ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti nˈaɪn ðə bˈɔltɪk dʒˈɜːmən sˈaɪəntɪst ænd ɛksplˈoːɹɚɹ ˌælɪɡzˈændɚ vˈɑːn mˈɪdəndˌoːɹf jˈuːzd ðɪs tˈɜːm tə dᵻskɹˈaɪb hɪz ɑːbzɚvˈeɪʃənz ʌvðə fɪnˈɑːmɪnən ɪn nˈɔːɹðɚn saɪbˈiəɹɪə.
In 1859 the Baltic German scientist and explorer Alexander von Middendorff used this term to describe his observations of the phenomenon in northern Siberia.