T. Zhang et al., An amplified signal of climatic change in soil temperatures during the last century at Irkutsk, Russia, CLIM CHANGE, 49(1-2), 2001, pp. 41-76
Climatic changes at the Earth's surface propagate slowly downward into the
ground and modify the ambient ground thermal regime. However, causes of soi
l temperature changes in the upper few meters are not well documented. One
major obstacle to understanding the linkage between the soil thermal regime
and climatic change is the lack of long-term observations of soil temperat
ures and related climatic variables. Such measurements were made throughout
the former Soviet Union with some records beginning at the end of the 19th
century. In this paper, we use records from Irkutsk, Russia, to demonstrat
e how the soil temperature responded to climatic changes over the last cent
ury. Both air temperature and precipitation at Irkutsk increased from the l
ate 1890s to the 1990s. Changes in air temperature mainly occurred in winte
r, while changes in precipitation happened mainly during summer. There was
an anti-correlation between mean annual air temperature and annual total pr
ecipitation, i.e., more (less) precipitation during cold (warm) years. Ther
e were no significant trends of changes in the first day of snow on the gro
und in autumn, but snow steadily disappeared earlier in spring, resulting i
n a reduction of the snow cover duration. A grass-covered soil experiences
seasonal freezing for more than nine months each year and the long-term ave
rage maximum depth of seasonally frozen soils was about 177 cm with a range
from 91 cm to 260 cm. The relatively lower soil temperature at shallow dep
ths appears to represent the so-called 'thermal offset' in seasonally froze
n soils. Changes in mean annual air temperature and soil temperature at 40
cm depth were about the same magnitude (2.0 degreesC to 2.5 degreesC) over
the common period of record, but the patterns of change were substantially
different. Mean annual air temperature increased slightly until the 1960s,
while mean annual soil temperature increased steadily throughout the entire
period. This leads to the conclusion that changes in air temperature alone
cannot explain the changes in soil temperatures at this station. Soil temp
erature actually decreased during summer months by up to 4 degreesC, while
air temperature increased slightly. This cooling in the soil may be explain
ed by changes in rainfall and hence soil moisture during summer due to the
effect of a soil moisture feedback mechanism. While air temperature increas
ed about 4 degreesC to 6 degreesC during winter, soil temperature increased
by up to 9 degreesC. An increase in snowfall during early winter (October
and November) and early snowmelt in spring may play a major role in the inc
rease of soil temperatures through the effects of insulation and albedo cha
nges. Due to its relatively higher thermal conductivity compared to unfroze
n soils, seasonally frozen ground may enhance the soil cooling, especially
in autumn and winter when thermal gradient is negative.