Winter, 2002

Skiing is the most enjoyable to me, either to a forest or across ice-covered lake to the Iversky monastery (right) build in 17th century on a forested island amidst the lake Valday. It is being restored since 1990s, so the belfry has been rebuilt after being failed by a fire. The monastery is settled by monks of the Russian Orthodox Church and often visited while ceremonies like the Epiphany (Jan. 19) and the Easter. The pacifying chime is then heard from there, gathering flock to a service.

Also, hit of the season: the earliest snowmelt. It never began from mid January. All the weather of 2001/2002 winter was markedly mild. Remember, the question has earlier been stated here on what is to be expected about future snow cover (see snowcover). Well, there appears a new set of the SWE data (those shown in below Fig. with the red circlets). Look at snow water content tending to be low and divert the trend line more down.

We observe an unexpected thaw, early ice break-up, snow melt floods, +8°C and even thunder by January. Although, it seems this had been earlier and, that appears to be very important, the severe drought of 1972 summer (as far as I remember, +36°C in St. Petersburg where I was then educating) has followed the same winter with scanty snow.

Field trip to the Tver' region (near to the Moscow city)

The work is being continued to improve the gas pipeline environment. We took the transport engine to go on sloughs to study them and explain upon their origins. Problem now appears how to determine the water budget when almost no data are available. Many of formerly operated rain gauge and river discharge sites have been closed that limits information. We have to check these poor data to be found likely for the area. Only qualitative analysis may be used upon dominating landscapes, aquifers, etc. without advanced statistics and any objective (e.g. cluster analysis) methods (see applied_hydrology.shtml).

By visiting the regional Center for Hydro-meteorology in Tver' we enjoyed its activity as well as tidy work conditions. Operational weather forecasting is based upon a lot of data, provided with satellite and radar imagery, synoptic maps received from the Hydro-meteorology Center in Moscow and the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). This raises hope.

The town Tver' is also remarkable with pleasant gardens and trim mansions of 19th century (the Center rent one of them). We were only disappointed looking at the Volga river bank with a lot of trash. Oh, we still are slovenly and careless with the nature !

Summer, 2002

The 2002 summer season is stick to a memory as the driest for the observation period, it is true at least for the Central and North-western Russia. Two months were with no considerable rainfalls: June and August, only one rainstorm fallen on July 23 gave 48 mm of precipitation, with hail and squall somewhere over the region. Our expectation about a possible drought (see that noted above) has really come true: the snow cover, its water storage and early disappearance could be reliable predictors of the drought. At the same time, the Russian South was devastating of the great floods as well as the Central Europe. There was a uniquely stable synoptic situation with stationary anticyclone here and the low pressure units which persistently occur generating storms quickly moved from Europe to the Black Sea where they result in many tens of fatalities.

Further trial becomes from the greatest wildfires throughout all the North-western Russia, hardly transparent and stifling smog over the Moscow and Saint Petersburg cities and their regions, the same happens here in the Novgorod region, not so dangerous for human health, although shading the picturesque of early fall.

This summer we have broiled of sunrays. It is only good that our Valday lake lies close by so, I was swimming every day. We, my Moscow friends and I, have also a journey to lake Velje situated some 60 miles south of Valday town. We were rowing a small boat, fishing the lake, walking the forests and wild berry picking there some five days in August being devoid of all the civilization facilities (email, phone, even cellular, TV etc.) to rest of them. There was a true wilderness around a log cabin of the local forestry near a quiet cove. Oh, what a magic was by a twilight when the lightened are woody islets amidst the lake!

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