Comparison of climatic trends and variability among glacierized environments in the Western Himalayas

The climate and hydrology of the Western Himalayas is complex and a function of snow and glacier melt, land use, topography, and Indian summer and winter monsoon dynamics. Improving our knowledge about these processes is important from societal and agricultural points of view. In this study, an observational analysis is carried out to assess the changing climatic trends and the associated interannual variability in winter temperature and precipitation at three glacierized regions of Western Himalayas having distinctly different sub-regional characteristics. In situ observations of 23 years (1985–2007) are used. These observations are passed through rigorous statistical quality control checks. Results show higher interannual variability with increasing temperature trends in the glacierized regions of the Siachen (Karakoram Range) and Chotasigri (Great Himalayan Range). Karakoram Range has higher warming trends than the Great Himalayan Range. In case of precipitation, an overall decrease in precipitation is observed with contrasting trends in the last decade. Nino3.4 index is positively correlated with winter precipitation with similar interannual variability. In addition, at Siachen temperature and precipitation show strong negative correlation, and precipitation to spell length correlation is opposite at Siachen and Chotasigri.     

青藏高原地区积雪及其变化的不确定性:3种积雪观测资料的对比分析

为了探究青藏高原积雪不同观测资料间的差异,本文通过定义积雪覆盖率(Snow Cover Percentage,SCP)对比了NOAA-CDR卫星可见光遥感积雪资料、卫星被动微波遥感积雪资料和我国146个台站观测的积雪资料在高原地区的气候态及年际变动特征。从年平均气候态看,微波与可见光资料的SCP分布较为接近,高值区均位于念青唐古拉山与喜马拉雅山南缘之间的山区。而台站资料SCP的高值区范围则相对较小,在高原东部的巴颜喀拉山及南部的念青唐古拉山。3种资料的积雪低值区均位于高原中南部沿雅鲁藏布江一带、阿尔金山北侧以及东边界的内陆省份。从季节平均场看,不同资料的积雪分布在冬季及秋季,无论是气候态还是年际变动均较为类似。在春季时,微波和台站资料间较为一致。而在夏季,资料间差异很大,不同资料间的两两相关接近于零,甚至为负数。本文同时选取了青藏高原地区4个典型台站(索县、清水河、康定、甘孜),将卫星资料插值于台站上,对比3种资料间的异同,以及与地表气温异常间的关系。结果表明,在这4个典型站上,台站SCP在过去36 a中为线性减少的趋势,而卫星SCP主要为线性增加的趋势,且台站年平均SCP与地表气温异常的协同性最好。     

Long-term observations for monitoring of the cryosphere

Variations of the cryosphere over decadal-to-century timescales are assessed by a survey of data on sea ice, snow cover, glaciers and ice sheets, permafrost and lake ice. The recent variations are generally consistent across the different cryospheric variables, especially when placed into the context of variations of temperature and precipitation. The recent warming over northern land areas has been accompanied by a decrease of snow cover, particularly during spring; the retreat of mountain glaciers is, in an aggregate sense, compatible with the observed warming; permafrost extent and lake ice duration show similar variations in areas for which data are available. Corresponding trends are not apparent, however, in data for some regions such as eastern Canada, nor in hemispheric sea ice data, especially for winter. The data also suggest an increase of snowfall over high latitudes, including the Antarctic ice sheet.Estimates of both the climatic and the statistical significance of the recent variations are hampered by data inhomogeneities, the shortness of the records of many variables and the absence of central archives for data on several variables. The potential of monitoring by satellite remote sensing has been realized with several variables (extent of sea ice, snow cover). Other cryospheric variables (snow depth, ice sheet elevation, lake ice, mountain glaciers) may be amenable to routine monitoring by satellites pending advances in instrumentation, modifications of satellite orbit, and further developments in signal detection algorithms. The survey of recent variations leads to recommendations concerning the use of historical data,in situ measurements, and remote sensing applications in the monitoring of the cryosphere.     

卫星反演积雪信息的研究进展

综合分析了积雪信息反演的主要遥感信息源和提取方法。在光学遥感方面，应用较广的主要是改进型甚高分辨率扫描辐射仪（AVHRR）资料和中分辨率成像光谱仪（MODIS）资料；提取积雪信息大多是根据积雪在可见光波段的高反射率和近红外波段的低反射率，并通过建立回归模型反演积雪面积和深度。由于传感器的改进，MODIS卫星资料在空间分辨率、积雪反演算法等方面明显优于AVHRR资料。光学仪器受云层和大气的影响很大，由于云和积雪在可见光和近红外波段上都具有高反射率。并且由于云层的遮挡。云下的地表信息不能被光学遥感仪器所接收到。微波遥感方面，被动微波遥感仪如微波辐射计成像仪（SSM／I）、高级微波扫描辐射计（AMSR—E）等可以全天候穿过云层进行监测，具有光学仪器所没有的优势，并通过提取地表的亮温差，建立雪深反演模型得到积雪深度。被动微波传感器存在分辨率低。无法监测浅雪区信息等问题。另外影响地表微波亮温的因素很多，这些都在一定程度上影响了反演结果的精确度。主动微波遥感仪如合成孔径雷达、微波散射计等利用积雪与其它地物的后向散射系数的不同来识别积雪，但也同样存在分辨率低等问题。最后探讨了卫星反演积雪信息中仍然存在的问题和进一步发展的方向。     

New estimations of precipitation and surface sublimation in East Antarctica from snow accumulation measurements

Surface mass balance (SMB) distribution and its temporal and spatial variability is an essential input parameter in mass balance studies. Different methods were used, compared and integrated (stake farms, ice cores, snow radar, surface morphology, remote sensing) at eight sites along a transect from Terra Nova Bay (TNB) to Dome C (DC) (East Antarctica), to provide detailed information on the SMB. Spatial variability measurements show that the measured maximum snow accumulation (SA) in a 15 km area is well correlated to firn temperature. Wind-driven sublimation processes, controlled by the surface slope in the wind direction, have a huge impact (up to 85% of snow precipitation) on SMB and are significant in terms of past, present and future SMB evaluations. The snow redistribution process is local and has a strong impact on the annual variability of accumulation. The spatial variability of SMB at the kilometre scale is one order of magnitude higher than its temporal variability (20–30%) at the centennial time scale. This high spatial variability is due to wind-driven sublimation. Compared with our SMB calculations, previous compilations generally over-estimate SMB, up to 65% in some areas.     

Relationship between climate change and vegetation distribution in the Mediterranean mountains: Manzanares Head valley, Sierra De Guadarrama (Central Spain)

This work analyzes the consequences of climate change in the distribution of the Mediterranean high-mountain vegetation. A study area was chosen at the Sierra de Guadarrama, in the center of the Iberian Peninsula (1,795 to 2,374 m asl). Climate change was analyzed from the record of 18 variables regarding temperature, rainfall and snowfall over the period 1951–2000. The permanence of snow cover (1996–2004), landforms stability and vegetation distribution in 5 years (1956, 1972, 1984, 1991 and 1998) were all analyzed. The Nival Correlation Level of the different vegetation classes was determined through their spatial and/or temporal relationship with several climatologic variables, snow cover duration and landforms. In order to quantify trends and major change processes, areas and percent changes were calculated, as well as Mean Annual Transformation Indices and Transition Matrices. The findings reveal that in the first part of the study period (up to the first half of the 1970s) the temperature rise in the mid-winter months caused the reduction of some classes of nival vegetation, while others expanded, favored by high rainfall, decrease in both maximum temperatures and summer aridity, and longer snow cover duration. The second part of the study period was characterized by the consolidation of the increase in all thermal variables, along with an important reduction in rainfall volume and snow cover duration. As a result, herbaceous plants, which are highly correlated with a long snow permanence and abundance of melting water, have been replaced by leguminous shrubs which grow away from the influence of snow, and which are steadily becoming denser.     

遥感-测站相结合的动态雪深反演方法初探

该文结合2000年专用传感器微波成像仪(SSM/I)的亮温数据和我国观测站雪深资料,提出了一种遥感-测站相结合的动态雪深反演方法,试图用统计关系的时空动态化方案克服理论上亮温与不同类型积雪之间物理关系的复杂性,从而提高测站稀疏区和雪盖边缘区的雪深反演精度。其最大特点在于反演系数并不固定,而随时间和空间变化,较好地改善了单一系数反演方法中积雪物理性质的区域性差异和时间(季节)性差异带来的反演误差。初步分析表明:这种遥感-测站相结合的反演方法所得的积雪空间分布连续性好,在雪盖边缘区和站点稀疏区也能得到较合理的雪深数据;与静态遥感反演法和可见光雪盖面积相比,这种方法克服了它们在华北和华中低估雪盖面积的缺点,积雪面积分布更接近真实场,对西部积雪分布的反演也有一定改善。     

2000～2014年西藏高原积雪覆盖时空变化

利用MODIS/Terra积雪产品MOD10A2较系统地分析了2000~2014年西藏高原(以下简称高原)积雪面积和覆盖率的时空变化特点,并与同期主要气象要素之间的关系进行了研究。主要结论如下:(1)高原平均积雪面积是19.0×104km2,占整个高原面积的15.8%,其中冬季最大,为高原总面积的23%,其次是春季(22%)和秋季(16%),夏季最小(5%);(2)过去14a高原年平均积雪面积呈现微弱减少态势,其中秋冬两季积雪面积略显上升趋势,春季略有减少,夏季减少趋势显著,积雪面积变化与气温之间存在负相关关系,与同期降水量之间的关系不大;(3)2000~2014年,羌塘高原北部和西南喜马拉雅山脉积雪覆盖率增加趋势明显,而在那曲东南部、喜马拉雅山脉东段和阿里地区北部积雪覆盖率减少趋势明显;(4)高原积雪覆盖变率具有明显的空间差异,且由春秋两季主导,秋季年际变率要大于春季,高原中东部和周围高大山脉及其附近是高原积雪覆盖年际变率最大的区域,而雅鲁藏布江中下游谷地、藏东南干暖河谷以及藏北高原中西部是年际变率最小的地区;(5)积雪年际变率大值区是高原主要的牧区和雪灾频发区,是高原积雪监测和防灾减灾的重点。      

Influence of snow cover changes on surface radiation and heat balance based on the WRF model

The snow cover extent in mid-high latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere has significantly declined corresponding to the global warming, especially since the 1970s. Snow-climate feedbacks play a critical role in regulating the global radiation balance and influencing surface heat flux exchange. However, the degree to which snow cover changes affect the radiation budget and energy balance on a regional scale and the difference between snow-climate and land use/cover change (LUCC)-climate feedbacks have been rarely studied. In this paper, we selected Heilongjiang Basin, where the snow cover has changed obviously, as our study area and used the WRF model to simulate the influences of snow cover changes on the surface radiation budget and heat balance. In the scenario simulation, the localized surface parameter data improved the accuracy by 10 % compared with the control group. The spatial and temporal analysis of the surface variables showed that the net surface radiation, sensible heat flux, Bowen ratio, temperature and percentage of snow cover were negatively correlated and that the ground heat flux and latent heat flux were positively correlated with the percentage of snow cover. The spatial analysis also showed that a significant relationship existed between the surface variables and land cover types, which was not obviously as that for snow cover changes. Finally, six typical study areas were selected to quantitatively analyse the influence of land cover types beneath the snow cover on heat absorption and transfer, which showed that when the land was snow covered, the conversion of forest to farmland can dramatically influence the net radiation and other surface variables, whereas the snow-free land showed significantly reduced influence. Furthermore, compared with typical land cover changes, e.g., the conversion of forest into farmland, the influence of snow cover changes on net radiation and sensible heat flux were 60 % higher than that of land cover changes, indicating the importance of snow cover changes in the surface-atmospheric feedback system.     

基于MODIS积雪覆盖产品的中国天山积雪时空分布特征研究

利用2002-2016年MODIS逐日积雪遥感产品(MOD10A1、MYD10A1),采用日产品合成法、临近日分析法、空间滤波法和相邻时间合成法,生成天山山区逐日晴空积雪遥感产品数据集,研究分析了天山山区积雪时空分布特征。结果表明：近15a,天山山区平均积雪覆盖面积变化不明显,呈略微减少趋势,但主要表现为年际间的波动变化;分季节来看,天山山区积雪覆盖面积冬季 > 秋季> 春季 > 夏季;积雪面积从9月开始积累,1月达到峰值,占天山总面积的50±25%,3月开始消融,8月达到最低值,仅占天山总面积的为3.5±2%。;天山山区大部分区域积雪开始时间在第300天之后,积雪结束时间在第40~150天左右,海拔较高的区域积雪开始时间较早;天山山区平均积雪日数小于60天的不稳定积雪区主要分布在天山南坡、北坡边缘地带,占整个天山面积的44.57%,平均积雪日数在60~300天之间的区域占比为53.4%,主要分布在天山中部和北坡部分区域,平均积雪日数大于300天的永久积雪区,主要分布在海拔3800以上区域,占天山面积的2.03%。     

From brightening to dimming in sunshine duration over the eastern and central Tibetan Plateau (1961–2005)

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) with an average elevation of over 4,000 m asl is the highest and most extensive highland in the world. We used monthly mean sunshine duration from the Chinese Meteorological Administration to examine the spatial and temporal variability of sunshine duration at 71 stations with elevations above 2,000 m asl in the eastern and central TP during the 1961–2005 period. The temporal evolution of the mean annual sunshine duration series shows a significant increase from 1961 to 1982 at a rate of 49.8 h/decade, followed by a decrease from 1983 to 2005 at a rate of ?65.1 h/decade, with an overall significant decrease at a rate of ?20.6 h/decade during the whole 1961–2005 period, which is mainly due to the summer and spring seasons. This confirms the evidence that sunshine duration in the TP ranges from brightening to dimming in accordance with sunshine duration trends in the rest of China. The surface solar radiation downwards from ERA-40 reanalysis data in the same region confirms the brightening/dimming phenomenon shown by the sunshine duration before/after the 1980s. Otherwise, additional climatic variables such as low cloud amount, total cloud amount, precipitation, relative humidity and water vapor pressure, in most cases, exhibit significant negative correlation with sunshine duration in the TP on an annual and seasonal basis before and after 1982, respectively. The trends of these variables suggest that changes in some of them might be related to the brightening and dimming detected with the use of sunshine duration measurements over the TP. We also hypothesize that the impact of anthropogenic aerosols upon the climatic variables analyzed cannot be rejected, especially in the significant increase in low cloud cover since approximately 1980.     

青藏高原冬春雪深分布与中国夏季降水的关系

利用SSMR和SSM／I卫星遥感雪深反演资料,通过与高原测站雪深观测资料的对比分析,揭示了高原雪深的时空分布特征,在此基础上对积雪异常年中国夏季降水异常和大气环流进行了对比分析。结果表明,卫星遥感雪深资料可较真实反映出高原积雪的状况,并可反映出高原西部积雪的变化;高原冬、春季积雪EOF分解第1模态具有相同的空间分布,反映了高原冬、春季积雪分布具有相当的一致性,而春季积雪的第2模态则反映高原积雪的东西差异;冬、春季雪深EOF第1模态的时间序列与中国夏季降水的相关分析表明,大致以长江为界,我国东部地区呈现出南涝北旱的分布模态,春季高原东（西）部多（少）雪与东（西）部少（多）雪年的夏季,我国东部降水表现出长江以南（北）地区为大范围的降水偏多（少）。     

Wintertime climatic trends in the western Himalayas

Northern Indian rivers are primarily fed by wintertime (December, January, February—DJF) precipitation, in the form of snow—yielded by eastward moving synoptic weather systems called Western Disturbances (WDs), over the western Himalayas (WH). This accumulated snow melts during ablation period. In the context of today’s warming atmosphere, it is imperative to study the changes in the temperature and precipitation patterns over the WH to assess the impact of global warming on climatic conditions of the region. Keeping that in mind, observational analysis of temperature and precipitation fields is planned. In the present study various climatic indices are analyzed based on wintertime (DJF) data of 30?years (1975–2006) obtained from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), India. Results indicate enhancement in the surface air temperature across the WH. Percent number of warm (cold) days have increased (decreased) during 1975–2006 over the WH. Further analysis of precipitation reveals slightly decreasing but inconsistent trends.     

Repetitiveness and underlying characteristics of climatologic parameters in winter

Starting from the standpoint that there are seasonal differences of climate variations on both global and local level, the authors of this paper had focused on analyzing climatologic parameters in winter months. The trends of several important parameters were detected, with temperature and precipitation having increasing, but number of ice days and snow cover having decreasing trends. Spectral analysis showed repetitive nature of climatologic parameters, some of them having the same or similar periods of about 6 to 7 years, 10 to 12 or 17.5 years, and 22 to 24 years. The precipitation has periodicity of 8 and 14 years. Further analysis of the underlying structure of the data by principal component analysis detected three easily explained dimensions: Temperature-Snow, Precipitation-Cyclone and Spring-in-Winter dimension. The spectral analysis of three virtual variables obtained by principal component analysis confirmed good agreement of original variables with the virtual dimensions.     

Impacts of climate change on the risk of snow-induced forest damage in Finland

This work studied the temporal and spatial variability of the risk of snow-induced forest damage in Finland under current and changing climatic conditions until the end of this century. The study was based on a snow accumulation model in which cumulative precipitation, air temperature and wind speed were used as input variables. The risk was analyzed in terms of the number of days per year when the accumulated amount of snow exceeded 20 kg m^???2. Based on the risk, the forest area and mean carbon stock of seedling, young thinning and advanced thinning stands at risk were calculated. Furthermore, the number of 5-day periods, when the accumulated amount of snow exceeded a risk limit, was calculated for the current and changing climatic conditions in order to study the frequency of damaging snowfalls. Compared to the baseline period 1961–1990, the risk of snow-induced forest damage and the amount of damaging snowfalls were predicted to decrease from the first 30-year period (1991–2020) onwards. Over the whole country, the mean annual number of risk days decreased by 11%, 23% and 56% in the first, second and third 30-year period, respectively, compared to the baseline period. In the most hazardous areas in north-western and north-eastern Finland, the number of risk days decreased from the baseline period of over 30 days to about 8 days per year at the end of the century. Correspondingly, the shares of the forest area at risk were 1.9%, 2.0% and 1.0% in the first, second and third 30-year period, respectively. The highest mean annual carbon stocks of young stands at risk were found in central, north-eastern and north-western Finland in the first and second 30-year period, varying between 0.6 and 1.2 Mg C ha^???1 year^???1, meaning at highest 3% of the mean carbon stock (Mg C stem wood ha^???1) of those areas. This study showed that although the risk of snow-induced forest damage was mainly affected by changes in critical weather events, the development of growing stock under the changing climatic conditions also had an effect on the risk assessment. However, timely management of forest stands in the areas with a high risk of snow-induced damage contributes to the trees’ increased resistance to the damage.     

Spatial dependence of diurnal temperature range trends on precipitation from 1950 to 2004

This paper analyzes the spatial dependence of annual diurnal temperature range (DTR) trends from 1950–2004 on the annual climatology of three variables: precipitation, cloud cover, and leaf area index (LAI), by classifying the global land into various climatic regions based on the climatological annual precipitation. The regional average trends for annual minimum temperature (T _min) and DTR exhibit significant spatial correlations with the climatological values of these three variables, while such correlation for annual maximum temperature (T _max) is very weak. In general, the magnitude of the downward trend of DTR and the warming trend of T _min decreases with increasing precipitation amount, cloud cover, and LAI, i.e., with stronger DTR decreasing trends over drier regions. Such spatial dependence of T _min and DTR trends on the climatological precipitation possibly reflects large-scale effects of increased global greenhouse gases and aerosols (and associated changes in cloudiness, soil moisture, and water vapor) during the later half of the twentieth century.     

Temperature and precipitation long-term trends and variations in the Ili-Balkhash Basin

This study analyzed the long-term trends and variations of temperature and precipitation on annual timescale in the Ili-Balkhash Basin (IBB), Kazakhstan. Some statistical tools were employed to detect any climate variations at four stations in the IBB during the period between 1936 and 2005. These methods included the Mann–Kendall trend test, the Theil–Sen approach, and the sequential Mann–Kendall test. The results showed that in temporal scale, the climate in the IBB has been becoming warmer and wetter in the past several decades as a whole. The annual mean temperature and the annual precipitation in the IBB showed an increasing trend since the 1970s and the 1940s, respectively. The significance of the annual mean temperature and annual precipitation trends in the IBB was tested at >95 % confidence level. The slope of the increasing trend of annual mean temperature ranges from 0.019 to 0.029 °C/year, and that of the annual precipitation ranges from 0.654 to 2.179 mm/year. In spatial scale, the multiyear mean values of temperature and precipitation are greater in the southern mountain region than those in the northern plain and hilly land area of the basin. The multiyear mean temperature decreases with the increasing latitudes, while increases with the increasing altitudes except for Karaganda; the multiyear mean precipitation increase with the increasing altitudes, while decreases centered with the Lake Balkhash from the surrounding area. The results may provide climatic backgrounds for solving the problems related to water sources of the IBB.     

Anthropogenic, Climatic, and Hydrologic Trends in the Kosi Basin, Himalaya

A great debate exists concerning theinfluence of land-use and climatic changes onhydrology in the Himalayan region and its adjacentplains. As a representative basin of the Himalayas, westudied basinwide land-use, climatic and hydrologictrends over the Kosi Basin (54,000 km²) in themountainous area of the central Himalayan region. Theassessment of anthropogenic inputs showed that thepopulation of the basin grew at a compound rate ofabout one percent per annum during the past fourdecades. The comparison of land-use data between thesurveys made during the 1960s and 1978–1979 did notreveal noticeable trends in land-use change. Theanalysis of meteorological and hydrological timeseries from 1947 to 1993 showed some increasingtendency of temperature and precipitation. Thestatistical tests of hydrologic trends indicated anoverall decrease in discharge on the Kosi River andits major tributaries. The decreasing trends ofstreamflow were more significant during the low-flowmonths. The statistical analysis of homogeneityshowed that the climatic as well as the hydrologictrends were more localized in nature lacking adistinct basinwide significance.     

北半球积雪监测诊断业务系统

利用卫星遥感和常规观测的积雪资料，确定了适合业务使用的北半球及中国积雪监测诊断方法，并初步建立了北半球和中国积雪监测业务。其相关业务产品主要有：北半球月积雪日数、中国月积雪日数、积雪深度的分布，北半球、欧亚、中国等不同区域积雪面积距平指数。     

Snow pack in the Romanian Carpathians under changing climatic conditions

Snow pack characteristics and duration are considered to be key indicators of climate change in mountain regions, especially during the winter season (herein considered to last from the 1st of November to the 30th of April). Deviations recorded in the regime of the main explanatory variables of snow pack changes (i.e. temperature and precipitation) offer useful information on winter climate variability, in the conditions of the winter warming trend already seen in some areas of the Romanian Carpathians. The present work focuses on changes and trends in snow pack characteristics and its related parameters, registered at the 15 weather stations located in the alpine, sub-alpine and forest belts in all the three Romanian Carpathian branches (>1,000 m) over the 1961–2003 period. Changes in the snow pack regime were investigated in relation with the modifications of winter temperature and precipitation having been detected mostly at the end of the twentieth century. A winter standardized index was calculated to group winters over the 43-year period into severity classes and detect the respective changes. Links between the number of snow cover days and seasonal NAO index were also statistically analysed in this study. The general results show large regional and altitudinal variations and the complex character of the climate in the Romanian Carpathians, leading to the idea of an ongoing warming process associated with a lower incidence of snow cover, affecting to a large extent the forested mountain areas located below 1,600–1,700 m altitude. Also negative and weak correlations were found, particularly over the December–March interval, between the number of snow cover days and seasonal NAO index values.