Вісник Київського національного університету імені Тараса Шевченка

ГЕОГРАФІЯ

Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

GEOGRAPHY

COMFORT CLIMATE FEATURES OF LOW-MOUNTAIN VALLEYS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF YAREMCHE CITY)

Kholiavchuk D., Pytiuk О.

Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Chernivtsi, Ukraine

Abstract:
Temporal distribution of climatic features of low-mountain valleys in the Ukrainian Carpathians and its variability are investigated. On the example, the Prut River valley in the city of Yaremche, comfortable climate due to the location in the wind shelter, warm and dry inversion conditions is considered for low-mountain valleys. The Yaremche valley is distinguished by low wind speeds, optimal humidity, relatively warm summer and mild winter. Local mountain-valley winds are typical for the area contributing to the warming and drying of boundary atmospheric layer in the bottom of the valley. The results of seasonality assessment point to the increase of the duration of meteorological summer, autumn, and warm period of a year in total. Accordingly, the warm period of a year is addressed.

To assess comfort climate features, a number of acknowledged methodic that are suitable for evaluation of local climatic conditions is applied. Temporal distribution of wind speed, relative humidity, the temperature−humidity index (THI), equivalent-effective temperatures (EET), and the quantity of days with comfort types of weather is considered. The climate of Yaremche city is determined by the prevalence of comfort types of weather, optimal thermal conditions in response to human bodies in the warm period of a year.

Since general warming trend is observed in Eastern Europe from 1985-1990 and controversial conclusions about monotonic climate trends in the mountain regions are raised, the current study concerns the period 1990-2015 in order to detect trends and evaluate the variability of the temporal distribution of comfort climate indices. As a result, no significant changes in the time series of bioclimatic indices are detected. The insignificant increase of THI and EET is identified. The values of wind speeds and relative humidity are the most stable from all the chosen bioclimatic characteristics.

Alongside, the temporal distribution of simple and complex bioclimatic іndices is remarkable for significant variability in the years of 1990-2015. In particular, several cases of negative deviations of winds speeds and relative humidity as well as frequent positive deviations of THI in the wet years and EET in the dry years are detected. The appearance of hot discomfort weathers is a critical issue of changes. Consequently, the insignificant decrease of days with comfort type of weathers is observed. Altogether, the results of the study contribute to the unique bioclimatic features of low-mountain valleys in the Ukrainian Carpathians with the similar to the Yaremche valley topography in comparison. The features are related to the smoothing of regional climate changes. Attribution of the monthly and inter-annual variability of bioclimatic indices is necessary to specify and argue the short-term fluctuations and suggests the future study of the authors.

Keywords:
climate variability, low-mountain valleys, bioclimate, comfort climate features, Ukrainian Carpathians.

Language:
Ukrainian

DOI: http://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2721.2017.68.10

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Suggested citation:
Kholiavchuk D., Pytiuk О. (2017) Comfort climate features of low-mountain valleys (on the example of Yaremche city). Visnyk Kyivskogo nacionalnogo universytetu imeni Tarasa Shevchenka GEOGRAFIYA [Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Geography], 3-4 (68-69), 52-56 (in Ukrainian, abstr. in English).