Long-term air temperature variability on the Crimean Peninsula

A comparison is made of the calculated values of solar radiation incident on the upper atmospheric boundary with the measured values of surface temperature on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula. It is shown that the long-term temperature regime on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula is characterized by a stability. It is determined that the stability of the long-term regime of mean annual surface air temperatures is associated with the characteristics of the latitudinal distribution of solar radiation incident on the upper atmospheric boundary. The incident solar radiation increases in the regions of heat sources and decreases in the regions of heat sink. Stability of long-term mean annual values of surface air temperature is associated with the location of the Crimea on the boundary of the regions of heat sources and sinks. The study revealed the chronological structure of long-term changes in surface air temperature. The anomaly in the long-term surface air temperature variability is characterized by short-duration variations. An analysis is made of the chronological structure of interannual variability in surface air temperature on the territory of the peninsula. The dominant interannual and 2–3-year periodicities in the temperature regime variations are correlated with variations in incident solar radiation. In 62.7% of cases, the sign of interannual variability in surface air temperature corresponds to the sign of interannual variability in incident solar radiation. Thus it is shown that a small tendency in the long-term surface air temperature variability on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula, and the characteristics of its variations are determined largely by the specific character of the input and distribution of solar radiation incident on the upper atmospheric boundary. © 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.