Assessment of the peculiarities of changes in the climatic characteristics of snow covers in the Ulyanovsk region

Abstract

Introduction. In the Ulyanovsk region, the direction of the agro-industrial complex, like any other region, directly depends on the natural resource potential, which determines the productivity of crops, as well as their specialization and structure; therefore further actions will depend not only on scientific and technological progress, but also on natural and climatic changes and their impact on agriculture. As a result of the conducted studies of the characteristics of the snow cover; data were obtained related to its formation and destruction, height, density, as well as water supply in the snow and their temporary changes. Object. The object of research is the snow cover. Materials and methods. The initial research data are the materials of direct observations of the Timiryazevsky agrometeorological post, Ulyanovsk region from 1993 to 2023. Fourier series decomposition and determination of the parameters of the best sinusoidal approximation for the maximum and minimum points were used to assess longterm changes in agrometeorological parameters. The use of all these methods made it possible to obtain a more complete and accurate understanding of the dynamics of changes and regularities in the studied parameters. Using a software package (Excel, Statistica), correlation and regression analysis was carried out. Results and conclusions. According to research data, it has been revealed: over the past 30 years, for the territory of the region, on average, from November 23 to April 3, for 132 days, the establishment of a stable snow cover and its destruction shifted by eleven days towards later formation and destruction with a sufficiently high reliability (R2=0.1076). The duration of the snow cover has not changed significantly. The maximum height of the snow cover in January 2010 ranged from 46 to 85 cm. At the end of the third decade of March 1998, the highest value of snow cover density was recorded, which amounted to 0.38, the deviation from the average value during this period reached 23% and had a beneficial effect on the accumulation of water in the snow, in some years the thickness and density of which reached up to 175 mm, with an average of 86 mm.