ST. PETERSBURG, April 9. /TASS/. Scientists from St. Petersburg found rapid warming on the Spitsbergen Archipelago in recent 120 years. The temperature there is rising three times faster than elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, the St. Petersburg State University's press service told TASS.

"Geographers of the St. Petersburg State University and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) have analyzed air temperature changes over recent 120 years in the territory of the Spitsbergen polar archipelago and adjacent waters," the press service said. "They have found that the air temperature has been rising, and this happens three times faster than elsewhere in the northern hemisphere."

The Spitsbergen Archipelago is located on the border between Russia and Norway. It is one of the northernmost regions of Europe. There are five settlements there, two of which - Barentsburg and Piramida - are in the Russian territory. According to the university, scientists consider the archipelago a unique place for research due to its geographical and geological location, as well as its extensive flora and fauna. Climate is a key area for studies there.

About the study

Scientists from the St. Petersburg State University and AARI (St. Petersburg) have analyzed data on air temperature changes over the entire observation period. The longest observation period was in Barentsburg. More than 75% of the information is data collected during regular instrumental observations, allowing most accurate conclusions.

"The increase in surface air temperature in recent decades (1991-2020 - the new climatic norm determined by the World Meteorological Organization) develops at an average rate of approximately 0.34° C over 10 years. This is a very rapid warming, its rate is about three times faster than the average growth in the northern hemisphere in Russian regions," the press service quoted as saying Boris Ivanov, an author of the study, associate professor at the St. Petersburg State University, head of AARI's ocean-atmosphere interaction processes laboratory.

According to the university, over 120 years of observations, scientists distinguish in the archipelago's climate two periods of cooling and two periods of warming. The modern warming began in the mid-1980s, and its intensity has increased since 1990. The scientists explain the warming in the early 20th century by the changed atmosphere circulation, which emerged only in the Western sector of the Arctic. The modern warming, however, is associated not only with natural processes in the climate system, but also with a higher concentration of greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, due to active industrial activities.

"This phenomenon, the so-called Arctic intensification, is characteristic of that region, and it is due to very complex interaction processes between the atmosphere and the ocean in the presence of sea ice, and it is against the background of observed and developing global warming on the planet. Some experts believe this rapid warming in the Arctic potentially could lead to thinning of the ice sheet and, probably, to its disappearance within the next 100 years," the press service quoted the expert as saying.