Sensitivity Analysis of Snow Cover to Climate Change Scenarios and Their Impact on Plant Habitats in Alpine Terrain

In high altitude areas snow cover duration largely determines the length of the growing season of the vegetation. A sensitivity study of snow cover to various scenarios of temperature and precipitation has been conducted to assess how snow cover and vegetation may respond for a very localized area of the high Swiss Alps (2050–2500 m above sea level). A surface energy balance model has been upgraded to compute snow depth and duration, taking into account solar radiation geometry over complex topography. Plant habitat zones have been defined and 23 species, whose photoperiodic preferences were documented in an earlier study, were grouped into each zone. The sensitivity of snowmelt to a change in mean, minimum and maximum temperature alone and a change in mean temperature combined with a precipitation change of +10% in winter and −10% in summer is investigated. A seasonal increase in the mean temperature of 3 to 5 K reduces snow cover depth and duration by more than a month on average. Snow melts two months earlier in the rock habitat zone with the mean temperature scenario than under current climate conditions. This allows the species in this habitat to flower earlier in a warmer climate, but not all plants are able to adapt to such changes.     

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.     

Climate change and snow-cover duration in the Australian Alps

This study uses a model of snow-cover duration, an observed climate data set for the Australian alpine area, and a set of regional climate-change scenarios to assess quantitatively how changes in climate may affect snow cover in the Australian Alps. To begin, a regional interannual climate data set of high spatial resolution is prepared for input to the snow model and the resulting simulated interannual and spatial variations in snow-cover duration are assessed and compared with observations. The model provides a reasonable simulation of the sensitivities of snow-cover duration to changes in temperature and precipitation in the Australian Alps, although its performance is poorer at sites highly marginal for snow cover. (In a separate comparison, the model also performs well for sites in the European Alps.) The input climate data are then modified in line with scenarios of regional climate change based on the results of five global climate models run in enhanced greenhouse experiments. The scenarios are for the years 2030 and 2070 and allow for uncertainty associated with projecting future emissions of greenhouse gases and with estimating the sensitivity of the global climate system to enhanced greenhouse forcing. Attention focuses on the climate changes most favourable (best-case scenario) and least favourable (worst-case scenario) for snow cover amongst the range of climate changes in the scenarios. Under the best case scenario for 2030, simulated average snow-cover duration and the frequency of years of more than 60 days cover decline at all sites considered. However, at the higher sites (e.g., more than 1700 m) the effect is not very marked. For the worst case scenario, a much more dramatic decline in snow conditions is simulated. At higher sites, simulated average snow cover duration roughly halves by 2030 and approaches zero by 2070. At lower sites (around 1400 m), near zero average values are simulated by 2030 (compared to durations of around 60 days for current climate).These simulated changes, ranging between the best and worst case, are likely to be indicative of how climate change will affect natural snow-cover duration in the Australian Alps. However, note that the model does not allow directly for changes in the frequency and intensity of snow-bearing circulation systems, nor do the climate-change scenarios allow possible changes in interannual variability (particularly that due to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation) and local topographical effects not resolved by global climate models. The simulated changes in snow cover are worthy of further consideration in terms of their implications for the ski industry and tourism, water resources and hydroelectric power, and land-use management and planning.68 Barada Crescent, Aranda ACT 2614, Australia.     

1961-2014年青藏高原积雪时空特征及其影响因子

利用青藏高原(下称高原)1961-2014年地面110个气象站积雪深度、积雪日数、气温和降水逐日资料,系统地分析了高原积雪深度和积雪日数时空特征,并进一步探究了高原积雪深度和积雪日数与气候因子和地理因子之间的关系。研究发现:1961-2014年高原年平均积雪深度和积雪日数分别为0.26 cm和23.78 d,空间和季节尺度上分布不均匀,且积雪深度和积雪日数大值并不完全重合;在整体变化趋势上,积雪深度和积雪日数均呈缓慢下降趋势,分别为-0.0080±0.0086 cm·(10a)^-1(p=0.36)和-0.64±0.47 d·(10a)^-1(p=0.17),但在数理统计上不显著,且各站点差异性大;积雪深度和积雪日数在春季、冬季和年表现为“减-增-减”的年代际变化特征,而在秋季为“增-减”的变化特征;气温与积雪深度和积雪日数均有较好的相关性,冬季的降水与积雪深度和积雪日数高度相关;积雪深度和积雪日数随海拔呈增加趋势,积雪日数与纬度也高度相关,但积雪深度与纬度的相关性不明显。     

利用MODIS产品分析东北地区积雪覆盖状况及冬季气候特征

利用Terra卫星MODIS产品提取了东北地区2000-2005年积雪覆盖率信息,给出了近5a积雪覆盖率的时空变化和可信度信息,可以作为流域融雪径流预报模型的输入参数使用,也可以作为区域性积雪对气候反馈的研究依据.依照积雪覆盖的时间序列图及分布图分析了各年份冬季冷空气强度及变化和次年春季融雪状况.     

A comparison of four snow models using observations from an alpine site

 Results from four snow models-two used in climate models, one being developed for hydrological forecasting and one used for avalanche forecasting-are compared with observations made during two contrasting winters at a site in the French Alps. The models are all driven with hourly measurements of air temperature, windspeed, humidity, snowfall and downward longwave and shortwave radiation, but they differ greatly in complexity. Results from the models are compared with measurements of snowdepth, snow water equivalent, surface temperature, runoff and albedo. The models all represent the duration of snow cover well, but differ in their predictions of peak accumulation and timing of runoff. Experience gained in this study is used to make recommendations for a more ambitious intercomparison between a larger number of models for a wide range of environments. Received: 31 July 1998 / Accepted: 12 February 1999     

新疆乌兰乌苏物候变化规律及其对气候变化的响应

分析新疆乌兰乌苏农业气象试验站1980—2002年物候与相应气候因子资料,得出乌兰乌苏23a来气温增高,降水增多,气候增暖增湿;候鸟停留时间增长,与积温、日照时数和降水量的年变化趋势一致,除降水外,其他均存在显著正相关关系;木本植物生育期延长,与4—10月平均气温、平均相对湿度、总日照时数和总降水量趋势一致;初霜和终霜均推迟,无霜期缩短;初雪和初次积雪提前,终雪推迟,冬季雪日增长;积雪开始融化提前,完全融化推迟,融化时间增长;土壤表面开始解冻日期趋势提前,而土壤表面开始冻结日期趋势推迟。另外,通过物候与气象因子建立的最优回归方程,获得物候对气候响应的定量关系,为生态环境研究提供一定的理论依据。     

Climate change and soil freezing dynamics: historical trends and projected changes

Changes to soil freezing dynamics with climate change can modify ecosystem carbon and nutrient losses. Soil freezing is influenced strongly by both air temperature and insulation by the snowpack, and it has been hypothesized that winter climate warming may lead to increased soil freezing as a result of reduced snowpack thickness. I used weather station data to explore the relationships between winter air temperature, precipitation and soil freezing for 31 sites in Canada, ranging from the temperate zone to the high Arctic. Inter-annual climate variation and associated soil temperature variation over the last 40 years were examined and used to interpolate the effects of projected climate change on soil freezing dynamics within sites using linear regression models. Annual soil freezing days declined with increasing mean winter air temperature despite decreases in snow depth and cover, and reduced precipitation only increased annual soil freezing days in the warmest sites. Annual soil freeze–thaw cycles increased in both warm and dry winters, although the effects of precipitation were strongest in sites that experience low mean winter precipitation. Overall, it was projected that by 2050, changes in winter temperature will have a much stronger effect on annual soil freezing days and freeze–thaw cycles than changes in total precipitation, with sites close to but below freezing experiencing the largest changes in soil freezing days. These results reveal that experimental data relevant to the effects of climate changes on soil freezing dynamics and changes in associated soil physical and biological processes are lacking.     

Shifts in the distributions of pressure, temperature and moisture and changes in the typical weather patterns in the Alpine region in response to the behavior of the North Atlantic Oscillation

Summary An investigation has been undertaken to assess the manner in which the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) influences average, climatic conditions, and also extremes of dynamic and thermodynamic variables. By choosing representative sites in the Swiss Alps, the present study shows that there is a high sensitivity of the extremes of the probability density functions of temperature, moisture and pressure to periods when the NAO index is either strongly positive or strongly negative. When the NAO index is strongly positive, temperature and pressure shift towards positive anomalies and there is a general reduction in atmospheric moisture at high elevation. Furthermore, a change in typical alpine winter weather patterns can be detected during strongly positive NAO anomaly phases. The winters of the last decade of the 20th Century (1989–99) are characterized by a substantial decrease in cold advective high pressure situations and simultaneously an important increase in warm convective high pressure systems. These patterns differ significantly from the weather types which have been recorded for earlier periods of the 20th Century. As a result of the highly-positive nature of the NAO index in the latter part of the 20th Century it is speculated here that a significant part of the observed warming in the Alps results from the shifts in temperature extremes induced by the behavior of the NAO. These changes are capable of having profound impacts on snow, hydrology, and mountain vegetation. Received January 11, 2001 Accepted Revised May 24, 2001     

Effects of climate change on snow accumulation and melting in the Broye catchment (Switzerland)

The study used a daily step conceptual hydrological model to examine the effects of climate change on snowfall accumulation and on snow cover melting in the Broye catchment (moderate relief- altitude from 400 to 1500 m a.s.l.). Five elevation bands representing a range of climatic conditions were used together with three realistic climate change scenarios based loosely on GCM's predictions and which reflect feasible changes by extending time periods. For a very moderate climate change (rise in air temperature of ca 1 °C), possibly in a near future, the reduction of snow cover duration, mean water equivalent and monthly maximum water equivalent is the most sensitive in the lower part of the catchment and during the first and last months of the snow season. In the higher part of the basin and during the colder months January and February, similar reduction rates can be expected in case of larger climate changes. The floods due to the melting of snow cover are lower. Sometimes rainfall, considered as snow in the present day conditions, generates additional floods during the winter season. For winter sports resorts below 1500 m a.s.l., even the very moderate climatic change scenario (temperature rise around 1 °C) leads to economically very difficult conditions. Finally, a climatic change detection index based on snow cover duration is proposed.     

青藏高原热力状况与四川盆地汛期降水的联系

应用高原积雪日数和高原气温、四川盆地逐月降水量资料,应用ＳＶＤ等方法,探讨高原热力状况分布异常与四川盆地汛期降水分布的联系。分析结果表明,高原积雪日数场分布特征是以巴颜喀拉山和念青唐古拉山为中心。该区域冬季积雪日数异常与川中盆地汛期干旱有相当好的联系。春季青藏高原北部和祁连山的温度场的大范围异常则与川西的洪涝和川东的干旱均有较好的相关,均可作为四川降水长期预报综合考虑的重要参考因子。一般而言,积雪     

Analysis of climatic variability and snow cover in the Kaligandaki River Basin,Himalaya, Nepal

Various remote sensing products and observed data sets were used to determine spatial and temporal trends in climatic variables and their relationship with snow cover area in the higher Himalayas, Nepal. The remote sensing techniques can detect spatial as well as temporal patterns in temperature and snow cover across the inaccessible terrain. Non-parametric methods (i.e. the Mann–Kendall method and Sen's slope) were used to identify trends in climatic variables. Increasing trends in temperature, approximately by 0.03 to 0.08 °C year^?1 based on the station data in different season, and mixed trends in seasonal precipitation were found for the studied basin. The accuracy of MOD10A1 snow cover and fractional snow cover in the Kaligandaki Basin was assessed with respect to the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer-based snow cover area. With increasing trends in winter and spring temperature and decreasing trends in precipitation, a significant negative trend in snow cover area during these seasons was also identified. Results indicate the possible impact of global warming on precipitation and snow cover area in the higher mountainous area. Similar investigations in other regions of Himalayas are warranted to further strengthen the understanding of impact of climate change on hydrology and water resources and extreme hydrologic events.     

Regional behavior of minimum temperatures in Switzerland for the period 1979–1993

Summary A series of anomalously cold and warm winters which occurred in Switzerland during the 15-year period from 1979 to 1993 has been analyzed in detail in terms of temperature minima. The warm winters between 1988–1992 were particularly marked in the Alps, where lack of snow had severe consequences for the tourist-based economies of mountain communities. The investigations presented here focus primarily on minimum temperature records for up to 88 climatological observing sites distributed over Switzerland.Analyses of the departures of temperature minima from the 15-year means in warm and cold winters has shown that there is a very significant altitudinal dependency of the anomalies except at low elevations which are subject to fog or stratus conditions; the stratus tends to decouple the underlying stations from processes occurring at higher altitudes. It is also shown that there is a switch in the gradient of the temperature anomaly with height from cold to warm winters. For warm winters, the higher the elevation, the stronger the positive anomaly; the reverse is true for cold winters. The statistics for the 88 observational stations provide a measure of the damping of the climate signal as an inverse function of height. The altitudinal dependency of temperature departures from the mean are the most important feature, followed by latitudinal effects (north and south of the Alps); continentality is not seen to be a major factor in determining the geographical distribution of temperature anomalies at this scale.The present investigation also emphasizes the fact that high elevation records can more readily identify significant interannual climatic fluctuations than at lower-elevation sites. This is also likely to be the case for longer-term climate change, where possibe greenhouse-gas warming would presumably be detected with more clarity at higher elevations. This type of study can help orientate future high-resolution climate model studies of climate change and in particular the assessment of model capability in reproducing a range of possible temperature anomalies and their altitudinal dependency.With 12 Figures     

Climatic changes in Estonia during the second half of the 20th century in relationship with changes in large-scale atmospheric circulation

Summary Trends in the time series of air temperature, precipitation, snow cover duration and onset of climatic seasons at ten stations in Estonia during 1951–2000 are analysed. Using the conditional Mann-Kendall test, these trends are compared with trends in the characteristics of large-scale atmospheric circulation: the NAO and AO indices, frequency of circulation forms according to the Vangengeim-Girs’ classification, and the northern hemisphere teleconnection indices. The objective of the study is to estimate the influence of trends in circulation on climate changes in Estonia. Statistically significant increasing trends in air temperature are detected in January, February, March, April and May, in winter (DJF), spring (MAM) and in the cold period (NDJFM). The trends in precipitation, as a rule, differ from station to station. Increasing trends are present during the cold half-year – from October until March – and also in June. Snow cover duration has decreased in Estonia by 17–20 days inland and by 21–36 days on the coast. The onsets of early spring and spring have shifted to an earlier date. Some important changes have occurred in the parameters of atmospheric circulation during 1951–2000. Intensity of zonal circulation, i.e. westerlies, has increased during the cold period, especially in February and March. Results of the conditional Mann-Kendall test indicate that the intensification of westerlies in winter is significantly related to climate changes in winter and also in spring. A negative trend in the East Atlantic Jet (EJ) index, i.e. the weakening of the westerlies in May has caused warming during that month. Decrease in northerly circulation, i.e. in frequency of circulation form C and in East Atlantic/West Russia teleconnection index (EW) is related to an increase in precipitation in October.     

Snow climate baseline conditions and trends in Croatia relevant to winter tourism

The presence of snow along a portion of the Croatian highlands has enabled the development of winter tourism that is primarily oriented toward snow-related activities. Snow is more abundant and stays on the ground longer in the mountainous district of Gorski kotar (south eastern edge of the Alps) and on Mount Velebit (Dinaric Alps), which have elevations of up to 1,600?m and are close to the Adriatic coast than over the inland hilly region of north western Croatia where the summits are not more than approximately 1,000?m high. Basic information about the snow conditions at these locations was gathered for this study, including the annual cycle and probabilities for various snow parameters at different altitudes. As requested by the Croatian Ski Association, the relation between the air temperature and the relative humidity was investigated to determine the feasibility of artificial snowmaking. The snow parameters are highly correlated to air temperature, surface air pressure and precipitation, with certain differences occurring as a result of the altitude. Since the beginning of the second half of the twentieth century, winter warming and a significant increase in the mean air pressure (more anticyclonic situations) have been detected at all sites. Winter precipitation totals decreased at medium altitudes and increased at the summit of Mount Velebit, but these trends were not significant. The frequency of precipitation days and of snowfall decreased whereas an increasing fraction of the precipitation days at high altitudes involved solid precipitation. In contrast, a decreasing fraction of the precipitation days at medium altitudes involved solid precipitation, probably because of the different warming intensities at different altitudes. The mean daily snow depth and the duration of snow cover both slightly decreased at medium altitudes whereas the snow cover duration slightly increased at the mountainous summit of Mount Velebit.     

THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE SNOW COVER PATTERN IN ESTONIA

The paper deals with problems of temporal and spatial variability of snow cover duration, of correlation between snow cover and winter mean air temperature patterns and of the impact of climate change on the snow cover pattern in Estonia. Snow cover fields are presented in form of IDRISI raster images. Snow cover duration measured at ca 100 stations and observation points have been interpolated into raster cells. On the base of time series of raster images, a map of mean territorial distribution of snow cover duration is calculated. Estonia is characterized by a great spatial variability of snow cover mostly caused by the influence of the Baltic Sea. General regularities of snow cover pattern are determined. A 104-year time series of spatial mean values of snow cover duration is composed and analyzed. A decreasing trend and periodical fluctuations have detected. Standardized principal component analysis is used for the time series of IDRISI raster images. It enables to study the influence of different factors on the formation of snow cover fields and territorial extent of coherent fluctuations. Correlation between snow cover duration and winter mean air temperature fields is analyzed. A spatial regression model is created for estimation of the influence of climate change on snow cover pattern in Estonia. Using incremental climate change scenarios (2 °C, 4 °C and 6 °C of warming in winter) mean decrease of snow cover duration in different regions in Estonia is calculated. According to results of model calculation, the highest decrease of snow cover duration will be take place on islands and in the coastal region of West Estonia. A permanent snow cover may not form at all. In the areas with maximum snow cover duration in North-East and South-East Estonia, that decrease should be much lower.     

Treatment of frozen soil and snow cover in the land surface model SEWAB

Summary  The land surface model SEWAB (Surface Energy and Water Balance) is designed to be coupled to both, atmospheric and hydrological models. Its application in mid and high latitudes requires the inclusion of freezing and thawing processes within the soil and the accumulation and ablation of a snow cover. These winter processes are parameterised with a minimum number of empirical formulations in order to assure reasonable computation times for an application in climate and sensitivity studies yet accounting for all important processes. Meteorological forcing data and measurements of snow depth, soil temperature and liquid soil water content at two locations in the mid-west of North America are used to test the model. Generally the simulated snow depth matches the measurements, remaining differences in snow depth can be explained by uncertainties in snow density, blowing snow and errors in precipitation measurements. The simulated soil temperature and liquid soil water content compare well with the measurements, showing the isolating effect of the snow cover. Received August 25, 2000 Revised January 19, 2001     

年代际气候变化与1998年长江大水

由于海温、高原积雪和大气环流异常等特定条件,引发了１９９８年夏季长江的特大洪涝,而９０年代的气候特征也对１９９８年长江大水起到一定的作用。从中国夏季降水、大气环流、冬季高原积雪和海温等方面分析年代际气候变化对１９９８年长江大水提供有利的气候环境。     

Recent advances in mountain climate research

The paper provides a brief overview of recent advances in selected areas of mountain climate research. It addresses the contrasting vertical precipitation gradients in the Alps and in central Asia, snow line in the Alps, orographic precipitation in North America, the Mesoscale Alpine Programme wind studies, automatic weather stations in mountains, satellite remote sensing of glacier changes, and temperature change at high elevations. The evidence for altitudinal differences in the temperature response to recent warming is discussed.     

Winter climate change in alpine tundra: plant responses to changes in snow depth and snowmelt timing

Snow is an important environmental factor in alpine ecosystems, which influences plant phenology, growth and species composition in various ways. With current climate warming, the snow-to-rain ratio is decreasing, and the timing of snowmelt advancing. In a 2-year field experiment above treeline in the Swiss Alps, we investigated how a substantial decrease in snow depth and an earlier snowmelt affect plant phenology, growth, and reproduction of the four most abundant dwarf-shrub species in an alpine tundra community. By advancing the timing when plants started their growing season and thus lost their winter frost hardiness, earlier snowmelt also changed the number of low-temperature events they experienced while frost sensitive. This seemed to outweigh the positive effects of a longer growing season and hence, aboveground growth was reduced after advanced snowmelt in three of the four species studied. Only Loiseleuria procumbens, a specialist of wind exposed sites with little snow, benefited from an advanced snowmelt. We conclude that changes in the snow cover can have a wide range of species-specific effects on alpine tundra plants. Thus, changes in winter climate and snow cover characteristics should be taken into account when predicting climate change effects on alpine ecosystems.