Vestnik Otdelenia nauk o Zemle RAN VOL. 2, NZ10001, doi:10.2205/2010NZ000060, 2010

Summer of 2010: Weather anomaly + improvidence = catastrophe

Institute of Water Problems RAS, Moscow, Russia

Abstract

What was the reason for unprecedented hot summer of 2010, leading to catastrophic consequences – the severe drought in many regions of Russia, casualties caused by turf and forest fires? Can such climate anomalies repeat in the future and how to prevent them? The possibility of the occurrence of catastrophic climate phenomena is extremely high in the time of reconstruction of the global climate system. We must be ready to the fact that such events can happen any time. However, regretfully, the reclamation of peat and incompetent forest policy and liquidation of the federal system of ecological control led to considerable deterioration of situation related to forest and peat fires. The article provides a detailed analysis of the policy of land reclamation and peat removal, carried out in the 20s of the last century. A number of measures to improve the situation are described in the article. According to the author, irrigation and reclamation of forest ecosystems are vitally important at the present time.

Received 29 September 2010; published 8 October 2010.