Analysis of Climate Change Indicators. Part 1. Eastern Siberia

Abstract

Data on modern climate and environmental changes in Eastern Siberia are compared with the public perception of such changes through cognitive indicators. Observations reveal positive air temperature trends for all seasons, shortening of the cold period, decrease in wintertime daily temperature variations, deeper seasonal thawing of permafrost, and lengthening of the vegetation period. The public perception acknowledges these changes only partly, although they already affect many types of human’s activity. The gap between observational data and the cognitive indicators of climate change complicates the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies.