Vol 41, No 10 (2016)

Seasonal and diurnal variations in integrated water vapor over northeastern Siberia derived from the data of global navigation satellite systems are considered. It is demonstrated that integrated water vapor is characterized by asymmetric annual variations with the maximum in July and with the minimum in February. The meridional gradient of integrated water vapor during the year varies from -8.7 mm/1000 km in July to -0.5 mm/1000 km in February. The zonal gradient reaches 1.0 mm/1000 km in July and -2.8 mm/1000 km in September. It is shown that the diurnal maximum of integrated water vapor is registered in the evening and at night and the amplitude of diurnal variations is 0.25-0.70 mm in summer and 0.08-0.21 mm in winter.

The possibility of advance tornado warning is analyzed. The tornado observed in Bashkortostan on August 29, 2014 is considered as an example. To compute meteorological fields, the WRF model with high spatiotemporal resolution is used. Indices of convective instability are calculated. The analysis of variations in indices enabled forecasting the tornado generation with the lead time up to three days and with the accuracy up to several hours in time and 200 km in space. The possibility is demonstrated of registering and nowcasting tornados by using the available software for radar data processing. The polential is discussed of the joint use of such information for developing the syslem of monitoring and forecasting of severe weather events including tornados.

The changes are considered in the computation and map representation of the scattering index (SI) of thick first-year ice identified from the MTVZA-GYa radiometer data. For the first time improved ice SI maps enabled detecting the zones of the low values of sea ice SI which were steadily formed in the same areas over the Lomonosov and Gakkel ridges. It is demonstrated that the intense local ice drift formed under the influence of the vortices flowing around seamounts, may be a reason for the formation of such zones. The cases are considered when the zones of the low values of ice SI were of synoptic scale (up to 1200 km) and could have been the result of the independent influence of the vortices flowing around seamounts and strong surface wind. The utility of new SI maps is noted for monitoring the areas where the vortices flowing around seamounts may considerably modify propeties of the sea ice cover.

The general description of macro-scale vortices in the monthly fields ofice drift velocity is presented which indicates their basic parameters and formation features. The interannual and long-term variability of the frequency of anticyclonic and cyclonic gyres is analyzed. It is demonstrated that there is the stable feedback between the trends in their frequency according to which the direction of the processes of velocity field formation changed to the opposite one in 1995. It is revealed that as the frequency of anticyclonic vortices increases, the total intensity of the drift increases and the ice movement directed towards the Fram Strait intensifies significantly in the zone of the line of the maximum drift velocity. The conclusion is that the general background of high drift intensity in the Arctic basin and ice transport through the Fram Strait will be kept in next 7-10 years.

The method is proposed for assessing the wintering conditions of winter crops with the accuracy to separate sown areas based on the joint use of the data of remote sensing and ground-based observations. The dependence is revealed between snow depth and snow albedo in the red band (MOD09GQ data). Geoinformation mapping of wintering conditions of winter crops cultivated in the Belgorod oblast is carried out for the winter period of 2012/2013.

The technology of waterspout monitoring over the Russian part of the Black Sea is presented. The technology was developed using the foreign experience of tornado and waterspout prediction and the data from the meteorological observation network of the Russian Federation. The technology is based on the software for the organization and maintenance of operational database including the data of satellite imagery, numerical weather prediction models, lightning detection systems, and weather radars. It was found that the results of the use of the presented technology for analyzing waterspout-risk conditions during the waterspout season are of the greatest interest. The waterspout season in the Black Sea area usually begins in May and ends in September. The review of waterspout occurrence over the Russian part of the Black Sea in 2014 is presented.