CHANGES IN THE SNOW COVER THICKNESS AND OF DAILY SNOWFALL INTENSITY AFFECTING THE HIGHWAYS CLEANING EXPENSES IN RUSSIAN CITIES

Abstract

The research results of cold season precipitation characteristics and their changes over Russiain 1950–2006, as well as their reflecting relation to conventional snow cleaning costs are reported. The changes of the amount of precipitation under negative air temperature, number of days with weak (0–2 mm/day), medium (2–5 mm/day), extreme (more 5 mm/day) snowfalls, and number of 5mm-precipitation series in Russia are explored. The tendency of snow amount increase in (1989–2006) as compared with (1950–1980) has been detected on almost entire territory of the country. The number of weak snowfalls increased statistically significantly over the most part of Russia. The number of medium and heavy snowfalls increased in the east of the European Russia and in the west of Siberia, and reduced in the northeast of Siberia. The cause of applied climate characteristics’ changes during the investigated period may be the variation of atmospheric circulation mechanisms, which occurred in the middle of 1970s. The circulation mechanism SCAND dominated in the formation of precipitation field in 1950–1974, while positive phase of NAO′ and its influence on winter precipitation became stronger in 1975–2006. The snow cleaning conventional costs increased inMoscow and Khanty-Mansiysk because of intensive development of the cities. The snow cleaning conventional costs decreased inSt. Petersburg andPetropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka, and the meteorological factor played significant role in that.

Keywords

• climate change
• cold period of year
• snow cleaning costs
• snow cover
• snowfall.