Changes of temperature and humidity parameters of surface atmosphere and the reaction of mountain ecosystems (case study of the Altai State Biosphere Reserve)

The strategic goal of Russia's policy on climate change as set forth in the document entitled the Climatic doctrine of the Russian Federation is maintenance of safe and sustainable development in the conditions of the changing climate and occurrence of corresponding threats. Thus the anticipatory adaptation to consequences of climate changes is indicated among others to be of significant priorities of the policy in the sphere of climate. In this connection the study of dynamics of modern changes of the basic hydrometeorological characteristics and the reactions of ecosystems interfaced to them is rather timely and necessary. In mountain areas, in connection with a wide spectrum of the variety of physical-geographical conditions, the warming process is shown rather sharply: from 0.5 °С in lowlands up to 3 or 4 °С in high-mountainous hollows. In this connection, the area of the Altai State Biosphere Reserve (ASBR) was chosen as the object of research because it possesses high landscape-climatic differentiations. For the purpose of revealing climatic changes, we used the meteo-data for the whole period of instrumental observations of the only hydro-meteorological station on the investigated area of Yailu. On the basis of the statistical meteo-information processing the dynamics of the mid-annual and mid-seasonal values of air temperature was established, as well as the change of the sums of atmospheric precipitation of the cold and warm periods. As a result, it was revealed that the climate change for the investigated period manifested, first of all, in the increase of seasonal and annual temperatures of ground air, in the expansion of the range of extreme temperatures, in the reduction of precipitation of the winter period, in dryness increase (aridization), in increase in the intensity of summer precipitation, in reduction of number of days with a steady snow cover, and in increase of late and early frosts. Observable climate changes are accompanied by a considerable ecosystem response. On the basis of the analysis of annals of nature of ASBR we singled out the most typical types of response of mountain ecosystems: the shift of zones; the loss of woods accompanied by a certain damage of hydrological systems and increase in erosion of soils; the occurrence of invasive species; efficiency change; increase in extremeness of humidifying (bogging, aridization); growth of fire danger; decrease in quantity and quality of seeds; influence on regeneration (especially the coniferous); increase in injuriousness of illnesses and pests; decrease in stability because of increase in frequency of the adverse short-term phenomena (the periods of abnormally warm weather and frosts, strong winds, snowfalls, etc.). Thus, it is necessary to point out a considerable sensitivity and vulnerability of mountain ecosystems to observable climatic changes which predetermines the necessity of timely revealing the dynamics of climatic and climate conditioned changes, and also the development of adaptable mechanisms and actions. The academic novelty of the research consists in the following: the assessment of changes of indicators of the temperature-humidity conditions of the ground atmosphere according to the meteorological station of Yailu is received; the revealed dynamics of changes of the basic meteorological parameters and the transformation of ecosystems of ASBR is compared.

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