Soil temperature response to modern climate change at four sites of different latitude in the European part of Russia

Abstract

Abstract Soil temperature is a sensitive climate indicator. In this paper, we used data from weather stations located in various natural zones of the European part of Russia to demonstrate how the soil temperature responded to modern climate change. The most intensive warming is observed at the beginning of the 21st century. The average annual air temperature for the period 2001–2015 increased compared to the period 1961–1990 by 1.2–1.4°C. The average annual soil temperature has increased in all studied soils and at all depths by 0.5–1.0°C. Soil warming is observed in both warm and cold periods of the year. However, soil temperatures have changed differently in different seasons of the year. The increase in air and soil temperature leads to a shift of the soil-climatic zones to the north.