On the history of meteorological observations in Siberia: materials of the support personnel of the Second Kamchatka expedition
The article is dedicated to materials of meteorological observations of translator I.P. Yakhontov, students V.A. Tretyakov, S.P. Krasheninnikov, A.P. Gorlanov, land-surveyors A.D. Krasilnikov, P.N. Skobeltsin, V.A. Shetilov and other representatives of support personnel of academic detachment of the Second Kamchatka expedition. High scientific level of these researches is noted. The article also shows that support personnel representatives assisted to professors J.G. Gmelin, G.F. Muller and L. De L'Isle de la Croyere in arrangement of the first meteorological stations in the territory of Siberia. This work consisted in identifying and equipping a place for systematic synoptic observations, selection and training Siberian service class people to regular thermometric, barometric, anemometric, hygrometric and other instrumental measurements, educating service-men for keeping meteorological observations logbooks, which included the results of the measurements written above, as well as the general characteristics of the weather, descriptions of atmospheric phenomena and processes. It was concluded that synoptic observation materials of representatives of support personnel from the academic detachment of the expedition and service class people were used by J.G. Gmelin and other academicians for drawing up the first meteorological reports, providing insight into the weather conditions in certain areas and Siberia as a whole. Meteorological works and materials of the participants of the Great Northern Expedition were the empirical basis for the development of the "theory of weather" by G.W. Krafft, M.V. Lomonosov, J.A. Braun and other scientists, and retain the importance of sources for the reconstruction of climatic processes in Siberia. The article concludes with publication of meteorological observations logbook kept by translator I.P. Yakhontov in 1737-1738 in Irkutsk. This source is introduced to the scientific circulation for the first time; it illustrates the methods of meteorological researches of expedition members, represents aspects of their work with local people, in this case with Irkutsk service-man Nikita Kanaev, and complements Yakhontov's scientific biography.