’s like in the Christmas movies, super magical,” said Maria Batista Torres from Tenerife in Spain, visiting the Santa Claus Village with her two young children.
Glittering fairy lights illuminate rooftops and trees in the Santa Claus Village, which is open all year round.
“I figured it would be much more snowy,” however, said Wenguel, a visitor from the United States.
“I mean, it still feels like Christmas… but I figured it would be a little bit more Santa-like.”
In addition to meeting Santa Claus, visitors can pay to go snowmobiling or jump on a reindeer sleigh-ride.
While visiting Santa Claus Village is free, a picture taken with Santa costs a minimum of 40 euros ($42).
– Wishing for peace –
Gloomy skies aside, Santa Claus’s Post Office in Santa Claus Village was bustling with activity, as red-hooded elves busily stamped cards and sorted piles of letters in the Christmas rush.
“In December there can be about 30,000 letters each day,” said postal elf Heidi Mustonen, who has worked here for 20 years.
Over half a million letters to Santa find their way here every year, Heidi said, insisting that every letter gets opened and read thoroughly.
Most of the letters were wish lists, but both children and adults also wrote to tell Santa about their personal concerns, fears, wishes and joys, with many of the envelopes containing drawings and small gifts.
“This year many people have wished for peace,” Heidi said.
Most letters sent from Asian countries were written by young adults, with many wishing for strength to cope with their studies, she said.
Letters from European countries were meanwhile mostly written by children.
Heidi said she loved the warm and happy atmosphere in Santa’s village, but did wish for snowfall to brighten up the landscape.
“We would make snow everywhere if we could. But we are just postal elves.”
By AFP
November 26, 2024
Rovaniemi should be pretty with snow at this time of year - instead it is wet and grey - Copyright AFP Dale DE LA REY
Anna KORKMAN
With a month to go until Christmas, Santa Claus is busy preparing, but the warming climate and lack of snow in his Arctic hometown have him worried.
By this time of year, the town of Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland — marketed by tourism officials since the 1980s as the “real” home of Santa Claus — should be white and pretty.
But on a recent visit, rain poured down from a gloomy slate sky and the temperature was well above freezing, with the thermometer showing +2C.
“My reindeer can fly, so that’s no problem,” said the man in the red suit and long white beard, resting his weary legs after a long day of meeting excited children and adults.
But “we can see that climate change is real. And it’s affecting the reindeer. It’s affecting life here in the Arctic,” added the man, whose employers declined to identify him by his real name.
Herders say milder and more unpredictable winters have left reindeer struggling to dig up their main food, lichen.
Snow and ice have melted and refrozen, burying it under layers of packed ice.
The Arctic is warming faster than other parts of the world due to climate change — nearly four times as fast, according to research published by Finland-based scientists in the journal Nature in 2022.
Warming global temperatures, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, have been aggravating weather disasters such as floods and droughts worldwide in recent years.
In Finnish Lapland, after a historically warm summer, a new November temperature record was set a few weeks ago when 11.1C was measured in the town of Utsjoki, breaking the previous record of 11.0C from 1975.
– Tourism boom –
Tourists flock to Rovaniemi from around the world to see its enchanting snowy landscapes and experience the Arctic cold.
With only a few hours of daylight this time of the year, many also hope to see the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights streaking across the dark skies.
Last year, the town registered a record high of more than one million overnight stays.
Visitors looking to get a glimpse of Santa can meet the man himself at different locations in Rovaniemi, including the Santa Park underground theme park and the nearby Santa Claus Village.
“It’s super nice. It’s like in the Christmas movies, super magical,” said Maria Batista Torres from Tenerife in Spain, visiting the Santa Claus Village with her two young children.
Glittering fairy lights illuminate rooftops and trees in the Santa Claus Village, which is open all year round.
“I figured it would be much more snowy,” however, said Wenguel, a visitor from the United States.
“I mean, it still feels like Christmas… but I figured it would be a little bit more Santa-like.”
In addition to meeting Santa Claus, visitors can pay to go snowmobiling or jump on a reindeer sleigh-ride.
While visiting Santa Claus Village is free, a picture taken with Santa costs a minimum of 40 euros ($42).
– Wishing for peace –
Gloomy skies aside, Santa Claus’s Post Office in Santa Claus Village was bustling with activity, as red-hooded elves busily stamped cards and sorted piles of letters in the Christmas rush.
“In December there can be about 30,000 letters each day,” said postal elf Heidi Mustonen, who has worked here for 20 years.
Over half a million letters to Santa find their way here every year, Heidi said, insisting that every letter gets opened and read thoroughly.
Most of the letters were wish lists, but both children and adults also wrote to tell Santa about their personal concerns, fears, wishes and joys, with many of the envelopes containing drawings and small gifts.
“This year many people have wished for peace,” Heidi said.
Most letters sent from Asian countries were written by young adults, with many wishing for strength to cope with their studies, she said.
Letters from European countries were meanwhile mostly written by children.
Heidi said she loved the warm and happy atmosphere in Santa’s village, but did wish for snowfall to brighten up the landscape.
“We would make snow everywhere if we could. But we are just postal elves.”
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