Postcard from Bishkek

Watching the news the other day we were struck by the unseasonable weather that seems to be affecting all areas of the globe at the present time: deadly floods in Europe, India and Canada; extreme winter conditions in Europe and the States; an unseasonably cool spring in the UK … and, for that matter, here in Kyrgyzstan;  a tornado in Russia – not to mention in the states taking the life of a “twister chaser”; the receding ice fields in the Arctic and Antarctica – not to mention the disappearing glaciers of the Tien Shan Mountains which could leave Central Asia with a water shortage in the foreseeable future; snow in the middle of June falling in Issyk Kul and Naryn claiming around 2000 head of livestock … and so on.

All this led to some questions from Andrei who, like most adolescents, is a little prone to worrying about the state of the world in which he is growing up and how his generation is going to cope with “the mess” that we, the older generation, have created.

The dispute about the Kumtor gold mine has also raised concerned.  Much of the attention has been directed to pollution and the possibility of the water sources of the Naryn River being contaminated – but there has also been considerable discussion about the receding glaciers which, it is claimed, has been exacerbated by the working of the mine.  Indeed, before his death in 2008, Chinghiz Aitmatiov made this a cause célèbre.

Then there have been comments about the level of water in the Toktogul Reservoir and the need for the Heating and power plants of Bishkek and Osh to prepare to work at full capacity during the winter months, so that the already depleted resources of the Toktogul Reservoir can be preserved.

 

There now seems to be fairly universal acceptance that climate change is a reality.  We don’t hear as much these days as we used to about about natural fluctuations in weather patterns … how insurance premiums are calculated on a risk analysis based on “storms of the century” – severe storms the like of which occur only once in about a hundred years – although we were told by the Kyrgyz meteorological service  that the unseasonable Summer snowstorms tend to occur about 2 or 3 times every 50 years.

In the past some dramatic changes in the climate have been traced to natural events like the eruption of a volcano (such as Mount St. Helens  in 1980), or a meteorite strike, (such as the Tunguska event over Siberia in 1908).

In Britain, the government are planning new solar parks to generate power taking the strain off other forms of generating electricity, although the wind farms are embroiled in controversy about the economics of the schemes.  Former Vice President Al Gore has made a campaign about Climate Change and the action needed to mitigate its effects a major part of his political life since losing the Presidential race to George W. Bush in 2000 and President Obama has recently renewed his pledge to Americans of an action to help stem carbon emissions which it is though helps to create the ravages of climate change.

When I first came to Kyrgyzstan I was “promised” 200 days of sunshine a year and I must admit that to a Brit used to changeable weather conditions and overcast skies, this proved to be an attractive point.  (They “lied”, by the way – or at least misled me a little … there are only, on average, about 170 days of sunshine a year – and the statistician in me wants to know how they define that term “days of sunshine”! … Even so, 170 seems pretty impressive from the viewpoint of someone brought up in “Foggy Albion”.)

Shortly after I got here, I was told that you could experience all four seasons with the space of 24 hours … and that also seemed impressive.  In fact, I can vouch for it … I have experienced it several times, but usually on a journey where I have been climbing up the slopes of mountains ridges and over passes, traveling down into valleys – passing from one micro-climatic zone to another.

In fact, I have been snowed on several times in August: once in New Zealand – well, it was winter there; once on the slopes of Galdhøpiggen in Norway, the highest mountain in Northern Europe, (at a mere 2469m above sea level, although I never made it that far); and once in Son Kul, (at just over 3000m).

 

In the light of all this, I decided to take a brief look at what influences our climate here in Kyrgyzstan.  I turned to an analysis by a group of scientists in a publication about the Mountains of Kyrgyzstan.   They outline the following elements which all have an effect on the local climate which act  in a symbiotic, holistic, manner – each one depending upon, influenced and influencing the others:

Air pressure: which tends to vary considerably according to altitude.  Kyrgyzstan is a small mountainous country with  significant changes in altitude over a small distance.  The level of air pressure tends to have an inverse relationship with the temperatures in the low lying valleys and foothills belt of the country’s terrain; lowest in the summer and highest in the winter.  As you go higher the pattern changes and the maximum values of air pressure occur in October and the spring month.  Going higher still, the maximum values are observed in August and September with the minimum in January and February.

Wind: changes in air pressure leads to wind as masses of air move from high pressure zones to areas of low pressure.  The winds are also affected by the complexity of the landscape; mountain ridges which create valleys and gorges and inter mountain basins or hollows.

Kyrgyzstan as a whole generally generally experiences “light winds” and strong winds are an exception, (occurring maybe on 10 days a year, which makes their occurrence in places like Bishkek much more noticeable - although in some areas such as in Eastern Kyrgyzstan it can rise considerably).   This is especially true in the relatively closed valleys.  In the wider, more open, valleys the winds can be stronger and have a greater effect.  In the higher regions, the winds can be strong and persist all day long.

Temperatures: in the mountains,  they said, there were only about 130 days when the average daily temperatures were positive, although in the lowlands – such as the Ferghana and Chui valleys, this could rise to between 250 and 300 days.

Humidity: not surprisingly, the periods of greatest humidity appear to be in December and January with the lowest humidity registered in July and August.

Precipitation: levels of precipitation, (rain and snow), vary considerably throughout the republic: higher in the lowlands and much lower at greater altitudes.  The wettest areas seem to the Southwestern slopes of the Ferghana and Chatkal valleys, the Kemin valley and even Issyk Kul.  Lower levels of precipitation are seen in the Talas and Chui valleys and the low lying foothills of the Ferghana valley.

Snow cover: this, of course, is related to precipitation, the temperature and also levels of radiation (solar),, wind distribution and altitude.  The level of snow cover varies considerable throughout the country and, apart from the areas of permanent cover, can last for anything from 50 to 200 days a year, reaching its peak in February.  Generally, the snow cover increases towards the East.

The development of the glaciers are thought to have had a considerable effect on the climate, both cooling and drying the environment.

Landscape: The landscapes of mountains and hollows, (basins), differ from each other considerably.  The mountains of Kyrgyzstan are a complex structure which has been formed over a long period of time.  They consist of a variety of minerals, (it is claimed that all the elements of the periodic table can be found here), and as well as tectonic movements which have helped to form the mountains, creating conditions for deep river valleys to be cut into their sides, there have also been gravitational movement, (such as landslides and erosion), which have led to the transfer of material form one region to another.

The mountains act as a barrier sheltering parts of the country – for example the Issyk Kul basin – from the extreme climatic conditions experienced on the Kazakh steppes.  They can also form channels concentrating and directing wind and water up or down a particular course.

The Northern slopes of the mountain ranges tend to be more arid than their more humid southern counterparts.

Vegetation: mountain forests and meadows occur at different heights and depend on the availability of moisture and soil type.  Trees can provide a windbreak and shelter whereas open spaces which may provide good pasture, but offer little protection.  The small high altitude areas of tundra permafrost are more arid and typified by mosses and lichen which can survive in the dry air and are not tall enough to suffer at buffering of the stronger winds.

All in all, it is a “jigsaw” of a diverse and complex picture of multiple interacting factors … but then so is the global climate.

One of the things that I have come away with from my “research” is a confirmation of some things that I am always saying, that: “Nothing is simple” and “there is more in heaven and hell than are dreamt of in our philosophy …”

But, how on earth do I attempt to explain all this to Andrei the next time the topic crops up in conversation?

 

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