Evrotas Gorge: quest for a new european pole of heat (1/3)

Intro: Ancient and hardy

Laconia represents the southern portion of the Peloponnese peninsula, which itself is laying in southern Greece. Mostly remembered in association with the warrior state of Sparta (old name Lacedaemon) the region is situated at the same latitude as Andalusia in Spain, known as the hottest area of Europe. Both are stretching below the 37th northern latitude, thus slightly overreaching even some portions of the African continent. At 36.23 N, Cape Tenaro of the Mani peninsula is the second southernmost point of continental Europe, closely following cape Tarifa at the strait of Gibraltar.

*Landscape in the Mani peninsula* *near Gerolimenas*

The Eurotas (Evrotas) valley represented the core of the ancient kingdom, which between the 8-5th century BC was one of the strongest in the entire Mediterranean basin. Though there are also more fertile areas with lots of olive and citrus fruit plantations, in many parts the landscape resembles the harsh character and lifestyle of its old inhabitants. Generally, as you are moving towards the south, the more barren and rugged the terrain became, the Mani peninsula almost bordering the semi-desert. Unsurprisingly, the present residents of this remote corner, the “maniots”, pride themselves to be the descendants of the ancient spartans.

Choosing the target

Beside the historical significance, for modern greeks the Eurotas valley is also known for its sweltering summer weather. The southern setting combined with the föhn effect generated by the two bordering mountain ranges (Taygetus in the west, Parnon in the east) is responsible for this peculiarity, hence often being the hottest region of the country. In the summer the winds are generally blowing from the north (local name is meltemi), bringing sunny, hot and dry weather for many days, or even weeks.

*Relief map of the Peloponnese peninsula with the chosen spot (red dot)*

The city of Sparta is situated in the middle section of the valley around 200 meters elevation, quit far from the moderating effect of the sea (around 30 km). Depending on the sources and the measuring period it has an average July maximum temperature of 35-36 degrees Celsius, the highest in Greece and approaching the hottest weather stations in Andalusia like Cordoba or Sevilla.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Sparta is 45.7 degrees Celsius (August 2021), but according to Wikipedia another station nearby measured then above 47 degrees Celsius. In that same year and month Syracuse in Sicily, Italy registered 48.8 degrees Celsius, dethroning the old European heat record of Elefsina, Greece from July 1977. There is some controversy regarding the context of the values, as some weather stations have passive, while others fan aspirated solar radiation shields. We will discuss this in details in the 3rd part of the blog.

*Satellite image with the location of the research (red dot) inside the Evrotas Gorge*

Closer to the Evrotas river’s mouth there is a topographical feature named Vrontamas Gorge, where – as the name suggest it – the valley changes from flatter to a more rugged landscape. I chose this narrowing to be the place of my research, considering that the barren, steep walls could give a little extra to the already hot general ambience, while the sheltered, sinuous shape of the gorge can delay the onset of a hypothetical breeze.

Brief summary of the research

Originally this journey wasn’t planned to be part of the classical extreme climate research series, but the promising forecast made me to decide packing the weather installation too.

My plane landed in Athens in the evening of 15th July from where the next day I moved to Sparta by bus. Reaching Krokees settlement by taxi, on 17th July I hiked to the chosen location, first along the road, then following the course of a tributary of the Evrotas river. This latter sector was more difficult than expected, in some parts my progress being seriously limited by the combination of rugged topography (big boulders) and dense vegetation.

I started the journey by foot before 9 AM and reached the research area around 11:30 AM (between 9-10 km in all, from this 6 km in the wilderness). The sky was completely clear and already hot in the morning hours, exceeding the human body temperature well before noon. Except a single small puddle inside a cavity there was no water in the valley.

Finding a proper sheltered spot (even slightly endorheic) in the dry riverbed flanked by tall limestone cliffs in the east, the data logger was mounted on the tripod. I secured the installation attaching a sack filled with rocks to can handle also the windier conditions. The exact coordinates are 36.89839 N, 22.62521 E, the elevation 29 meters above the sea level. Shortly after 12 PM the mini weather station started its operation. First reading: 37.7 degrees Celsius.

*The weather station in the dried riverbed*

I stayed near the installation to monitor the temperature rise during the hottest part of the day live, waiting in the shade of the trees and shrubs. The maximum reached 41.1 degrees Celsius at 3:13 PM.

Before 5 PM I left the research area and returned to collect the equipment 4 days later. During this intermediate period I travelled to the Mani peninsula in the extreme south of the Peloponnesos, experiencing constant sunny and hot weather every day and observing some convective clouds only above the higher part of the Taygetus.

*The maximum (41.1 degrees) was reached at 3:13 PM*

Arriving from the southern, easier path (via Skala) in the afternoon of 21th July I found the instrument in its place and functional with all data recorded correctly. The absolute maximum reached 42.2 degrees Celsius on 18th July, surpassing the previous day’s record by 1.1 degrees. Four out of five days the temperature went above 41 degrees, while the latter one was much less hot, remaining below 36 degrees Celsius. The lowest value was registered during the last night when the temperature dropped to 21.7 degrees Celsius. I spotted clouds (cumulonimbus this time) only above the main ridge of the Taygetus again.

During both my hikes I didn’t saw any animals outside some birds and small lizards, encountering a few goats only closer to the village beside the orange plantations, where I crossed my path also with a few cars.

The instruments used in the field

-One LogTag UTRED30-16 data logger with the measuring range between -40 and +99 degrees Celsius, an accuracy of 0.5 degrees Celsius and a resolution of 0.1 degrees Celsius

-One Greisinger G1710 thermometer with the measuring range between -70 and +250 degrees Celsius, an accuracy and resolution of 0.1 degrees, used for instant hand measurements

-One photo camera tripod serving as the support for the instruments

-One helical solar radiation shield from Barani Design Technologies: https://www.baranidesign.com/

*The Barani helical radiation shield efficiently protects the thermometer’s sensor*

To be continued…

Evrotas Gorge: quest for a new european pole of heat (2/3)

Journey photo album

The statue of Leonidas, hero of the Battle of Thermopylae in Sparta. Arriving in Athens in the late evening, the next morning I already continued the journey to the Peloponnese by bus. It was around midday when I left my luggage at the accommodation and went out to experience my first dose of mediterranean heat.

*At 2 PM – purposefully of course – at the ancient ruins (no payment, it’s free)*

The main ridge of the Taygetus with strong mythological connotations is located south-west of the city. It is said that the “inapt” newborns were dropped in a chasm somewhere in these mountains and only the more sturdy ones were kept alive. While according to the actual opinions this is a fictional exaggeration, it certainly have its roots in the strict nature of the old inhabitants’s ethics.

*Beside the more robust and older Greek and Roman constructions there are also a few medieval Byzantine structures*

*A little off the path, remnant of an old wall, likely also Byzantine*

Around 3 PM it’s time for the first temperature check in the shade of an olive tree (notice the sensor above). IS THIS SPARTAAA?! Of course it is. The area has about the same summer highs as Andalusia in Spain, thus is one of the hottest places in entire Europe.

*The sunbaked olive trees maybe have some recollection of the times when this gentle prominence was an active ceremonial center*

The next morning: sunrise above the Taygetus with the pyramid of Profitis Ilias (2405 m) in the left. Today is an important day as I have to reach the chosen spot in the Evrotas gorge to place the meteorological equipment. The easiest (but not the cheapest) way is to take a taxi to Krokees village and start the hike from there. As I don’t have any time (nor energy for that matter) to waste, this is what I’ve done.

*At the periphery of Krokees around 9 AM: it’s already hot from the start, not a single cloud on the sky. The first few kilometers are on a rural road with little traffic (a few tractors).*

Agios Georgios church (according to Google Earth): leaving the asphalt I switched soon to “freestyle mode”, starting with a short-cut through the olive plantations. A valley, tributary to the Eurotas is only a few hundreds of meters away, my plan is to follow it until the confluence from where my target is close

Unsurprisingly, the valley has no water at all. In Greece, especially the Peloponnese, this is very common during the summer, the river revives only in the wetter period of the year (autumn-winter), when often becomes dangerous, flooding the surrounding plantations. But now the citrus fruits have a different enemy: drought. And I am at its mercy too.

Leonidas lost his shield: suspecting that this part will likely not be a walk in the park, I am prepared with sufficient water (6 liters) to can handle carrying the heavy luggage in the heat. The work is even harder than I thought, the combination between the rugged terrain and dense vegetation sometimes seriously limits my progress. I had to return to collect the mosquito tent (green circle in the picture) as it was often pulled out of its anchorage.

Fighting the boulder labyrinth. No idea how difficult could became later, but at this time already crossed my mind that maybe I will have to reconsider the plan to the target. The southern access through Skala village is certainly much easier. We’ll see. I like challenges, thus a return is only for an emergency situation.

I haven’t checked my GPS in the tributary valley at all. Knowing that the direction is good, I’m somehow not curious regarding the distances, but my intuition is generally positive. Though, not as much as the temperatures are…

This is the single puddle of water I came across in the entire gorge. Definitely not for drinking but very welcoming to cool off a little. There were lots of wasps around, but nobody was killed in the territorial conflict. And I am bigger.

Before 11:30 AM I’m outside the ravine and soon reached the confluence. Okay, I will say that this was “reasonably exhaustive”, satisfying my addiction of adventure, while properly preserving the energy levels at the same time.

*This must be the “Skala road”. It’s likely above the human body temperature now, we’ll see it soon.*

*Yep, the GPS is telling me that I arrived. It’s only slightly passed 11:30 AM, which considering the terrain I’ve crossed (around 6 km in the rough wilderness) is not bad at all.*

Choosing a ditch of the dried riverbed as the exact research spot, the logger was mounted soon on the tripod. Better than I imagined: the steep, barren eastern bank could add some reflected radiation to the general ambience during the afternoon.

Shortly after 12 PM the weather station started its operation. The first reading was 37.7 degrees Celsius, a decent start. The placard is in case if somebody will came across the installation, but pondering this possibility now from the spot, that looks very unlikely.

Before 2 PM the 40 degrees mark was exceeded. Already content that I packed the weather equipment in the luggage. Originally this trip was planned as a simple countryside traveling, but the optimistic forecast made me to change my mind in the last minutes. Sure, it will somehow limit my opportunities regarding the visited sights, but worth the sacrifice.

Around 3 PM, my favorite time of day in the summer: still very powerful solar radiation, while already close to the maximum thermal potential, meaning that the felt temperature is likely the highest possible. To be precise, the radiation is the strongest at noon (around 1:30 PM here) when the sun angle is at its highest (UV component = you will be sunburned), while the air itself usually will warm a little more (IR component = highest temperature in the shade) until the mid-afternoon hours (4-5 PM).

The limestone cliffs of the eastern side: changing the former resting place in the forest after the sun moved towards the west, I am waiting in the shade of a small mound covered with tall reeds, checking the temperature on the screen of the device from time to time. Still no clouds, sometimes there are a few wind gusts.

Sometime before 4 PM the temperature reached 41 degrees Celsius, I think this will remain today’s peak. Good value, tomorrow it could be even hotter. Before 5 PM I packed my luggage and left the research area. The original plan was to camp nearby, but I changed my mind to continue the hike to Skala village.

*The riverbed is covered in some kind of “weird veil”, which I suspect to be dried algae*

*Still very hot around 5 PM, but as I thought, the path is much easier here, thus my progress is good*

*Looking back: after a few km the valley broadens. I heard that during the winter rains the Evrotas can turn into a raging torrent, destroying the plantations on its banks. I can imagine that.*

*Some caves on the eastern side, soon I’m out of the gorge*. After a short, wilder portion in the beginning, the track followed a dirt road along the orange plantations. Except a few birds, small lizards and the noisy cicadas I didn’t observed any living creatures during my hike, spotting a few goats and 1-2 cars only closer to the village.

*With sufficient water reserves remaining, shortly after 6:30 PM I reached Skala*. *But I hope to drink something else, not the 40 degree bathwater in my backpack. That something else happened to be **Monster energy’s “the doctor”** version. And yes, it cured me.*

The beach between Skala and Gytheio. Long story short: after refueling in Skala, heartened by the less severe temperatures of the approaching evening, I decided to camp on the nearest shore, taking a bath in the sea after this long, hot day. While easily completing the additional 6-7 kilometers on the straight asphalt road, I observed after arriving that my tent is missing. No way! After successfully getting through the wild gorge, I lost it here on the highway? I can’t stay here for the night. The beer was good, the bath even better, but after sunset the attack of the mosquitoes was relentless. I have to return to Skala and sleep in a hotel. This is what I’ve done, unfortunately my headlamp couldn’t spot the lost article along the road. Good night.

The next day in Gytheio, the port of ancient Sparta (Profitis Ilias in the background). The picturesque coastal town (a little too crowded for my taste) is closely related to the story of the Trojan war, as it’s the place where Paris and Helen spent their first night before the departure to Troy. It was also famous in the antiquity because of the purple-dye snails (murex), the marine animal from which the expensive dye was extracted.

The lighthouse (don’t confuse it with the one at Cape Tenaro) sits at the end of a thin promontory. The surface of the rocks along the coast is very sharp, but of course this didn’t stopped me to enter the balmy waters. Soon I will continue the journey to Gerolimenas, which is the final station of the Laconian buses. Already very hot, I measured 37 degrees in the shade at the bus station.

The tranquil bay of Gerolimenas: I prefer it over the more touristic Gytheio. Buying some provisions in the supermarket (the last one in southern Mani) I continued my journey on the road by foot towards Kyparissos.

*Just a little outside the settlement I got the first glimpse of the Tenaro lighthouse,* *my next main targe*t. The landscape of the Mani peninsula is more barren, resembling a semi-desert, only the blue sea is the constant reminder that you have some retreat options in case the sun is too harsh with you. But you will not have any available drinking source nearby, so careful with the planning.

*At ancient Kenipolis: this place was a colony of Tainaron (Taenarum). It’s time for another bath.*

*There are only a few accommodations in nearby Alika and Kyparissos and none of them is cheap. The sea is free.*

*Close to the water, because of the higher humidity, the same temperature feels hotter than more inland*

*Porto Mani suites. Because of its “strategic placement” on the way to the southern cape, I will spend the following night in this nice traditional complex. Forget the price, its a must.*

*While you can hear them almost everywhere, representing the constant background noise of the greek experience, you can rarely spot the cicadas*. *Must be kind of a “Pavlovian reflex”, as for me it’s closely associated with the heat and sunshine*.

*And why not a third bath at the private beach of the residency*

*Sunset from my balcony. It was another hot day and tomorrow could be the hottest one on the narrow peninsula*. *That means I have some homework to do, as the longer hike, including the trip to the cape was planned for 19th July.*

*Complete lack of clouds both day and night*, *entering fairytale level*

*You can observe this small rocky outcrop situated about 5 km from the shore, first to the south, then to the west, starting from Gerolimenas until passing Marmari beach (big zoom of course)*

*Ready? Hell yeah! Already above 35 degrees after 9 AM*

After a tasty breakfast at the accommodation I started to climb the serpentines towards the fortified village of Vathia. Excellent vibe in the atmosphere, the above average heat only intensifies the experience.

Cutting the last big curve on the road I approach the ghost-town on a secondary path. Founding the gate closed, I enter the area along the old walls, meandering and climbing between the dusty architectural elements.

*Time for hydration. New tempcheck in the shade of the marble monument*

Classical view of the fortification. The now abandoned settlement is one of the most known tourist attractions in Mani, which sits around 150 meters above the sea level. You can stop for a drink at the nearby taverna.

Spotless sky: this is the real face of Mani. If the visual component can’t satisfy you enough, there is also the olfactive one, as the air is filled with the emanations of the local aromatic herbs (salvia dominates)

*Though not too close to the coast, there are many boats of different sizes on the sea*

Sharp contrast between the arid, sunbaked land and the turquoise waters of the sea. The latter is very inviting, I feel a little seduced like Odysseus was when became the “hostage” of Calypso on the island of Ogygia. No, I have to continue.

*Next hydration stop at one of the very few shaded parts of the southern road*

*A lot of signs for a single person*. Yes, *I am approaching.*

*I took the road towards Mianes village (haven’t seen locals there) to do the last part of the hike along the ridge, thus above the classical track*

*Resting in the shade of some old walls. The heat started to affect me, until now the enthusiasm is already mixed with tiredness*

On the final ridge. Exposed on the rugged terrain in the phrygana, being at the mercy of Helios, the last section demanded my full attention. I can’t stop thinking about the dive I will take after reaching the target.

*Somewhere below me on the right is the mythological “Cave of Hades”, a gate to the Underworld, the shady place from where only a few (like Hercules, Theseus and Orpheus) returned alive*. *At the moment I feel some weird inclination to enter that shady place…*

*Kokkinogeia, the last inhabited place left behind on the left*

Shortly before 1 PM I reached the secluded building of Cape Tenaro. At 36.28 N, this is the second southernmost point of continental Europe (after cape Tarifa at the Strait of Gibraltar). Here I am slightly closer to the Equator than two African capitals: Tunis and Algiers. *Built in 1882 by the French, for a few decades the lighthouse is automated, thus uninhabited, adding to the feeling of isolation.*

*The tempcheck in the shade of the northern wall is a must before entering the tempting waters*. *The southern setting means that in the summer the sun angle is very high here and now it’s exactly around midday. I have to confess: it was premeditated again.*

*This is the exact spot where the last strip of land meets the mighty sea, from here the Lybian coast is closer than Mount Olympus*

*That was expectable. A little warmish, but definitely welcomed in these circumstances.*

The most enjoyable part was just simply floating on the surface with the face too submerged in the water, observing the shadow of my body on the bright turquoise background, while feeling the energy levels returning to normal. *Maybe Homer was wrong and the Underworld is somewhere else.*

*The Zobject has no zobjections as well*

I observed a single person on the trail returning from the pharos when I was high on the ridge, but spotted nobody after that. However, I saw a few smaller boats passing. One of them stopped pretty close, so we could conversate. They asked me if everything is fine and tried to tell me that there are some “underground dangers”, including sharks. Maybe this last one was only added to scare me as they couldn’t explain properly about the real problem, the currents, which can take you off the shore if you distance yourself enough. Sure, I don’t have plans to cover the 380 km to Cyrenaica.

*To reach the sea at the very end you have to descend another vertical 30 meters between the huge boulders, my favorite sector*

*Phrygana vs thalassa: the view to the right (east) while returning*

*This time on the classical, old rusty trail, heading to Kokkinogeia. To its taverna to be precise.*

After two cold beers I visited the nearby sanctuary of Poseidon, the god of the sea venerated in ancient Taenarum from which the cape got its name. Beside the mythological aspects, in those times the place was famous also because of the precious green marble. *The present construction is actually a Christian church built in the Byzantine period from the rocks of the older Greek temple.*

*This small cave situated on the shore of a protected bay close to the temple is known as an old ritualistic place related to the mythology of Hades*. *The guardian monster, Cerberus wasn’t present, the entrance was protected by some tanned western pensioners.*

Around 6 PM it was time to leave the southernmost village. Today and tomorrow I will stay in a traditional maniot stone tower in Palyros, another barely populated hamlet located at the very end of the old continent.

*View of the teal-colored Vathi bay on the right of the road. Its name, which means “deep” in greek is very common in the Mani peninsula.*

*Arriving in Palyros, situated pretty high up on a hill about 150 meters above the sea*

*After a warm welcome and a tasty dinner (moussaka with tsatziki, what else), sitting on my balcony*. *In Mani the stone towers are a very common sight. Many are abandoned, some inhabited, while a few (like this one) can be rented by travelers.* *Built in the times when vendettas between rival families were common, now the general atmosphere is more peaceful.*

*I live in the room just above the entrance on the left, while the local family resides in the higher parts of the tower on the right. This picture will have some significance later on.*

*The next morning: view of the eastern “pseudo cape” – as I named it – with Kourelos, a neighboring hamlet above. My host, mr Panos told me that he grow up there.*

Some horses grazing near the sanctuary of Poseidon on the fringes of Kokkinogeia, with the “famous” southernmost parking lot on the right. Today I have a serious objective in my mind: finding the gates of Hades!

*I formerly identified this crack on Google Earth on the shores of the “pseudo cape” peninsula*

*Not Cerberus this time either, but still a little suspicious*

To reach the other cavity, the one which according to the locals is the actual Cave of Hades I have to return to the parking lot, then cross the ridge towards the west. It’s not far, just a little rugged and thorny.

*I think it is a little farther on the right*

Yep, this is the place. As here the surface of the rocks right at the sea is very sharp, I couldn’t enter the water with the camera to take photos from inside. But even beyond this obstacle the highlight of the experience would’ve been remained out of the reach: *there is a small chamber accessible through a narrow, short and low passage, what you can enter the easiest way by swimming underneath*. *The ceiling is not dangerously close during calmer waters like now, but can certainly became a threat when the sea is more turbulent.* *Inside there are two head-sized stalactite structures, one of them right above your shoulder so you can use it for stabilization while enjoying the view towards the stripe of light outside*. *Then you swim back underwater in the bright blue mass surrounded by small fishes.*

*Before Poseidon became the patron of the area, it is said that the sun god was venerated here. There is a reference to this in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, which recounts:*

“…and by the Laconian land they came to a sea-crowned city and the place of Helios who delights men, Tainaron, where the deep-fleeced sheep of lord Helios always graze and inhabit a delightful spot…”

*The so called “Star of Aria” dates from a later period (1st century AD) and it’s part of the mosaic floor of a former roman villa*.

*Sage (salvia officinalis) on the roadside, the “olfactive leitmotiv” of the maniot experience*

Porto Kagio, a tranquil resort with good tavernas. It sits just below Palyros, but you have to go round on the asphalt road as the thick phrygana vegetation will convince you to forget about a shortcut.

*After a relaxing swim followed by a tasty fish meal I am heading back to the stone tower*

My room is comfortable and quiet, but has a “dark secret” which I didn’t know beforehand: there is a single key which opens it and that key is the one I received at my arrival. No, I didn’t lost it, but left it on the inside and the air-blast slammed the door. Nobody can open it. Maybe we could enter it through my balcony, thus a ladder is brought. Bad luck, the balcony door is also closed. As it’s already dusk, the temperamental Panos is a little worried.

Maybe through the bathroom window? Fingers crossed, hopefully I left it open. Bingo, we are saved! The enter itself demanded some contortionist skills, but it was my time to redeem the bad karma. Changing from front to back posture, using some accessories of the bathroom’s interior as grips, I safely landed inside.

The team (all one family) with Panos in the center. The attained luck continued to follow me the next day as my host traveled to Athens, thus could take me to Gytheio. From there I had to take a taxi to Skala again to start the hike towards the Evrotas gorge. Kostas, the driver didn’t speaks english, but he is good with numbers: after showing me 25 on the phone’s screen, he was more than happy with my 20+10 bill and didn’t want to understand my body language regarding the change: “No, no, no my friend, it’s enough-it’s enough, thank you very much!” Avoid Kostas at all costas, guys.

On the way to collect the meteorological equipment. Today is less hot than all the previous days, I felt it both near the coast and farther inland. Some less developed cumulonimbus clouds appeared above the Taygetus, otherwise still sunshine everywhere.

I reached the research area around 3:30 PM. Of course, nobody was here, the installation is intact. From this point you can observe the slightly endorheic nature of the ditch where the data logger stayed as I took this photo standing “downstream” from the tripod.

*Observing the milder temperatures, respectively the fact that has the tendency to did not rise farther more, I stopped the device after 4 PM*

Good result, it was worth the effort to take it with me. As I expected, the maximum was recorded on 18th July, while the minimum in the last night. Four out of five days the temperature raised above 41 degrees Celsius. Curious to compare it with the values registered at the nearby official stations.

*Due to the less hostile ambience, the return was less strenuous than in the day of the installation*

Bridge in the central park of Skala: time for another cold **Monster – the doctor**

Trying to avoid Kostas I went out to hitchhike, but it seems that everybody supports him and not me. The evening was approaching, thus after more than an hour on the roadside decided to accept again the taxi version. A helpful local waiter called for a cab and soon I was in Gytheio. It wasn’t Kostas and the price 25-2=23

*Profitis Ilias watching over the lively, romantic resort*. *Spending the night in a decent hotel right above the seaside promenade (a little noisy until the night, otherwise ideal for a solo traveler), the next day I had to return to Athens.*

Inside a church in Tripoli, central Peloponnese. In the morning I made a rapid itinerary change deciding to visit Argos. There are many buses from there to the capital, though not sure how many are that way. It turned out that there are only two every day, starting from Tripoli, the center of Laconia. Every region has its own company and the link between them is less frequented. The bus first went to Nafplio, the old greek capital, then another one continued to Argos.

I decided to get off at the ruins of ancient Tiryns, hometown of the mythological hero Heracles, also known as Hercules. The place seemed empty and closed (maybe renovation?), thus I made another change in the plan: crossing the fence.

*An intruder inside the cyclopean walls. Still waiting to spot other visitors, which would mean that the site is open but the entrance is on the other side*

*Nope, the former mycenaean complex is completely mine*

*Actually I was right, the entrance indeed is on the other side. But the placard showed that the closing time is 15:30, that was about 10-15 minutes before my arrival.* *Not my fault.*

From Tiryns I walked 9-10 km to Argos on the very flat and straight main road. My plan is to reach the castle of Larisa, which is high up on a hill. Locals told me there is no other way, you must go round along the asphalt. After the first 1-2 km I couldn’t resist the temptation to try a shortcut across the olive plantations. Though sweating more, it saved some time to *comfortable catch the last evening bus to Athens.*

View from the citadel towards the north. The construction dates from the Byzantine times (12th century), but there are also ruins from the antiquity on another smaller hill nearby. The two were connected at a certain time as the city has a very tumultuous history starting from the earliest periods. I heard that even in our times still exists some kind of rivalry between Argos and Sparta, *ironically including even the battle for the title of the hottest place in Greece as both have their maximum around 46 centigrade.*

*Descending under the Argive walls, looking towards Mycenae. How to finish it better?*

To be continued…

Evrotas Gorge: quest for a new european pole of heat (3/3)

Interpretation of the logger’s graph (using LogTag Analyzer 3 software)

*The temperature curve of the 5 days/ 4 nights research period. The device was registering a value every minute.*

First day (July 17)

Hiking under a sunny sky I reached the research area before noon. The weather station started its operation at 12:11 PM when the screen of the logger showed 37.7 degrees Celsius. As I set the device for 1 minute logging (short intervals) the curve has the typical “saw aspect” with many small ups and downs inside the general “big waves”.

Until 1:53 PM the temperature climbed to 40.9 degrees, then at 3:13 PM reached the day’s maximum: 41.1 degrees Celsius. I left the installation before 5 PM when it was still slightly above 40 degrees and returned here only in the last day (21th July) to collect the equipment. During my staying the sky was completely clear with some short term wind speed intensifications.

*The temperature curve of the first day and the following night*

The graph shows that a more abrupt descent started at 7:15 PM in the evening when the temperature dropped from 37.2 C to 22.1 C until 5:02 AM. Afterwards there is an anomalous rise to 29.5 C until 6:20 AM, followed by a secondary morning drop to 23.8 C at 7:03 AM, certainly caused by wind.

Second day (July 18)

This was the hottest day. The temperature exceeded 40 degrees at 12:06 PM and continued to rise until 2:52 PM when the highest value of the 5 days research was recorded: 42.2 degrees Celsius. The 40+ heat was present until 6:30 PM and the more abrupt descent started at 7:51 PM when dropped from 37.8 C to 26.3 C until 10:55 PM.

*The temperature curve of the second day and the following night*

The next 20 minutes represents the biggest anomaly of the entire measuring period as until 11:18 PM the temperature rapidly climbed back to 34.5 degrees, maintaining the unusual warmth until 2:07 AM in the night when still were 32.6 degrees. Afterwards dropped to 26.6 C until 2:55 AM, but then raised again to 33.5 C at 5:31 in the dawn. Very chaotic night pattern for sure.

I was in the Mani peninsula at Kyparissos at that time and measured an unusually high 34 degrees around 7:30 in the morning. As I observed no clouds at all in all directions, there is no doubt that all these extreme fluctuations were caused by wind.

Third day (July 19)

Another very hot day. Reaching 40 degrees before 12:30 PM, the temperature was rising until 3:08 PM when 41.8 degrees Celsius, the day’s maximum and the second highest value of the research was registered. It remained above 40 degrees until 6:06 PM, while a more abrupt descent started after 8:30 in the evening when dropped from 35.3 C to 29.3 until 9:26 PM.

*The temperature curve of the third day and the following night*

Then a very similar to yesterday’s “out of the nowhere” kind of rise happened, thus in only a few minutes it warmed back to 33.8 C. Following another two sharp ups and downs during the night, it cooled down to 26.2 C until 1:20 AM, only to climb back again to 31.5 degrees at 6:37 in the early morning. I was in the cape Tenaro area during this time and experienced constant hot and sunny weather with mild to moderate wind.

Fourth day (July 20)

Generally, the temperature was steadily rising from the morning until 1:54 PM when the peak of the day, 41.2 degrees Celsius was registered. With a few drops between, this value was reached again at 2:29 PM. It went below 40 degrees after 4 PM and this time the night cooling has a more typical aspect, without the extreme fluctuations like in the case of the previous two.

*The temperature curve of the fourth day and the following night*

The minimum of the morning and also the lowest temperature of the research was 21.7 degrees Celsius, registered at 6:43 AM. Still in southernmost Mani, I measured below 25 C on the balcony of my room in Palyros village, definitely cooler than the previous morning when it was around 28 degrees. The sky remained completely clear day and night.

Fifth day (July 21)

Today I traveled back to collect the measuring equipment, reaching the area of the research around 3:30 PM. It was less hot than in the previous days, both in Gytheio and here in the Evrotas valley. I observed cumulonimbus clouds above the Taygetus mountains, but except that the sky remained completely clear.

*The temperature curve of the fifth (last) day*

The graph shows that after a peak of 35.8 degrees Celsius at 12:25 PM the temperature entered a slow descent phase reaching 33.8 C at 2:24 PM (probably sea breeze), then stabilizing more or less around 35 degrees. Observing the constancy of the milder conditions I stopped the data logger after 4 PM.

The average maximum temperature of the five days research period is 40.4 degrees Celsius, while the average minimum of the four nights between is 24.1 degrees Celsius, giving a mean daily amplitude of 16.3 degrees. The biggest daily fluctuation was 20.1 degrees and happened on the second day when the temperature raised from 22.1 to 42.2 degrees Celsius.

General conclusions

The sky is usually clear both day and night, convective clouds can appear mostly only above the taller mountains.
The temperature rise during the daytime is quit regular, typically reaching the maximum around 2-3 PM, but sometimes is affected by the sea breeze, which can stop the rise earlier.
The late evening and night hours can have a very chaotic course with significant fluctuations in very short periods of time due to local föhn winds, which easily disrupt the nocturnal cooling of the valley.
The daily amplitude is medium to high (14-20 degrees) facilitated by the subtropical latitude and very dry conditions, but limited by the earlier mentioned fönh winds.
The short time temperature fluctuations are much bigger during the dark hours, reaching 8 degrees in 20 minutes.

Comparison with the hottest areas of Greece and Europe

According to Ogimet, two greek weather stations exceeded the maximum recorded by my installation in the gorge of the Evrotas river. These are Serrai (Serres) and Kalamata. The former is situated in the north of the country and due to its more inland location it is indeed often very hot, likewise Demir Kapija and Gevgelija in nearby North Macedonia or Sandanski in south-western Bulgaria.

This summer’s heatwave was especially strong in the central and northern Balkans including the country I live, Romania. In these areas the thermal anomaly reached or exceeded 10 degrees sometimes, thus the usually hotter Peloponnese had a hard time keeping up with the northern neighbors sitting right under the center of the heat dome. More stations in Romania, including the capital București reached 40-41 degrees, while northern Macedonia exceeded even 42 degrees Celsius in this period. Albania, Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine also went above 40, breaking or approaching the older records.

*The maximum temperatures in Europe on 18th July*
*(the date on the image refers to the previous 24 hours)*

Kalamata (known for its tasty olives) is situated in a protected bay of the southern Peloponnese, which likely experiences the hottest weather during strong north-eastern föhn effect, when the wind is blowing across the Taygetus, annihilating the sea-breeze. I checked the Ogimet statistics (see the chart below) and yes, that was the case, during the hotter part of the day the wind was coming across the high mountain.

*The statistics of Kalamata HNMS weather station for 18th July (Ogimet)*

We have to mention here that Greece has two different weather monitoring networks: one of them is the HNMS (Hellenic National Meteorological Service), which uses passive solar radiation shields and the other is the NOA (National Observatory of Athens), which uses fan aspirated ones instead. The stations appearing in the Ogimet statistics are from the HNMS, thus the ones with classical multi-plate shields.

At the present moment it’s well documented that during strong solar radiation with little wind the passive shields can’t protect the thermometer’s sensor from overheating as efficiently as the fan aspirated versions and are outperformed also by the helical Barani shield, the one which I am using. More than that, I heard a local specialist mentioning that there is a huge discrepancy specifically between the two weather stations (HNMS vs NOA) of Serres city, the one using passive shield having a higher average maximum in the summer with up to 2 full degrees (!), which backs up my intuitive skepticism regarding the “sticking-out nature” of the related Ogimet statistics.

Note: This part will remain open for update in case of obtaining some valuable info regarding the measurements of the two hellenic weather networks. I am especially curious of the NOA statistics of the hottest stations during the 17-21 July interval. Until now I found a single one, which is that the messenian Skala village (north of Kalamata) measured the highest temperature in Greece and that’s 43.1 degrees Celsius. This is interesting as conflicts with the slightly higher value of Serres appearing on Ogimet. Let’s wait for the clarifications.

*Update on 5th September 2024:

Thanks to a local specialist I received complete monthly data sets, which are more than interesting in the context of my own measurements (see the charts below with the 5 related maximums inside the red rectangles):

And below are the extreme values recorded at my location:

What can we conclude from this?

In a nutshell: I have to correct my less optimist previous statement (read the last chapter) regarding the thermal advantage given by the small scale topography, as my location seems to be hotter with over 1 degree than both Sparti and laconian Skala settlements (which are pretty close to each other for that matter). The exception is the last day (21th July) when the breeze affected the lower course of the Evrotas but not the more inland located Sparti city.

More concretely: On 18th July (the hottest day at my weather station) the advantage was 1.8 C over Skala NOA, 1.6 C over Sparti NOA and 2 full degrees over Sparti HNMS meteorological station. The average advantage for the four hotter days is 1.4 degrees over both Skala NOA and Sparti NOA and 1.5 degrees over Sparti HNMS station. Taken into account the relatively small distances inside the same basin and the fact that my research spot is located between the two settlements we can assume that the obvious positive gap can’t be accidental.

-end of update-

Could the Evrotas gorge be the hottest place in Greece?

I think the correct answer to this question is possible with the mention that the general setting (southern placement, low elevation, sheltering mountains and some distance from the sea) is the main cause and the smaller scale topography (surrounding steep slopes) is much less relevant.

While far less impressive as in the case of a “cold trap” (known as frost hollow), where the simple law of gravity can create huge differences between the bottom and rim of a small closed basin, I think that a hypothetical “heat trap” with measurable enhancing properties could be possible with some specific topography, but due to the simple fact that the warmer air has the tendency to rise, not to sink as the colder one, it’s certainly much more difficult to “balance the ingredients” in the proper way to attain it. Maybe a future project.

Karagiye depression: below sea level, above human body (1/3)

Intro: sea or lake?

Despite the name, the Caspian Sea actually is a big lake, as it is completely landlocked, without a connection to the oceans. Beside its huge size (with 371000 square km is the largest lake in the world by far) owns another peculiarity: it lies 28 meters below the mean sea level. Even if it is situated in an arid climate, the salinity is much lower than in the oceans (about one third), mainly due to the fresh water influx (Volga river). Around the lake, especially in the northern sector, there is an extensive sunken plain area named “the Caspian Lowland”, a sparsely populated flatland covered with xerophyte shrubs and grass.

“Skal’naya tropa”, the rocky coast of Aktau

Centered around the oil industry, the city of Aktau lies on the eastern shore of the “sea” and is the capital of Mangystau region in south-western Kazakhstan. In the summer the climate resembles the mediterranean one (warm to hot with little rainfall), the coast being frequented by locals in the holidays. International tourism it just started to develop, hence is a great option for those travelers who want to have a unique and less crowdy beach experience. Above the specific “soviet background” (wide streets, rectangular structures, heroic memorials) the present day Aktau presents a peaceful atmosphere, trying to connect to the western standards.

Choosing the target

Compared with my usual work ethic regarding the extreme climate research, this travel wasn’t planned well ahead, instead was closer to a “last minute” decision. With less free time available I chose a somewhat “easier target”, both physically and financially.

Having a particular bonding with the lowest dry lands by a lifetime, the Karagiye Depression in south-western Kazakhstan popped up as the best choice in this more limited context. The bottom of the semi-desertic depression lies at 132 meters below the sea level, representing the lowest point of Kazakhstan (also the former Soviet Union) and position oneself fifth in the world after the Dead Sea (Israel-Jordan), Lake Assal (Djibouti), Turfan basin (China/ Xinjiang) and Qattara depression (Egypt).

The Karagiye Depression (red arrow) situated inside the Caspian Lowland (dark green, upper part of the image)

From the viewpoint of the hottest places of the Planet in the absolute sense can’t be considered a “top-notch” location, but taken into account its relatively high latitude (43 N) in the summertime has a decent delivery potential. The proximity to the coast (20-40 km) doesn’t really affect the daytime heating as the Caspian has a quite continental ambience and the sea-breeze is often completely annihilated by the dry easterly winds blowing from the inland deserts.

Soviet military topo map with Karagiye (center) and Aktau (formerly Shevchenko) in the north-west

Moderated by the sea, Aktau itself has an average summer maximum of around 31-32 degrees, with the absolute record of 44 degrees Celsius measured in the month of August (according to Wikipedia). I have no access to the weather statistics of the more inland locations in Mangystau and I’m not even sure there are real weather stations outside the regional capital in the closer surroundings.

The place has a peculiar topographical setting, being a “depression inside a depression”, as the nearby Caspian Sea itself is already situated below the level of the world ocean, while Karagiye lies another hundred meters lower than the big lake.

Satellite image with the location of the measuring equipment (red dot) in the north-eastern part of the basin

Regarding the exact location of the research I’d chosen a spot which is the farthest possible from the coast (37-38 km), while at the same time being at the lowest elevation (-132 m). Also, I’ll try to place the tripod on sandy surface, as it can slightly enhance the daytime heating compared with the more compact clay or the highly reflective salt crust (white patch in the above image).

The low-point can be reached the easiest way from the Aktau-Zhanaözen road (new turkish asphalt), from where it is about 10 km to the south, south-west, lying at the foot of the steep eastern rim of the basin.

Brief summary of the research

My plane landed in Aktau on 11th August in the early morning, just before sunrise. The optimistic forecast rushed me to reach the bottom of Karagiye and place the measuring equipment as soon as possible. Everything went fine, the locals were helpful and even if I slept close to nothing during the flight journey, the quick preparation was efficient and around 9 AM a car left me on the Zhanaözen road right at the viewpoint to the depression, from where I started the hike towards the bottom.

Before 10 AM it was already hot, the sky completely clear and only weak wind. After meandering my way through the fragmented escarpment, I reached the flatter part and continued the walk, crossing the sometimes harder clayey, other times more squashy salty terrain with generally sparse vegetation cover. Finding a proper sandy spot on the bottom I mounted the data logger on the tripod around 12:30 PM. The exact coordinates are: 43.490923 N, 51.838903 E, the elevation -130 m. The height of the sensor from the ground is around 170 cm. At 12:42 PM the weather station started its operation. First reading: 36.6 degrees Celsius.

*The weather station on the bottom of the basin*

I waited near the equipment until 5 PM, to monitor the temperature rise during the hottest part of the day. The maximum reached 40.1 degrees Celsius at 4:48 PM, while I randomly measured 64.3 degrees soil temperature around 1:30 PM during the highest sun angle. Before leaving I secured the tripod attaching a sack filled with soil fragments to can handle also the windier conditions.

I’ve spent the night in a mosquito tent less than 1 km from the weather station, next to a consolidated sandy pile. Despite the clear skies, partly because of the wind, the evening was warm and the night’s minimum dropped only to 28.9 degrees Celsius. I left the research area at dawn and returned to collect the equipment four days later, on 16th August in the afternoon. During this intermediate period, beside Aktau, I travelled to other locations of the Mangyshlak peninsula (Shetpe town, Caspian coast), where encountered similar dry and hot conditions with little to no clouds.

The maximum (40.1 degrees Celsius) was reached at 4:48 PM

On 16th August I crossed the Karagiye depression, starting the hike from the other side (Kuryk road), reaching the study area after traversing the salt pan situated at the very bottom. The weather was mostly sunny but somewhat less hot than in the first day, though still far from comfortable. I found the instrument in its place and functional with all data recorded correctly. The absolute maximum surpassed by half a degree (40.6 degrees Celsius) the first days peak both on 12th and 13th, while the weakest maximum happened on 15th (36.0 degrees). The lowest value was registered on 16th in the morning, when the temperature dropped to 19.3 C, by far the coldest night.

During my staying in the depression I encountered a few gazelles, camels and horses, respectively birds in the more vegetated parts. Small lizards, a few bugs and a species of spider (night time) was also present. There were no humans in the entire area between the two asphalt roads (Zhanaözen and Kuryk).

The instruments used on the field

-One LogTag UTRED30-16 data logger with the measuring range between -40 and +99 degrees Celsius, an accuracy of 0.5 degrees Celsius and a resolution of 0.1 degrees Celsius.

-One Greisinger GMH 2710-T digital precision thermometer with the measuring range between -199.9, +200 degrees Celsius, an accuracy of +-0.1 degrees Celsius and a resolution of 0.1 degrees Celsius.

-One photo camera tripod serving as the support for the instruments.

-One helical solar radiation shield from Barani Design Technologies: https://www.baranidesign.com/

To be continued…

Karagiye depression: below sea level, above human body (2/3)

Journey photo album

My plane landed in Aktau shortly before sunrise and I had the luck to catch a glimpse of the Karagiye salt flat (whitish patch below the horizon) while approaching the Caspian coast

The first impression of Kazakhstan was very positive and not only because of the sunny weather, but also the openness and helping attitude of the locals

Thus, with the assistance of the airport taxi driver who understood and was ready to help me with the basic preparations in a fast and straightforward manner, I managed to reach the starting point of the hike at the “Karagiye viewpoint” situated about 55 km distance from the city on the Zhanaözen road around 9 AM

Packed with 9 liters of water and sufficient food, at 9:30 AM I started the descent towards the bottom of the depression

The first part of the route is given by the steep ledge of the plateau, which drops in more steps, separated by flatter terraces, a prehistoric and dramatic landscape with the aspect of a labyrinth. The dominant rock type is clay and marl, generally quite friable

Around 10 AM it was already hot and the absence of the wind inside the gullies made the solar radiation even more pronounced. I am content, this is what I came for

Some gazelles wandering in the wilderness

Reaching the flatter bottom part (already below -100 m elevation) I continued the hike, turning to the south-east and generally following the line of the escarpment. In some parts there was some vegetation…

…while in other parts it was completely missing, the landscape resembling the surface of the Moon

Even here you can see sometimes the signs of life, this bird certainly came from the neighboring greener areas, where he/she resides

Here and there the monotony of the flatland is interrupted by a few consolidated sandy piles

After 12 PM I reached a spot which I consider proper to place the tripod with the attached logger. This is a smaller sandy “island” situated at the edge of the extensive clayey bottom (the GPS shows around -130 m), which could slightly enhance the daytime heating as compared with the more compact or reflective surfaces

At 12:40 I started the logger. For a short period there was some trouble as the sensor’s contact seemed to fluctuate, but luckily, after a few attempts I managed to solve the issue

The Barani helical radiation shield warrants for the efficient protection against the sun, providing both shade and sufficient ventilation to measure the actual air temperature

Soil temperature around 1:30 PM, the highest solar angle

Unlike the dusty and squashy one, this surface is particularly hard and rough

As I had both enough time and energy, without the luggage, I made a small bypass to the last visible sandy pile situated more inside the depression (around 1.5 km from the camp), which has on the top a small lookout tower

I was a little surprised that I couldn’t observe from here the white expanse of the salt pan, probably still too far with such a small elevation advantage

Back to the camp: the temperature is rising

As I lost my “legionary hat” before embarking in the minibus in Aktau, I’ve used a white T-shirt for protection against the insolation. I am sitting in a small camping chair without any shade, determined to wait here until the peak-heat

No ice cream on this beach. At least I try to protect the bottles from the relentless sun. Even without a complete greenhouse effect, the water is already unpleasantly warm, certainly above the human body temperature

Sometimes there is absolutely no air movement

That’s it! Just before deciding to leave I saw that the max went above 40 degrees

I secured the tripod with an attached sack filled with earth to can handle also the windier conditions and after 5 PM I left the weather station

Finding shade behind a neighboring conical structure I rested some time before setting my camp for the night

Even if the temperature was still high, the atmosphere started to be more bearable after the solar angle became lower

The billion-star hotel is waiting for me

Nothing on this image outside the dark sky, right? Well, almost nothing. Actually I took a picture of a bright, moving line composed of 22 light spots (still very hazy, but a zoom will help). The “UFO” was heading straight and the distance between the lights wasn’t changing, nor were they pulsing, the direction approximately NW-SE. The interesting part is that I read a short mention somewhere on the net, that in the Karagiye area the UFO encountering isn’t rare. I never saw something similar, according to a friend they must be a cluster of satellites, before diverging

Before leaving I went back to the tripod to check the minimum temperature. The night was warm, but not on the side of uncomfortable, actually almost optimal for just laying without a sleeping bag in the airy mosquito tent

Though I wasn’t taken away by E.T. , was bitten by a few mosquitos through the mesh. Fortunately not by him. You can easily spot this spider in the dark, as his eyes are reflecting the light of the headlamp

In the dawn I continued the hike back, towards the asphalt road

Not legit UFO’s, but they too can trick your imagination

For the sake of the adventure, I took another way to reach the road. Yesterday I hydrated myself properly and left sufficient water for today’s part. The milder morning temperatures are helping to accumulate some km’s before the sun hits you

I saw that there is some lush vegetation inside a canyon-like valley and was curious about the details

Water! There is kind of a “canopy” mainly composed of reeds, which hides the stream underneath, thus at first you can only hear it. The bush is so thick and tough, it can support your weight above without risking to fall through. Certainly not for human consumption, but great for a bath

This band of reed is one of the most difficult to cross terrain I’ve ever encountered. Not even tried to follow it upwards, outside the small excursion to check the water

Aha! So this is the mysterious source. Surrounded by camel dung, it’s smell was caused also by its own composition. It’s a thermal spring with evident sulfur content

Looking back towards the depression (the “reed-canyon” is visible)

The road is farther on the plateau, I guide myself following the tall electric poles in the distance

Successfully hitchhiking from the asphalt, around 11 AM I was already back in Aktau

After reaching the beach I followed the coast towards the rocky escarpment , named in russian “Skal’naya tropa”

This scenic stretch of land, what could be named “kazakh riviera” is very popular among the locals, many people are coming here from the far eastern side of the country (Astana, Almaty) – mostly by train – to spend the holidays in the mediterraneanish climate of the Caspian Sea

Arriving at my hotel, just to change my clothes and eat…

…then heading back to the city to don’t miss the splendid weather. It’s particularly hot today, but with the beach not far away I consider it just right, especially as the water temperature is quite cool (21-22 degrees Celsius)

“A soviet man standing next to some soviet camels under the soviet sun”, that’s what youtuber Bald and Bankrupt would probably say 😉

The next day I travelled to Shetpe settlement by train (about 2 hours) to visit the nearby spectacular inselbergs. The train station is pretty far from Aktau’s center, actually in another town named Mangystau. Better book it online in advance (it’s cheap) as in the summer it can be full (it was). When I got off the train I was a little surprised to not see anybody asking me to take a taxi. Okay, I’m first time here

However it was a guy, who I think was waiting for the exact same thing to happen (unsuspecting tourist alone) and pretended he is just there by chance while I packed my luggage inside the small shop, then asking for a way too high price to take me to my target (only asphalt). It still wasn’t expensive in the absolute sense and I want to reach the target as soon as possible, so I let it go without too much hassle. Ayrakty is the name of the rocky mountain I’m heading now

Except a small portion on the south, the horseshoe shaped structure is surrounded on all sides by vertical cliffs, making impossible to reach the flat plateau on the top from other directions

Stone umbrella, good shelter against the punishing sun. It’s around 4 PM, I’ve measured 38-39 degrees Celsius by hand (circling the cable with the sensor around at head level)

Inside the giant “U”, facing the concave dead-end. I’ve scanned with my eyes the cliffs, but couldn’t found a promising line where I could attempt to reach the top, even without the big luggage. Beside the steepness, the rock type is also bad (marl), which would make this plan very dangerous

The whitish towers protected me in the afternoon heat, I rested some time in the shade before continuing the hike

The elevation of this spot is pretty low, below 100 meters (but above the sea level), while the plateau abruptly rises 250-300 meters above the plain

Using the shade of the western “leg” I started to get around the structure, in the first part mostly on the same track from where I came

First glimpse of Sherkala, another inselberg, the most famous in Mangystau

That’s right, it seems that the only way up is a narrow strip on the southern sector where a little scrambling can take you to the top of the plateau

The rectangular slabs could be massagetae (ancient nomad horse people related to the scythians) pillars (?), similar rudimentary or a little more decorated structures can be found scattered around also on the neighboring Ustyurt plateau

The Zobject on the concave, but this time upper part of the huge horseshoe

The somewhat higher elevation makes the weather quite pleasant after sunset, also there are no mosquitos. Did I slept well? Nope, actually close to nothing. The wind intensified in the night, just when I was finishing to admire the Milky Way and trying to get some rest. The violent shake of the tent went till the dawn when I packed my things and continued the journey

The view to the east is spectacular, but I need to be careful not to go too close to the edge as with the big luggage on my back the wind is affecting my balance

Another mighty inselberg, has no name on the topo map

Continuing to follow the edges, this time on top of the eastern leg

I’ve already spotted them in the previous evening not too far from my camp. They must use the same steep slope to reach the plateau for grazing and descend to another location for water as here up is certainly nothing to drink

Sherkala (Lion’s castle) dominates the western horizon, I am heading right there

It is said that there is tunnel excavated during an old war, which leads to the top, otherwise it’s the same kind of inaccessible natural fortress like Ayrakty, if not even more

Remote farm not far from the asphalt road

There are some spherical concretions present in the area, a peculiar geomorphological phenomenon found also in my homeland, Romania (named “trovanți” there)

Far less in number than in the famous “valley of the balls” at Torysh (situated farther to the west near Tauchik), but without enough time to go there, I’m glad to see a few here

Around 9 AM I am at the iconic viewpoint towards the “yurt shaped” Sherkala. Meanwhile the wind didn’t gave up, but the sky remained clear

Hitchhiking from the nearby asphalt road a loud and at first quite rude “melon guy” picked me up, but the realization that we are exactly the same age was enough for him to became friendly and asking for selfies, then taking me to his spot in the bazaar of Shetpe. After drinking kumys (fermented mare milk) and eating I continued the hitchhike towards Aktau from the crossroads in the other side of the settlement. My new target is the beach named “km 43” (likely the distance from the city). I started by foot in the heat of the early afternoon (see picture above), but didn’t reached too far when some helpful youngsters picked me up

This area is relatively “crowded”, okay, I mean by kazakh standards. The locals (mostly from Aktau) come here to chill and take a bath. The coast is rocky, but not the “greek-type”, where you can jump directly from the shore. With variable depth, the water is tricky, with new obstacles still appearing after thinking you passed over them. Skal’naya tropa looks more rough because of its big boulders, but actually is easier to swim there

I rested more than the previous night on the windy plateau, probably helped also by the relaxing murmur of the waves. Most people don’t stay here overnight, they return home in the evening. The beach is reachable by car, but there are no facilities at all. As usual, the start is before sunrise, the temperature still warmish

The Tüpkaragan peninsula’s coast continues to the north-west towards Fort-Shevchenko, a small town with military-base

The landscape is fragmented only near the coast, the plateau is very flat with little to no landmarks

Looking towards Aktau from the southern ledge

This lizard is even more common than the camels, you can often spot them while sneaking away in the sparse, hardy grass

Reaching the main road at “km 43” I was questioned by a police patrol about my journey, but they not even checked my passport. I didn’t encounter any troubles relating the authorities during my travel and had the general feeling that the country is both safe and peaceful

The hitchhike to the city went smooth. People generally will expect to be paid for the ride, sometimes they will even tell you the price in the beginning. As the train is the backbone of the kazakh public transport (the bus services are scanty), the more remote settlements are harder to reach for tourists. The best option is probable to hire a car

WW2 memorial in Aktau. Life is not easy here, the economy struggles. The prices are low for western standards, a clear advantage for travelers

Here and there some more modern buildings break the general “soviet architecture” style of the city

MiG fighter plane monument with a characteristic “aktauish” block in the background

The statue of ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who was exiled to the Mangyshlak in the 19. century. He is likely the most famous historical figure of the area as beside Fort-Shevchenko even Aktau’s previous name was also Shevchenko

Satisfied with the previous experience I returned to the same hotel. The staff was very operative and punctual, calling for taxi when I needed, explaining to the driver in advance my plan. Tomorrow I will go to collect the measuring equipment in the Karagiye Depression and I decided to reach the target from the other side of the basin, starting the hike in the south-west from the Kuryk road. It’s significantly farther from this direction and I will need to cross the salt pan situated at the very bottom

My favorite drink in Mangystau: kumys, fermented mare milk. You can buy it as you buy the beer in other countries. There are more variants, this particular one was the best: refreshingly sour, very fizzy (small bubbles), sufficiently sweet, with just a hint of alcohol (1-2 %). Also, very nutritive. However, you need to be very careful when opening to avoid the lurking disaster (personal experience…)

As the hotel sits close to the southern outlet of the city, the Kuryk road was simple to reach. The pranky azerbaijani driver (many taxi guys are from the Caucasus) took me to the chosen spot very fast, speeding close to 150 km/h on the good turkish asphalt. It barely passed 10 AM when I started the hike. After crossing (or trespassing?) the nearby railway’s (maybe only freight transport related to the ferry) barbed-wire, I maintained the north-east direction towards the depression

The weather in sunny, the heat somewhat less intense than during the first excursion. I have seven liters of water with me, as this time rested and hydrated myself well before in the hotel, compared to the rush with minimal preparation on 11th August. The progress on the flat plateau is easy, in about an hour I reach the ledge and have the first view of the salt pan

From the top I’ve observed a rather straight line which seems to go exactly in the same direction I’m heading to. A pretty long sector was composed of poles, maybe some fence in construction (or the opposite)

Already below -100 meters elevation. I’ve spotted some horses in the distance, which at first looked curious, then became kind of agitated. As I was heading towards them, they just waited watching me, then all at once run away sideways. But when I turned my head to the left to check them, I saw that all three were racing directly towards me!

However, when I raised the trekking pole and shouted once they instantly changed directions and run away to where they came

The camels have a more “phlegmatic” temperament, probably ideal in the heat where you need to be thrifty with your energy

It seems that this dirt road goes straight to the salt pan

-132 meters below sea level, the lowest spot of Kazakhstan and fifth in the world

The edge of the salt pan was slightly squashy, but afterwards the walk became comfortable on the hard surface

Somewhere in the middle of the white emptiness

There must be my target, I can discern the contours of the isolated sand pile in the distance

Not far from the other end of the salt flat the terrain became less solid again, moreover I started to sink ankle-height in the hot black mud. Yes, it was hot! I could feel through the shoes that it’s much warmer then my feet. There must be some thermal springs below, I don’t think the sun could heat it so much through the white crust.

Probably I got over it. The salt pan’s width was around 7-8 km

Still a little soft, but the danger is over

Reaching the already familiar sand island, after 4 PM I rested some time in the shade offered by its steep slope before continuing to the weather station

Of course, it’s here! I made around 29 km from the Kuryk road

I checked the results which were very close to my expectations. The maximum temperature exceeded by half a degree (40.6 C) the record of the first day (when I was present), both on 12th and 13th August. Today was “only” 36.4 degrees, while yesterday 36.0 degrees, the weakest maximum. The lowest temp by far (19.3 C) was registered this morning. I stopped the logger at 6:40 PM when the screen showed 33.9 degrees Celsius

Some parts of the basin’s bottom is represented by takyr (turkic for “playa”), the characteristic cracked, dry clay surface. Satisfied both with the trip and the research I will spend the night in the same spot, a little farther, next to the other sand pile

In the latter part of the afternoon I observed some convective rain clouds in the south, south-east, probably between the sea and the depression. The night was starry again, but without ET. Even the mosquitos were more lethargic now

Early morning start the next day, the weather is clear, the temperature pleasant. Following a dirt road at the foot of the hills – which seems to be the main access inside the basin – , this time I was passing through the greener area of the flatland, where a strong “chemical smell” (likely a mix of camel and bird excrement) hit me

Aha, I saw some small ponds on Google Earth. Looks romantic, smells like shit. Literally

Better here. Despite the many signs of recent activity, I haven’t spotted any camels, only birds

Just after sunrise, a little farther there was a scenic place with heavily eroded white rocks

The slender tower must be the biblical Lot’s wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt

I apologize, that story happened near the Dead Sea in Israel. Still below the sea level, though

This bug has some capacity which is bordering the skills of David Copperfield: every time I tried to take a photo of him from the front, he automatically adjusted his position to counteract it, like it was a magnetic repulsion

It looks that this is the easiest way to get out of the depression, pretty straightforward, without getting lost in the labyrinth of the badlands. Planned and managed well, I still have sufficient water to finish the trip without risking dehydration

A last steeper part and I’m up on the plateau, very close to the asphalt road. A local resident picked me up soon and before 10:30 AM I was already back in Aktau

Reaching the coast, I had the opportunity to wash my dirty shoes and trousers in the Caspian and the strong sun guaranteed the quick drying. The desert footwear was so badly hardened by the salt after the water evaporated, that it became completely useless, as – partly due to its shape – I couldn’t put them on again with all my strength and ambition. Thus, I had to use the city sneakers instead for the return part of the hike

The road towards Microdistrict 3, where my hotel was. In Aktau the addresses are described exclusively by numbers, as a trio composed of microdistrict, building and apartment. Though, I saw also street names on the sign-posts, those probably are newer establishments

Sandy beach not far from the eastern end of the rocky promenade

This warship announced his arrival with a huge explosion sound, which I concluded must have been a legit artillery shoot (see the cannon in the front), fortunately not towards the coast…

I was chilling about two hours on the beach at Skal’naya tropa, sitting on a sun-warmed boulder, cooling down in the water (this time a little warmer, 24 degrees) a few times. Very pleasant experience as everything ended well and I’m not even particularly tired

With enough freetime at disposal I was wandering in the city, eating at a nice restaurant before getting a taxi to the airport, where I’ve booked the last night of the voyage. There are many people working as “taxi drivers” as part-time job and they usually will ask for a smaller amount (about half-price), which was also my case

After resting a few hours in the comfortable, air-conditioned room, it came the time to leave. On the whole the journey in Mangystau was a great experience, the weather superb, everything went smooth. Likely not my last time here

As I had around 10 hours to wait for the plane change in Istanbul, I used the day to visit the famous old center of the metropolis. Well, a little in a rush as the new airport is ridiculously far away, having to take three (if you know what you’re doing) different metros to reach close enough. The most touristic part is insanely crowded (peak-season, also Friday), a huge contrast compared with the spacious streets of Aktau. Two completely different turkic worlds…

Karagiye depression: below sea level, above human body (3/3)

Interpretation of the logger’s graph (using LogTag Analyzer 3 software)

*The temperature curve of the 6 days/ 5 nights research period. The device was registering a value every 2 minutes (zoom in for better view)*

First day (August 11)

It is the single day when I’ve spent significant time nearby the measuring equipment. During the hike towards the bottom of the depression the sky was completely clear, the wind (easterly) light to moderate and these conditions continued also afterwards the entire day. The data logger started the continuous measurements at 12:42 PM, the first reading was 36.6 degrees Celsius. As I set the device for 2 minutes logging (short intervals) the curve has the typical “saw aspect” with many small ups and downs inside the general “big waves”.

Generally, the temperature was constantly rising until 4:48 PM, when the maximum of 40.1 degrees Celsius was reached. I was present, waiting in a camping chair at that time and observed little to no wind near the tripod in the hottest part of the afternoon. The obvious drop started after 7:30 PM and continued to 11:30 PM when the temperature reached 29.0 C. After that the curve became irregular, reaching the night’s minimum shortly before midnight (28.9 C), later climbing back to 31.6 C. As there were no clouds (I saw the starry sky through the transparent mesh of the mosquito tent), the disturbance was certainly caused by the wind. In the final part of the night, before leaving, I checked again the device and observed 29.9 C at 5:10 AM.

Second day (August 12)

The bulk of this day I’ve spent in Aktau after reaching the city around 11:30 AM, hitchhiking from the Zhanaözen road, north-east from the depression. The completely clear conditions continued, in the afternoon it was markedly hot even near the sea.

The graph shows a very regular diagram during the entire day, the temperature continuously climbed until it reached the maximum (40.6 degrees Celsius) at 3:32 PM, which is also the highest value of the entire measuring period. The earlier peak (maybe) could be attributed to the fact that the wind wasn’t dominantly easterly in the afternoon and the sea breeze could have slightly moderated the farther rise in the mid afternoon.

The obvious drop started again around 7:30 PM and lasted until 11:10 PM, when 28.7 C was reached. A very similar pattern with the previous day & night combo, complemented also with the following irregularity (certainly wind again). The main difference is that this time the minimum went down to 24.5 C in the early morning (5:52 AM).

Third day (August 13)

Today I left Aktau and travelled by train to Shetpe town, where I visited the inselberg named Ayrakty. I reached the area after 3 PM and saw no clouds in the sky during the entire day. In the afternoon I observed 38-39 C (hand measurement) around 70-80 m elevation. The wind was light until the evening (even on the elevated plateau), however in the night became consistently stronger. The sky remained clear.

Likely because the wind became again south-easterly, the maximum (40.6 degrees Celsius for the second time, equaling the previous record) was reached at 4:52 PM, very similar with the first day’s case. The obvious drop now started around 8 PM and except a short disturbance period between 10-11 PM continued pretty constant until the morning (7:02 AM), when reached the minimum of 26.3 C.

Fourth day (August 14)

Starting in the night, this day was a windy one and slightly less hot than the previous three, which were very alike. I hiked in the surroundings of Shetpe (Ayrakty and Sherkala) and observed almost no clouds. In the early afternoon I moved closer to Aktau to the so called “km 43” beach, where the sky became partly cloudy.

The day part of the graph looks quite regular again, reaching the maximum of 38.1 degrees Celsius at 3:50 and 3:58 PM. However, the obvious drop started much sooner this time (sea breeze?), around 5:45 PM and lasted until 9:10 PM, when reached 30.0 degrees. From here the curve is more irregular (I suspect wind again), but generally was descending until the morning, when reached 24.5 C at 6:54 AM.

Fifth day (August 15)

Sleeping on the beach, I continued the hike in the morning towards the road, where I hitchhiked back to Aktau before noon. It was mostly sunny with scattered altocumulus clouds in the city, the temperature less hot than before. The wind was much lighter than yesterday in the Sherkala area.

*The temperature curve of the fifth day and the following night*

The daily graph looks normal again, reaching the peak of 36.0 degrees Celsius at 3:54 PM, which is the “weakest” maximum of the entire measuring period. The obvious drop started around 6:45 PM this time and was clean until around 10 PM, when reached 28.0 C. Then the descend became less regular with some abrupt ups and downs during the night, though the general tendency was evidently downwards. The minimum happened at 5:52 AM in the morning and was much lower than the previous ones: 19.3 degrees Celsius.

Sixth day (August 16)

Today I went back to collect the measuring equipment, this time starting the hike from the Kuryk road, situated on the other side of the depression (south-west). In the early afternoon I’ve crossed the entire salt pan transversely, before reaching the weather station. There were some scattered clouds, but overall much more sun than shade. I stopped the logger at 6:40 PM when the screen showed 33.9 degrees Celsius. In this later part of the afternoon I observed some convective rain clouds in the south, south-east, probably between the sea and the basin.

*The temperature curve of the sixth (last) day*

The graph of this day is also pretty regular, but can be discerned a little “rush” as the maximum of 36.4 degrees Celsius was reached sooner than usual: 3:06 PM. I attribute this fact again to the changing wind directions (namely the sea breeze), which started to counteract the afternoon heat.

The average maximum temperature of the six day measuring period is 38.6 C, while the average minimum of the related five nights is 24.7 C, giving a mean amplitude of 13.9 degrees Celsius. This combo is above the level of the hottest places of Europe for the month of July, closer to the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan or south-eastern Turkey around the Syrian border. Though this could not be considered a fixed generality as this summer was hotter on average in many places, especially in the mediterranean basin.

General conclusions

The sky is usually clear without significant differences between day and night.
The temperature rise during the daytime is typically constant and regular, reaching the maximum between 3 and 5 PM, sooner in the case with a stronger sea breeze effect.
The evening and the first part of the night is less windy with a more abrupt and fluid temperature drop than after midnight, when disturbances are characteristic.
The daily amplitude is medium (11-17 degrees), even slightly small for an arid environment during clear conditions, in part caused by the low elevation, where the thicker atmosphere can trap more heat during the night.
It’s a markedly hot area compared with its relatively high latitude (43 N), closer to the level of the subtropical deserts.

Comparison with the weather station of Aktau

Situated near the coast, Aktau receives the moderating effect of the Caspian Sea, thus the maximum temps are generally a few degrees lower than the ones registered farther inland during sunny weather. If we compare it (see the Ogimet chart below) with the values of my station in Karagiye, the average difference between the two is 4.4 degrees in favour of the depression. The biggest discrepancy (5.7 degrees) happened on 16th, while the smallest one (2.1 degrees) on 13th August.

This latter small difference was certainly caused by the easterly or south-easterly wind, which annihilated the sea breeze even near the coast, while on other days the city’s atmosphere was moderated by the cooler marine currents. As the low elevation of the depression gives an advantage of 1 degree against the level of Aktau, the measured 38.5 degrees would mean around 39.5 at -130 m, which is only one degree apart from the 40.6 degrees Celsius what I’ve recorded at my station.

The statistics of Aktau (Sevcenko) weather station for the 11-16th August period. Note: there is a one day positive shift as “consideration for the last 24 hours”, thus day 12 means day 11, while day 17 means day 16 (Ogimet)

Adding the 4.4 degree advantage to the average maximums of Aktau (see the Wikipedia chart) for the months of July and August will give 36.3, respectively 35.3 degrees Celsius average max for Karagiye, while adding the 2 degree difference (easterly dominance) to the 44 degree absolute maximum of the city will give around 46 degrees Celsius as a hypothetical heat record for the depression.

Addition: I’ve checked before the weather statistics of Aktau airport station on the Wunderground site’s history section (now unavailable) and saw that the maximums were 37, 37, 39 degrees Celsius (rounded values) for 11, 12, 13th August. As it is a little farther from the coast than the city, the somewhat higher peaks are understandable.

Comparison with Europe’s hottest areas

Regarding the extreme high temperatures, this summer was one of the most severe from the very start of the reliable meteorological measurements. The extensive heat domes affected the mediterranean area both in July and August during more successions, climbing the mercury of the thermometers to record or near record levels in many places. The most affected areas were the North African coast (Algeria, Tunisia), respectively Sardinia island and southern Spain where the temperature raised to 45-49 degrees Celsius.

*The maximum temperatures recorded on 12th August in Europe (Ogimet)*

This amount of heat is about 10-15 degrees above the average summer maximums of the mentioned areas, concretely at the level of Death Valley or of the Iran-Iraq-Kuweit triple border region, which are the hottest places of the Planet. Taking this into account it can’t be made a conclusive comparison between my study area and Southern Europe in the actual situation. Regarding the broader summer max averages Karagiye is probably alike the hottest areas of Andalusia (thus of entire Europe), which is around 35-37 degrees in July and August, while the absolute record potential could be between 46-48 degrees Celsius, also similar.

Altogether, for a “substitute plan” the research went quite well, both the conditions and the results can be considered decent for the context.

Jargalantyn Mukhar: the driest cold (3/3)

Interpretation of the logger’s graph (using LogTag Analyzer 3 software)

*The temperature curve of the 6 nights/ 5 days research period. The device was registering a value every 5 minutes (zoom in for better view)*

First night (14th January)

I installed the measuring equipment on the bottom of the closed basin in the second part of the night during clear and calm conditions. The logger set for 5 minutes intervals was started at 2:26 AM and the first reading showed -32.5 degrees Celsius. The second value is -33.2 C, which remains constant for the next 20 minutes, so its possible that the debut temperature actually was the same. I left the tripod around 2:40 AM and returned there in the early morning. During my walk from the tent situated aproximatively 2.5 km to the south I measured in the col between -26, -27 degrees with the handheld device, noticing also some wind there. The night remained entirely clear and on the bottom were the same calm conditions as at the time of the installation.

The temperature curve of the first (half) night and the following day

However, the temperature wasn’t lower in the dawn than before, the device showing -32.5 degrees at the first check. The recorded minimum was -34.1 degrees Celsius, which happened at 5:31 and 5:36 AM. A pretty constant night curve. But there are two more interesting aspects, one is the weak thermal inversion related to the context, which is around 6, maybe 7 degrees compared with the col, the other the complete lack of hoarfrost, which denote an extremely low humidity. I left the basin after sunrise. The entire day remained cloudless with only weak wind even on the ridges. The maximum, which I saw after returning in the next morning reached -16.3 degrees Celsius at 2:56 PM. That means a pretty big amplitude (17.8 degrees), which was expectable for a high altitude basin.

Second night (14-15th January)

The dark hours were completely starry again, but the wind intensified in the latter part of the night. Before the instability I measured down to -27 degrees inside my tent, expecting to see an even colder recorded minimum in the endorheic basin. It wasn’t the case, the lowest achieved temperature being only -33.6 degrees Celsius (at 5:21 and 5:26 AM), half degree warmer than before. As these two nights represents characteristic anticyclonic conditions I think that a generalization regarding the relatively weak thermal inversion of this place in snow-free context is very plausible.

*The temperature curve of the second night and the following day*

While there before sunrise I observed the first cirrus clouds coming from the west. I left the basin soon and around noon also my camp. The day was generally fine but ocasionally windier, the sky partially covered by cirrus and cirrostratus clouds, with some thickening in the late afternoon period. I was spending my time around 10 km to the south of the research area staying in yurt with locals. The maximum of this day reached -13.1 C at 2:06 PM, which combined with the minimum of the dawn gives an amplitude of 20.5 degrees.

Third night (15-16th January)

From now on I will not visit the studied spot until the final day when I will collect the equipment, but will remain in its neighborhood (no more than 15 km away) most of the time. In the morning I measured -20.7 degrees with the handheld device at the yurt. The sky was mostly cloudy, overcast or variable with intensifying wind in the early afternoon when there were some very weak snow showers here and there, covering some parts with a new veil with a thickness of a few millimeters. In the latter part of the day the sky cleared up.

*The temperature curve of the third night and the following day*

The diagram confirms the unstable weathern pattern, the curve being less regular and showing a smaller amplitude. The minimum reached -25.6 degrees Celsius at 9:25 AM, while the maximum -18.2 at 1:36 PM, the latter actually being colder than the late evening hours of the previous day. The 7.4 degree amplitude is the weakest one in the entire research period.

Fourth night (16-17th January)

While fair in the first part, the sky became overcast during the night. The curve reflects this as the minimum of -31.5 degrees Celsius was reached already in the late evening at 11:16 PM. In the morning I measured -20.8 degrees at the yurt, while observing a cloudy sky. The mostly overcast conditions persisted throughout the day in the whole area, including Ulaantolgoy where we made a trip with the car. Generally it was moderately windy.

*The temperature curve of the fourth night and the following day*

The maximum reached -10.9 degrees Celsius at 1:56 PM, which is the highest temperature of the entire research. The daily amplitude of 20.6 degrees is also the biggest one, slightly exceeding the one from 15th. However, this can’t be considered a real endogen thermal span like the ones forming during stable weather conditions.

Fifth night (17-18th January)

This night was the windiest, more precisely the second part when I observed the yurt’s rooftop shaking a little at a certain time. In the morning the sky was clear, but because of the instability the temperature was even less cold than in the previous two cloudy days: -19.4 degrees. The minimum was reached again in the first part of the dark hours: -27.5 degrees Celsius at 11:21 PM when the conditions were more stable, while afterwards the temperature rised 10 full degrees during the second part of the night when the wind became dominant.

*The temperature curve of the fifth night and the following day*

The maximum happened at 2:16 PM when the temperature climbed to -12.2 degrees, the second highest peak of the research. Today the sky was strikingly bright, even more transparent than on 14th, with only a few isolated clouds lingering above the higher peaks on the distance. It remained moderately windy throughout the day. The 15.3 degree amplitude can be considered average.

Sixth (last) night (18-19th January)

This was the coldest night by far at the yurt. The sky remained starry and there was nothing more than light wind. In the morning I measured -26.8 degrees. This time I observed also hoarfrost on the surface, thus the humidity was higher than before. I expected again to found a lower temperature in the closed basin (at least -33 to be precise), but surprisingly the minimum didn’t went below -31 degrees Celsius there, reinforcing my previous conclusion regarding the weak thermal inversion of this high elevation + snow-free combination.

*The temperature curve of the sixth (last) night*

The low temp was reached at 7:21 and 7:26 AM in the morning after a relatively regular night curve with some mild to moderate disturbance between 1 AM and 4 AM. Leaving the yurt, as we started our way back to Khovd, I went to collect the measuring equipment. The logger was stopped at 10:18 AM, the last reading showing -25.4 degrees Celsius. During this period it was calm and the sky was partially covered with cirrus and cirrostratus clouds.

The mean temperature of the 6 nights/ 5 days research period is -22.5 degrees Celsius, with the average minimum -30.6, respectively the maximum -14.1 degrees. The average daily amplitude is 16.3 degrees.

General conclusions

The elevated basins situated on the lee side of the Mongolian Altai’s main ridge are characterized by very dry winters, receiving scant amounts of snowfall, often remaining without snow cover for the biggest part of the cold season. The stronger solar radiation and more active wind also helps to maintain the already desiccated state, sublimating the thin layer of white powder. This combined with the seasonally dominant anticyclonic conditions make these places some of the best contestants to produce the lowest temperatures in snow-free context.
The thermal inversion formed at the bottom of these bare basins are not really strong, the surrounding ridges and slopes cooling down to almost the same degree during the night. The main cause in this respect probably is the absence of the snow cover and not the elevation itself, also maybe because the plateau as a whole could be partially inside the inversion layer.
Compared with similar topographical contexts situated at lower elevations the daily maximums are higher (the inversion here brakes completely), while the minimums can be close to each other.
The air is very dry on the high plateau, sometimes also in the night, restraining the formation of the hoarfrost even at extremely low temperatures.
The wind in the wintertime is generally not strong.

Satellite image taken on 14th January 2023 showing the marked snow-cover discrepancy between the outer and inner sides of the Mongolian Altai with Jargalantyn Mukhar basin inside the red ellipse

Comparing my logger’s results with the minimums registered at the official local stations situated also in generally snowfree areas

During my staying I visited the weather stations of Möst, Mönkhkhairkhan and Khovd where I asked about the parameters observed in these colder winter days. On 14th Khovd (Khovd aimag/ 1406 m) and Ömnögobi (Uvs aimag/ 1590 m) both recorded -28.7 C, the latter -31.2 C the day before, while Nogoonnuur (Bayan Ölgiy aimag/ 1480 m) -26.2 C, respectively -30.8 C on 13th. Möst (Khovd aimag/ 2020 m) reached -30.1 C on 14th and was slightly warmer both on 13th and 15th, while Mönkhkhairkhan (Khovd aimag/ 2090 m) was colder on 13th with -30.3, while having only -28 on 14th.

The coldest station which reported no snow cover at that time was Tsetsegnuur (Khovd aimag/ 1715 m) situated in a closed intermountain basin near the lake with the same name: -34.4 degrees Celsius on 14th January. This is even slightly colder than the value registered by my station. However, I checked the satellite image of the Tsetseg basin for that day (lower-right corner of the above image) and saw that actually there is a thin layer of snow in most parts. This doesn’t mean they gave incorrect data as the stations are obliged to report the snow depth they see at the rulers placed on the weather platform. The snow often can disappear sooner there, while in the surroundings still remains some.

At the weather center in Ulaanbaatar I asked if they have some statistics regarding the lowest temperature measured in snow-free conditions. They didn’t have, but together we searched for Tsetseg specifically and found a minimum of -36 degrees on 23th January 2012. At home I checked the satellite image also for this day and the result was similar: the basin wasn’t completely bare (see the picture below).

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Tsetseg_Eosdis-1024x675.jpg — *Satellite image showing the snow cover situation in the Tsetseg basin on 23th January 2012 with the location of the weather station (red dot)*

As a conclusion I would say that between the official weather stations of Mongolia indeed Tsetsegnuur has the biggest chances to reach the lowest temperatures. This because of the combination between the good topography (high+closed), respectively the rain shadow effect caused by the Mongol Altai’s main ridge which blocks the humid airmasses on the other side. The same as in the case of Jargalantyn Mukhar.

Final question: How cold can get in snow-free context and exactly where in the world are the best chances for this to happen? My opinion is that some areas of Mongolia and the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau could reach even slightly lower than -40 degrees in the best circumstances. As I am determined to research this little studied domain farther, the future certainly still has many other thrillful things to offer.

Jargalantyn Mukhar: the driest cold (2/3)

Journey photo album

My plane landed on 12th January in the morning at New Ulaanbaatar International Airport (Sergelen area). After solving the main issues regarding the forthcoming trip in Khovd aimag (local SIM card, arrangement with 4 wd driver) with my old friend/ guide Gansukh, I rested a little in my hotel room (lucky number **1111**!) then went for a short evening walk to the city center. I take this as a humble acclimatization-intro as the weather forecast rushes me to reach the research area as soon as possible.

First measurement near my hotel. The city is significantly warmer than the airport area, especially the old one, which reaches 6-7 degrees lower temps during characteristic “good weather” pattern. Now the difference is small as there was some wind: -28.4 at Buyant Ukhaa (falsely named “Songiin” station in the Ogimet database). Bayan Uul (false “Gandan Huryee”) of Dzavkhan aimag was the coldest in the country: -47.2 C, followed by Tsetsen Uul with -45 C. The anticyclone is here, I definitely want to reach the research area during the following night.

View from my hotel room. The famous UB smog is not so bad today, the wind had somewhat dispersing it. We soon go back to the airport as my plane to Khovd will depart in the early afternoon. The driver knows my plan, he contacted a local family who lives in a yurt not far from my target and told them that I will stay around a week in the area.

Flying above Otgon Tenger (4030 m), the highest peak of the Khangai and one of the most iconic mountains of Mongolia. The weather is great, the awaited cold snap descended and covered the entire country.

In Khovd the driver was waiting me and we went for shopping a few things (mostly food for the one week home-stay), respectively eating and repack my luggage before starting the trip towards Möst sum after sunset. Most part of the road is good chinese asphalt. Nonetheless, we just started when the car already showed signs of internal troubles. After passing Mankhan it broke down completely. It seemed that I will lose this first important research night, but miraculously some good people of the village helped to repair the car in the evening. No problems from now on. We met our host where the asphalt ended and following him on the dirt track we made the last 20 km or so to the spot from where I will start the lonely walk to the research area. No snow, nor moon yet, still better without the headlamp as the contours of the track are visible in the dim light. It’s around 11 PM, pretty cold with some light wind, probably around -25 C or lower.

The enthusiasm softens the combined tiredness (little sleep, cold car, acclimatization deficit) and after around 5 km I decided to rise the tent. The col is a little farther, but there should be more wind. My head is somewhat confused, still can properly handle the challenges. After a quick “dinner” on my knees I am heading towards the main target. The moon appeared just when started the descent into the endorheic basin. The light color of the bottom (salt marsh) is in front of me, the direction is evident without any gadget. Around 2 AM I’m there and soon the tripod is rised on the northern fringes of the solonchak, where the gravely surface meets the saltier one. The attached logger was started at 2:26 AM. Before leaving I saw -33.2 degrees Celsius. I’m content.

I rested a little at the camp, then returned to the basin (2.5-3 km) in the early morning. Usually I don’t put the tent so far from the measuring equipment, but now the context was different (night, wind, tiredness). As I don’t need to cover big distances otherwise, it’s okay this way. The night was entirely clear and there was only weak wind. In the col I measured -26, -27 degrees with some wind. Meanwhile complete calm dominates the basin floor.

Marco Polo sheep (argali) horn not far from the tripod

The installation before sunrise. The sensor of the logger was placed inside the Barani radiation shield at around 170 cm ground elevation.

Success, the logging is okay. The temperature wasn’t lower than in the deployment period, actually exactly the same

The night’s minimum reached -34.1 degrees Celsius, a decent value in this context without any doubt. I never saw a lower temp without snow cover anywhere. Below -35 is certainly possible, -40 …maybe? I must confess, this is the Holy Grail for me 😉

Real serenity, strong feeling of fulfillment

I took a small reddish pebble with me as a souvenir, it’s very representative here

The sun will reach soon the salt marsh on the bottom

View of Jargalantyn Mukhar from a smaller peak just east of the col. The mountain in the background is over 3600 meters high, still mostly snow-free. This place reminds me of the Atacama Plateau in Bolivia, around 4500 meters elevation.

Descending the other side towards my tent

After a little rest I went back to the col to make some photos in the more pleasant early afternoon period

Feeling well, spontaneously I decided to climb the rocky peak on the left (west)

There is an “invisible motorcycle” in this picture, approaching the col. He probably will be amazed to see my tent beside the dirt road.

From the top I can see the ice covered Mönkhkhairkhan range. This high mountain is the cause of the rain shadow effect here, so I am thankful of its existence.

View towards SSE, from where we came yesterday

The first sign of life, a big herd of mixed sheeps/ goats with the shepherd also present

Three yurts not far from here. I knew it could be as I saw the dark spots on Google Earth, but wasn’t sure about the winter situation.

The bearded vulture is pretty common in the area. This big bird’s diet consists mostly of bones (scavenger), he even drops down the bigger pieces from above to broke them.

Heading back to my camp. A very long second night is waiting for me soon.

The next morning, checking the instrument. This night was also entirily starry, but towards the end became windier. Thus the morning temperature was a little moderated too, the night minimum being -33.6 C, quit close to the previous one. I measured -27 degrees inside my tent, so it seems that the inversion is not that strong here, probably because of the lack of snow. What’s really weird is the complete absence of hoarfrost at these frigid temperatures, the humidity must be extremely low here.

Before sunrise the first cirrus clouds appeared

Cracked clay surface (takîr) surrounds the dried salt marsh (solonchak)

After securing the tripod with some improvised weight (hanging rocks in a bag) to can handle windier conditions too, I left the research area

The road on the western side of the basin

Lichens on the desolate surface, another peculiarity of this weird place

Modern art-like “double-head” structure not far from the col

Around noon I’ve packed my things and soon was heading towards the meeting point with the driver (same spot)

Another herd was just beside the road. No dog?

With some delay he appeared and started running in my direction. After he was convinced that I’m pretty far to constitute a danger for the herd calmed down and just watched me from the distance

Incredible synchronization: even if there were more than 20 minutes to the exact meeting moment, the driver came there in the same minute as myself

First we went to take water from a nearby source (breaking the ice). Our host filled 5 big 20 l canisters in a pretty short time.

Approaching my new home. The driver already slept two nights here, there will be four more before we leave. The yurts are situated between 2600-2700 m elevation, a few km’s from Davst Nuur lake. The all area is named Davst (salt).

*The locals knew that there is some signal near the lake, so we went there to use the Internet. Pleasant atmosphere inside as the greenhouse effect was warming the car before sunset.*

First night in the yurt was nice, the dogs were surprisingly calm, no barking at all. The morning was overcast, thus the temperature moderately cold.

There are three yurts, the middle one is our home

The right one is only for younger sheeps/ goats during colder weather

Today I went to a hike in the surroundings, starting with Davst Nuur

The ambience is pleasant as there is no wind at the moment

The lake is shallow and extremely salty, therefore doesn’t freeze even in the frigid winter

Yeah, that was expectable. Who wants a bath? 😉

The clouds are thickening from the south-west

On the way to Nogoon Nuur (green lake) the wind became active, thus the real feel was much colder than before

So that’s why “green” is its name. Some plants are sticking out under the (probably) very shallow frozen waters. The locals said it’s a fresh water lake.

Some very weak snow showers here and there. The severe cold make the cumulus clouds look more like a “low flying” cirrus spissatus.

These guys are very resilient, I saw them thrive in the harshest climates, on almost any kind of terrain and elevation

On the way back, while mainly following the contour lines I decided to climb the highest peak of the surroundings

The last, steeper part. The wind is not active on this side.

On the top there is a little new snow, the same can be seen in the distance on the mountain which I climbed on 14th. This one is slightly higher, the GPS shows around 3150 m elevation.

The crescent shaped Nogoon Nuur seen from near the top

The other, slightly lower peak is the one above our yurt. That’s my direction, maybe I can see some ibexes.

On the top I spotted a guy watching around, then disappearing soon

Wind sculpted strange formation of the rocky peak

Baatar Khairkhan (3984 m) in the eastern background

Again a cloudier morning with similar temperature

The locals say that the wolves are coming from the other side of this mountain

Heading to Möst sum’s center (also known as Ulaantolgoy) to buy fuel

This is not the same dirt road we came on 13th, the previous pass was higher and with more snow

The 4200 m high Sutai Uul, the tallest mountain in Gobi-Altai province

Soon we reach the smooth chinese asphalt which gently descend into the Tsetseg basin where Ulaantolgoy is situated. The bottom of this deep endorheic basin contains Tsetseg Nuur (lake) and the nearby settlement with the same name, which is the coldest populated place in Khovd aimag.

At Möst weather station. I found out that the lowest temp on 14th January was -30.1 degrees Celsius here (also without snow) and actually was the coldest day of this winter until now, slightly colder than both 13th and 15th. Tsetseg instead reached -34.4 C, even slightly lower than my logger in Jargalantyn Mukhar, situated more than 1000 meters higher. Actually I kind of knew that the medium-high basins of Mongolia can be the same or even colder then the highest ones, the inversion strenght being stronger with the decrease of elevation. Though, I’m not very sure if Tsetseg station’s surroundings is completely snow-free, which could change the game.

But the good old Stevenson screen with the graphs inside can’t miss from a remote place like this, right?

*Finally this was our main purpose. One litre of gasoline is around 75-80 cents here, the UAZ consumes around 20 l/ 100 km.*

View of the village from a nearby rocky outcrop. Möst in mongolian means ice, maybe because the flooded plain freezes in the often snow-free winter.

The settlement is situated slightly above 2000 meters elevation. There are no camels here too, only horses and yaks.

Two cinereous vultures were feasting on a horse corpse beside the road and they doesn’t looked too bothered because of our presence

It’s the largest old world vulture (and flying bird for that matter) with its wingspan up to 300 cm, exceeded only by its relative from South America, the andean condor

Before returning to our yurt we went up the mountain pass where the son of out neighbour lives

The host showed me a small frozen pond which in the warmer season is a mineral water source…

…but I was more interested in climbing to the top of the huge red sandstone boulder (from behind). Yeah, there was some adrenaline in the latter part, especially on the descent.

Aha! He was the guy I saw yesterday on the mountain top. Actually he was looking for yangyrs (ibex) and saw around 20 of them on this side.

Driver Ganbold with his old UAZ and “my rock” in the background. From the reactions I concluded that they think I’m a little crazy. Could be true.

Next morning just a few meters from the yurt

Even milder now than in the previous two days, but the sky cleared up completely after a pretty windy night. The old black dog went crazy and literally barked almost all night long. Maybe the wolves, who knows?

Yeah, this is a nice refreshment after the noisy dark hours

Today we will do a trip to the small salt lake, which according to my online searching sits in the very highest endorheic basin of Mongolia (around 2935 m elevation). The place is about 20 km from here in the direction of my research area.

While passing near the salt marsh I checked with the max zoom if everything is OK with the tripod. It was.

Crossing the rusty landscape of Jargalantyn Mukhar

This is it, the frozen shallow lake is named “Tavyn Tolgoy” (five heads) referring to the surrounding peaks. The windchill is pretty strong here.

They say its salty, but looking at the rockhard surface must be far from the concentration of Davst Nuur

The basin is around 20 meters deep which per se should be enough to cool down efficiently during the night, but I think that the location in a high pass makes it susceptible to the wind most of the time

On the border between Möst and *Mönkhkhairkhan* somoni, looking down towards the latter

The rain shadow-maker high ridge in the south-west

The highest peak is 4230 m, second in Mongolia after Khüiten (4374 m) in Bayan Ölgiy aimag

The ice has a grey hue, probably because of the sediment underneath

On the way back we stopped to measure the lowest col of Jargalantyn Mukhar, situated on the NE corner. It seems that the elevation is a little lower than Google Earth shows, thus the endorheic depth is closer to 70 than to 80 meters.

Some local shepherd boys visiting our car

Indeed, despite the cold, there is some activity going on here

View of Jargalantyn Mukhar from the southern col

The sky is extremely clear today, this photo was taken using a pretty big zoom

As the man is determined to help me see the ungulates we climb the pass from the other direction, which seems even more difficult than where we first went up. Ganbold certainly knows his job very well.

From the col we headed towards the rocky peak

He just went to check the other side when I saw his body language turning enthusiastic

*A herd of 15-20 exemplars. They were pretty far, but not too far to can observe and film them.*

*8 days old mongol bankhar (also known as tibetan mastiff) puppies*

In the afternoon we went to Davst Nuur to collect the local treasure: salt. They said it’s naturally pure, doesn’t need any posterior treatment.

Relaxing after work. The salt plates were left to dry on the rocks.

My bed with the many horse race medals hanging above. How I didn’t dreamed with them?

The last night was the coldest. I’m glad, also because the dog behaved well this time. Maybe he just needs more cold.

Ganbold preparing his car for the long trip back to Khovd. This time there is frost on the ground, I’m curious how cold was in the researched basin.

Before 10 AM we said goodbye to the nomad family and headed to collect the measuring equipment

Now -25 degrees and the minimum didn’t surpassed the old record. The maximum reached -10.9 degrees on 17th.

In 4 out of 6 nights the temperature dropped below -30 degrees, including this last one.

*That’s it, the research is over. The results are good, I’m content.*

Surprize: before leaving the closed basin we will visit the family who lives the closest to my measuring spot. Our host announced him beforehand about my presence and activity and now we brought them a little present. The final part of the road to this yurt was even more extreme than the second climb to the local boy’s place. Pure insanity.

So they are the guys living in Jargalantyn Mukhar during wintertime. Through my driver’s russian translation I found out some interesting infos from the family head, like that the “biggest snow” here is around 5 cm, there are 8 wolf families in the surroundings and that in the summertime a lot of rain can occur and the formed lake can reach 2 meters depth.

Melting the ice on the stove. It’s the single reliable source of water here, they are collecting the chunks from a few km’s away.

We left the mountain people and started our journey towards Khovd. This time we will travel on another, more difficult dirt road until Mankhan, passing through Mönkhkhairkhan village.

The highest pass (above 2950 m) is the one near Tavyn Tolgoy lake, where I already made a short hike yesterday

Starting the descent. Pretty steep, but without ice seems okay.

The road first went down into a valley then climbed back to another pass above 2800 m elevation

“We are searching the weather station”. – “I am the meteorologist”, said the archer guy.

The office with a red-billed chough flying above. The coldest day here was 13th January, when the minimum reached -30 degrees Celsius, while on 14th only -28 C (also without snow cover).

The road became even more adventurous downstream the village

There were 3 or 4 aquilas and while I was observing them, first I didn’t saw the fox which was actually hunted by them. But the photo camera captured the red coated just before he was attacked.

Other winged creatures trying to reach higher on the rocky slope

Ganbold stopped to help a family with their broken car. This is very common among mongolians and it’s based on the harsh reality that it happens pretty often here and anybody could be the next victim.

Wild, remote cliffs on the right side of the gorge. Snow leopards probably live there.

The worst part is over. We are out from the mountains and slowly descending towards Mankhan through the barren gravel desert

Jargalant Khairkhan (3800 m) seen from the asphalt road around sunset. From here the remaining km’s will pass much faster.

In the dusk we spotted a pair of saiga antelopes

Khovd the next day after spending the night at a very hospitable family. As there were no free hotel rooms in the entire town because of the forthcoming “Ice Festival” at Khar Us lake, Gansukh saved the day by contacting some local aquintances.

The weather station of Khovd, just from the balcony of our hosts. I got important infos also from them, namely the minimums of some local stations of the aimag for each year between 2012 and 2022. Tsetseg stands out by a mile with -47.5 C recorded in January 2016 (of course with snow cover).

They even gave me a huge bottle of sea buckthorn concentrate as they saw I liked so much

First the plane went to Ulaangom and only then to the capital

Ulaanbaatar the next day. It’s colder now and on 23th the weather could turn especially frigid.

Chinggis Khaan history museum is a huge collection of old artifacts housed inside a well maintained monumental building on 6 levels, each representing a particular period. Downside: no photos allowed.

And no mongolian journey could end without Gandantegchinlen monastery. Thanksgiving time.

Giant Buddha inside (26.5 m), claimed to be the tallest indoor statue in the world

Next day we visit a tuvan man who stays in the wintertime near the capital with his two reindeers as tourist attraction beside the local hiking trail. Tuvans are living in the northermost parts of Mongolia in Khövsgöl aimag, respectively in southern Siberia’s Tuva Republic

Later we went to the old airport to visit the weather station. We hardly could found anybody in the whole area. But nice decoration, anyhow.

I chose a place in a dried riverbed for the tomorrow morning cold hunt, when we will come back here for measurements

Next morning near my hotel, waiting for Gansukh. That’s pretty good for the city center…

…and that’s VERY good: back to Buyant Ukhaa

I mounted on the tripod another logger, which can measure below -40 degrees (it was for the hypothetical “B Plan”) to record the coldest early morning period

I can feel that it’s brutally cold, my hands are unusable after very short time while doing the photos

It’s probably rare when a selfie can be really helpful. This time it was: uncovered, my face was literally on the way to playback Han Solo’s case from the Starwars

We visited the weather center in the capital where I asked the unusual question if they have a statistics regarding the lowest temperatures measured without snow cover. They didn’t have, but together searched for Tsetseg station (which I think it could be the best in this context) specifically and found a -36 degrees Celsius on 23th January 2012. Nice value, the quest will certainly continue.

This was the minimum recorded by my device in the morning. Could have been even close to -44 as the gadget was set for 5 minutes intervals and there were pretty big fluctuations in a short period of time around 8:30 AM. Nice bonus for the final part of the journey anyhow.

It’s my last day in Mongolia, tomorrow in the early morning we are going back to the airport, this time to the new one

To be continued…

Jargalantyn Mukhar: the driest cold (1/3)

Choosing the target

Regarding my research plans, overall the best fitting country is definitely Mongolia, so it’s not a coincidence that I chose it again. It’s the perfect amalgam between an excellent natural context and decent travel conditions, even more now, when some other countries, which are on my bucket list from a long time are going through turbulent times.

The strong Central Asian anticyclone is the solid base for the severe cold in this part of the globe, north-western Mongolia being the actual center of this major baric system, bringing stable weather with clear skies, which favorizes the nocturnal cooling and the formation of thermal inversions in the valleys and basins.

*Digital Elevation model (DEM) of Mongolia with the “eye-like” feature marking the location of the chosen spot*

From a long time I have a dominant wish regarding the extreme climates. It’s the particular case, when there is no snow on the ground, but it’s still unusually cold. I would even say that this is my favorite research context between all the existing combination possibilities. It’s the certain kind of “otherworldliness”, reminiscent of Mars or Moon, which gives it the special charm.

For many years I followed and remotely monitored the weather’s evolution in the spots with the best potential, waiting for the ideal congruence to occur. However, as a generality covering many aspects of life, the best things usually doesn’t happen easily. Even if you are ready to pay the price. But this is the “entry level” without any doubt. So here I am now targeting the fragile equilibrum between extreme cold and bare ground.

*The arid plateau (reddish area) on the eastern side of Mönkhkhairkhan range with the location of the research area (red dot)*

Some people could ask, why is this so difficult to achieve? Well, there are two major causes:

The first is based on simple physics, namely the fact that the snow cover seriously enhances the cooling of the air above, partly because of blocking most of the Earth’s internal heat under its isolating blanket (air particles between the snow flakes), then because its white color reflects the Sun’s heating rays during the daytime. In short: without snow cover can’t be that cold.

The second is related to the weather patterns, which have their own limitations regarding the relation between snow fall and snow melt/ sublimation in a certain situation. Thus, during very cold weather if a little bit of new snow falls (even less than 1 cm) it will last pretty long time on the frozen ground. All these together are severly narrowing the range of possibilities to found a proper context regarding this plan.

The chosen high altitude basin with the contour lines (5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 meters) calculated on GoogleEarth

After a thorough analysis of concrete weather/ climate data, satellite images and topography I got to the conclusion that the best chances to produce very cold without snow on the ground are some areas of Western Mongolia, respectively the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau. These regions receive minimal precipitation during winter, while at the same time cooling down to almost arctic levels. Tibet has the altitude, Mongolia the latitude advantage.

How about to have both? Maybe a compromise between a relatively high elevation and a sufficiently nordic setting will be the best choice. Let’s check this out.

There are some parts in the arid interior side of the Mongolian Altai where the elevation is above 2500, even 3000 meters, while the latitude is between 46-47 degrees N. A closed basin here should be great for sure. I was very glad when realizing there are some promising topographical settings.

Soviet topo-map with Jargalantyn Mukhar basin in the upper-middle part of the image

The best seems to be the one named Jargalantyn Mukhar, a 75-80 meters deep bowl situated on a semi-desertic plateau of rusty nuance in the central part of Khovd province. Its bottom is situated at 2780 m elevation and looks like it’s completely dried up (only solonchak, no lake). It’s the second highest between all the endorheic structures with significant depth in Mongolia, surpassed only by a smaller one with a quarter of its depth and also more exposed.

According to the statistics of the weather stations located on the mongolian side of the Altai range the average precipitation of the winter months is around or even less than 1 mm, Tonkhil receiving no more than 0.5 mm during each. I think it could be similar in my target area too. Certainly rain shadow, respectively föhn effect, the other side getting almost all the rain and snow.

After analyzing the seasonal satellite images of the last two decades which prove that in more winters the snow cover was completely missing there, I became optimistic that with some luck this particular place could deliver what I am searching for.

Brief summary of the research

Because in this plan the uncertainty factor was significant, I was prepared with a “Plan B” for backup, in case that the bare ground context could not be found in the targeted area. This is a little more complicated as it sounds, as the “Plan A” location is strictly reserved for snow-free conditions, thus in case of a new snowfall the study area will move to a different place. This is because the intermediate situation when there is only a thin snow-cover is not good for any kind of research, therefore I will rather go to an area which already had snow before to be able to reach lower temperatures.

*Satellite image showing the snow cover distribution on 14th January 2023 with snow-free Jargalantyn Mukhar basin in the center (red ellipse)*

Actually there were some chances to snow a little just before my plane will land in Mongolia, so I was very pleased when checking the newest satellite imagery while in transit in Istanbul saw that the snow-free condition persisted in the chosen basin.

My plane landed in Ulaanbaatar on 12th January in the morning. Because of the forthcoming anticyclone I was rushed to reach the target as soon as possible, thus didn’t spent the next night in Khovd, but headed in the evening directly towards the high plateau in Möst sum with the 4wd driver. Little sleep, even less acclimatization. The biggest part of the road is brand new chinese asphalt, only the latter 20 km’s or so is dirt track. At the start of the latter our host was waiting to guid us towards the target. Pushing the limits, after mounting the tent nearby, on 14th January in the night I managed to reach the bottom of Jargalantyn Mukhar basin.

The weather station in the early morning

The exact coordinates are: 46.8586 N, 92.2189 E, the elevation 2780 m. The height of the sensor above the ground is around 170 cm. At 2:26 AM the mini weather station started its operation. The device is recording a temperature value every 5 minutes. First reading was -32.5 degrees Celsius, then, just before leaving I saw -33.2 C.

After the installation I went back to my tent and rested until the early morning, when returned to the tripod to check the night’s minimum. The lowest recorded value was -34.1 C while the actual temperature was slightly rising despite there were no clouds nor wind on the bottom.

In the nearby col, situated 80 meters higher I measured between -26, -27 degrees, accompanied by some breeze. It seems that the inversion is not so strong here, despite the very dry air, which holds back the hoarfrost to form even at below -30 degrees.

I spent the day and the next night too in the surroundings, sleeping in tent and returning again in the second morning to verify the instrument. The minimum wasn’t lower, but pretty close: -33.6, while the maximum reached -16.3 degrees Celsius. The sky was completely clear during this interval, but in the latter part of the second night the wind became more active.

After securing the tripod with some improvised weight (hanging rocks inside a bag) to can handle windier conditions too, I left the research area on 15th January around noon and except a short trip to Möst sum’s center, I spent the next four days just a few km’s away, sleeping in yurt with locals. During this interval the sky was variable (sometimes windy) with some very weak snow showers here and there on 16th.

I’ve done a few hikes to the nearby rocky peaks and visited Davst Nuur hypersaline lake, meanwhile observing the nomadic activity (sheeps, goats, horses, yaks) and wildlife (bearded vulture, ibex, hare). No wolves, but the locals said there are many on the other side of a range, coming over and attacking the livestock regularly.

While there, the studied basin itself looked empty, but I saw herds of animals and yurts not far from the salt marsh (2-3 km), also a few motorcycles passed by. All in all, despite the remoteness and harsh conditions there is some human activity in the whole area, the signs of grazing being often visible.

I returned to collect the equipment on 19th January in the late morning and found the installation in its place with the gadget intact and functional. All data was correctly recorded. The lowest temperature remained the one from 14th, while the maximum reached -10.9 on 17th January.

A productive research for sure.

The instruments used on the field

-One LogTag UTRED30-16 data logger with the measuring range between -40 and +99 degrees Celsius, an accuracy of 0.5 degrees Celsius and a resolution of 0.1 degrees Celsius.

-One Greisinger GMH 2710-T digital precision thermometer with the measuring range between -199.9, +200 degrees Celsius, an accuracy of +-0.1 degrees Celsius and a resolution of 0.1 degrees Celsius.

-One photo camera tripod serving as the support for the instruments.

-One helical solar radiation shield from Barani Design Technologies: https://www.baranidesign.com/

To be continued…

Lake Assal: nothing cool, but still cool (3/3)

Interpretation of the logger’s graph (using LogTag Analyzer 3 software)

First day (June 21st)

It is the single day when I’ve spent significant time nearby the measuring equipment in the wadi. It was haze during my hike through the salt flats of Lake Assal before entering the gorge, with little wind. The logger started to record at 10:43 AM and the first reading can be considered legit as I waited sufficient time with the sensor placed under the helical shield to accomodate the ambience before pushing the start button. As I set the device for 2 minutes logging (short intervals) the curve has the typical “saw aspect” with many small ups and downs inside the general “big waves”. The temperature was rising more abruptly until 2:17 PM when reached 47.0 C, after which slowly increased until 3:59 PM when recorded the day’s maximum temperature of 47.4 degrees Celsius (quite normal evolution). During this time the sky was clear or partially covered, but the north-western clouds never managed to block the sun.

I left the area after 5:18 PM, when the temperature was already descending and the sun was reached by the clouds just a little before disappearing behind the walls of the valley. After spending some time outside the gorge where encountering a sandstorm after 6 PM I later returned to the tripod to see if it survived the strong wind (luckily yes). This interval coincides with a more abrupt drop of 2.3 degrees between 6:09 and 6:25 PM (from 46.3 to 44.0 C), following a more constant period even if the sun was already gone for almost an hour.

After this the descend is more natural until 2:57 AM when it reached 39.4 C, the lowest temperature of the night. Before 5 AM it was a strange rise from the already very high base to 40.9 C, then started to drop again. The lowest reading of 38.1 C happened shortly before 8 AM in full daylight, but the sun probably reach inside the gorge only later. I’ve spent this night around the lake and measured similar temperatures with my handheld device (38-40 C between 0 – 6 AM). Meanwhile the sky became cloudier.

Second day (June 22nd)

I left the area during this morning and returned only in the last day (26th in the late afternoon) to collect the equipment. This second day is a weird one as it is composed of the lowest maximum (44.3 C at 3:15 PM) sandwiched between the two highest minimums (38.1 and 37.6 C).

This and the fact that it has some shorter abrupt drops in the early evening (again between 6 – 7 PM) suggests that it was windy, another sandstorm is very likely. However the mentioned max and the min were both registered in the expected period (afternoon, respectively early morning).

Third day (June 23rd)

During this day I was on a trip around the western part of the Ghoubbet bay, so not too far from Lake Assal (25 km from the gorge). The morning was cloudier, while the midday and early afternoon sunny and very hot. I measured 46 degrees on the black lava field with my handheld thermometer, while the wind was moderately blowing.

From the morning there was a constant rise until 3:03 PM when the day’s maximum of 47.2 C was registered and the same value was reached again at 4:25 PM after a small setback. This second peak was instantly followed by a big drop of more than 3 degrees in 6 minutes, then the curve became more normal. This coincides with the time when I was finishing my hike and saw some bigger clouds forming in the north-west. Probably it was again only wind, without rain. We can also observe on this day an unnatural 3 degree warming in the evening between 9 – 10 PM (exceeding 40 degrees again), certainly khamsin. The descend happened only after midnight, while the minimum was 35.2 C in the early morning.

Fourth day (June 24th)

This day the temperature has a quite normal evolution, reaching 44.6 C at 3:07 PM following a constant rise, while after 4 PM starts the descend, which has no abrupt changes (except a slight rise in the evening) until 5:05 AM, when recording the minimum of 33.3 C. This will be also the lowest temperature of the entire measuring period.

I was in Djibouti city on this day, so I don’t have direct info about the cloud cover over the area.

Fifth day (June 25th)

On this day I was again on a trip to Ghoubbet bay, this time in the south-eastern part, thus a little farther from my study area (around 45 km). It was less haze than on the other days, from the high ledge of the plateau I could see the other side of the bay (though only barely).

This day the max was reached a little earlier than usually: 44.5 C at 2:29 PM, with a slight setback (almost constancy) afterwards, the concrete drop starting only after 5 PM with some abrupt changes in the first half hour. It was again a +2 degree rise in the evening, followed by a less constant decrease until dawn, when the minimum of 35.8 C happened.

Sixth, last day (June 26th)

Today in the late afternoon I came back to Lake Assal to collect the equipment. It was haze again with a few clouds in the sky (not clearly seen). The timing was good as I reached the gorge only after 6 PM when the temperature was already decreasing, thus having the daily maximum recorded also for this day.

The peak of 46.1 C was reached at 3:59 PM, exactly in the same minute when the first day’s 47.4 C happened. We can observe on the graph an abrupt early morning rise of 1.6 degrees, respectively a +2 degree unnatural drop after 1 PM. The rest is more or less a constant rise until 4 PM, then decreasing. The last reading was 43.6 C at 6:07 PM when the logger was stopped.

The mean temperature of the 6 days/ 5 nights measuring period in the wadi is a round 40.0 degrees Celsius, an unusually high average for sure. The mean maximum was 45.7 degrees, while the mean minimum, 36.0 degrees. The maximum is similar to the ones measured at the hottest weather stations in the world: Death Valley (Furnace Creek), Persian Gulf states (Ahvaz, Basrah, Jahra), central-western Sahara (In Salah, Reggane), Pakistan (Sibi, Jacobabad) and the Ethiopian Danakil (Dallol). The minimums seems to be higher than anywhere else on the planet, no station recording above 35 C average lows in any month.

General conclusions

Lake Assal area is one of the hottest places on the Planet, having a similar climate with the Ethiopian Danakil, where the highest yearly average of 34.6 C was recorded between 1960-1966 at Dallol.
The daily maximums are usually happening in the afternoon around 3-4 PM, after a more or less constant rise from the morning.
The late afternoon/ evening hours are characterised by instability and more abrupt changes, the wind velocity being the highest in this period.
Temperature rise of 2-3 degrees can happen at any time during the dark hours, exceeding 40 C even at dawn.
The daily amplitude is small, especially for a tropical desert. This is caused mostly by the hot and dry khamsin wind, which mixes the layers. Clouds can keep the heated air under their blanket during night, enhancing this phenomenon.
There are more clouds in the night and morning than at midday.

*The satellite images of Djibouti taken on June 21st (left) with khamsin effect vs June 11th (right) with normal sky*

Comparison with Djibouti (Ambouli International Airport) weather station

According to Wunderground’s history, but also mentioned by my driver Houmed, the temperature in Djibouti city reached 45 degrees Celsius on 21st June (2-3 PM), when the 47.4 C peak was recorded in the gorge near Lake Assal. This is only one degree shy of the city’s absolute record and certainly was caused by the khamsin. As Ambouli’s available values are all rounded I must work with these: in 21st the difference is 2.4 degrees in favour of Lake Assal.

The temperature curve of Djibouti weather station on June 21st (Wunderground/ History)

Also 22nd was a very hot day in the capital, when 44 C was measured in the same early afternoon interval. As I spent this day in the city, I can confirm from personal experience that the heat was extreme indeed. More than that, this day the two peaks were very similar, my logger measuring its lowest maximum in the gorge: 44.3 C

On 23rd the difference is bigger, the city recording 42 degrees, while Lake Assal 47.2 C: 5.2 degrees. June 24th was the “mildest” day in the capital with only 37 degrees (but likely with high humidity), while my station recorded 44.6 C: 7.6 degrees difference, the biggest one. On 25th the discrepancy is smaller again, Djibouti reaching 41, while Lake Assal 44.5 C: 3.5 degrees. In the last day, on 26th, the disparity is again high: 39 vs 46.1 C: 7.1 degrees.

The average difference between the maximums for the six days is 4.3 degrees in favor of Lake Assal. Due to the coastal placement Djibouti is usually more humid with a high heat index even with only 35-36 degrees Celsius, while Lake Assal is much more affected by the dry wind.

Comparison with Dallol (Ethiopian Danakil)

As Dallol weather station operated only between 1960-1966 and the datas are also kind of questionable, this comparison will be less concludent.

Weather statistics for Dallol (Wikipedia)

If we take into consideration the month of June, Dallol’s mean maximum is one degree higher than the average max of my six day research near Lake Assal: 45.7 degrees. However, I have some doubts regarding Dallol’s value, which compared to its absolute June max looks unusually high: only 1-1.5 degrees difference between them. That’s just too small even for 6-7 years of measurement. As I saw a lot of suspicious climate charts and tables in my life with significant differences even between the same locations, my general opinion is that many of them is based on algorythms and are not coming from real, ground based measurements.

Final question: Could Lake Assal’s depression beat the actual World Record for the highest temperature? We could not exclude this, but my opinion is that the upper limit must be somewhere between 50-52 degrees Celsius here. I think there are more chances to beat the highest low temperature for one night, the actual record being 44.2 degrees Celsius in Khasab (Oman).

I consider this research a successful one, actually it’s the first one flawlessly completed with all days and nights correctly monitored.