The spatiotemporal characteristics of the distribution of radiation frosts over the territory of the North-West region of Russia

Kononenko Olga Vladimirovna

Federal state budgetary scientific institution «Agrophysical research institute», Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Abstract:

To plan agrotechnical measures in changing climate it is necessary to track the dynamics of spatial and temporal changes in agrometeorological factors. Late spring and early autumn frosts are a limiting factor for agricultural crop production. In general, such frosts are of the radiation type. To study the spatial and temporal characteristics of the radiation frosts distribution in the North-West region of Russia, data of daily observations of the standard meteorological network from 1966 to 2015 were used. The change over the time in the average number of days with radiation frosts was calculated for two 25-year periods: from 1966 to 1990 and from 1991 to 2015. Two zones of multidirectional change of the average number of days with radiation frosts in the period from 1991 to 2015 were revealed. The decrease in the average number of days with radiation frosts during this period was recorded at the weather stations of Vologda and Leningrad (except for the weather station Belogorka) and the meteorological station Velikie Luky (Pskov region). At the same time all the weather stations of this zone (with the exception of the Vyborg weather station) are characterized by the higher number of days with radiation frosts then the weather station of the other zone. The increase in the average number of days with radiation frosts during this period was noted at the weather stations of the Pskov, Novgorod, Kaliningrad regions and the weather station Belogorka (Leningrad region).

Keywords:

Agrometeorology, radiation frost, radiation cooling, frost free period.