Earth’s Cryosphere, 2010, Vol. XIV, No. 3, p. 77-81

LONG-TERM VARIABILITY OF PRECIPITATION AND SNOW COVER FORMATION OF THE EAST EUROPEAN PLAIN

L.V. Kitaev, L.B. Trofimova*, E.V. Komarovskaya*, I.S. Danilovich*, A.A. Bil’dyuk*

Institute of Geography, RAS, 109017, Moscow, Staromonetniy per., 29, Russia, lkitev@mail.ru
*The Republican Hydrometeorological Сenter, 220114, Minsk, pr. Nezavisimosti, 110, Belarus

Features of snow accumulation as a result of the changes in precipitation on the background of long-term variability of air temperature of the East European plain are specified. The dynamics of structure of precipitation in the winter period (November–February) are considered. A slow decrease in the sum of solid precipitation and a long-term increase in the sum of liquid precipitation at the insignificant increase of snow storage are revealed. Changes in the areas, where snow storage is higher or lower than the sums of solid precipitation are assessed. A parity of snow storage and solid precipitation due to the change are also estimated.

Key words: Snow storage, solid and liquid precipitation, air temperature.

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