利用SSM/I数据判识我国及周边地区雪盖

积雪参数是气候学和水文学研究中所需的重要物理量, 确保积雪参数测定的准确性与及时性对于气候学研究、水文应用以及防灾减灾都非常重要。利用微波数据可获取有云存在时的积雪覆盖图, 遥感雪深和雪水当量信息。采用微波数据判识雪盖并得到积雪状态 (干、湿) 信息, 不仅可以弥补利用光学遥感数据判识雪盖的不足之处, 而且也是利用微波数据反演雪深和雪水当量参数必需的先期工作。该文介绍利用SSM/I的多频双极化微波数据开展我国及周边地区积雪判识方法研究的结果。分析国外全球判识方法的雪盖判识结果指出, 国外算法易在青藏高原等地区将冻土误判为积雪, 造成雪盖面积的偏高估计。研究给出了在我国及周边地区 (17°~57°N, 65°~145°E) 利用SSM/I数据判识积雪的改进方法, 在完成积雪判识的同时还给出了雪深和积雪状态的定性信息, 与已有全球雪盖判识方法相比有较大改进, 大大减小了青藏高原等地区冻土对积雪判识的影响。     

Impact of the snow cover scheme on snow distribution and energy budget modeling over the Tibetan Plateau

This paper presents the impact of two snow cover schemes (NY07 and SL12) in the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) on the snow distribution and surface energy budget over the Tibetan Plateau. The simulated snow cover fraction (SCF), snow depth, and snow cover days were evaluated against in situ snow depth observations and a satellite-based snow cover product and snow depth dataset. The results show that the SL12 scheme, which considers snow accumulation and snowmelt processes separately, has a higher overall accuracy (81.8%) than the NY07 (75.8%). The newer scheme performs better in the prediction of overall accuracy compared with the NY07; however, SL12 yields a 15.1% underestimation rate while NY07 overestimated the SCF with a 15.2% overestimation rate. Both two schemes capture the distribution of the maximum snow depth well but show large positive biases in the average value through all periods (3.37, 3.15, and 1.48 cm for NY07; 3.91, 3.52, and 1.17 cm for SL12) and overestimate snow cover days compared with the satellite-based product and in situ observations. Higher altitudes show larger root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) in the simulations of snow depth and snow cover days during the snow-free period. Moreover, the surface energy flux estimations from the SL12 scheme are generally superior to the simulation from NY07 when evaluated against ground-based observations, in particular for net radiation and sensible heat flux. This study has great implications for further improvement of the subgrid-scale snow variations over the Tibetan Plateau.     

中国西部积雪类型划分

利用中国105°E以西地区189个地面气象台站1960-2004年积雪日资料和1981-2004年SMMR、SSM/Ⅰ反演的逐日雪深资料,使用积雪年际变率方法划分中国西部积雪类型,并与积雪日数方法的划分结果进行比较.在此基础上,尝试建立了结合以上两种要素的综合分类指标.利用积雪年际变率方法和台站资料,将中国西部积雪划分为3类.其中,稳定积雪区主要包括北疆、天山和青藏高原东部高海拔山区;年周期性不稳定积雪区包括南疆和东疆盆地周边、河西走廊、青海北部、青藏高原中西部、藏南谷地以及青藏高原东南缘;其他积雪区均为非年周期性不稳定积雪区.气候突变后,积雪日数方法划分的积雪类型变化反映出沙漠和低纬度地区积雪变幅增大,在积雪年际变率方法的结果中体现出青藏高原东部地区趋于稳定的积雪面积在增加.在没有台站记录地区,卫星遥感资料很大程度上弥补了台站观测的缺陷,使用这种资料划分积雪类型时,积雪年际变率方法比积雪日数方法的结果更符合西部积雪的分布特点,反映出积雪分布与地形的密切关系.利用综合分类指标划分西部积雪类型的结果表明,台站资料的划分结果很大程度上受积雪持续时间的影响,而在卫星遥感结果中,积雪年际变率则是影响类型划分的主要因素.     

Alpine snow cover in a changing climate: a regional climate model perspective

An analysis is presented of an ensemble of regional climate model (RCM) experiments from the ENSEMBLES project in terms of mean winter snow water equivalent (SWE), the seasonal evolution of snow cover, and the duration of the continuous snow cover season in the European Alps. Two sets of simulations are considered, one driven by GCMs assuming the SRES A1B greenhouse gas scenario for the period 1951–2099, and the other by the ERA-40 reanalysis for the recent past. The simulated SWE for Switzerland for the winters 1971–2000 is validated against an observational data set derived from daily snow depth measurements. Model validation shows that the RCMs are capable of simulating the general spatial and seasonal variability of Alpine snow cover, but generally underestimate snow at elevations below 1,000 m and overestimate snow above 1,500 m. Model biases in snow cover can partly be related to biases in the atmospheric forcing. The analysis of climate projections for the twenty first century reveals high inter-model agreement on the following points: The strongest relative reduction in winter mean SWE is found below 1,500 m, amounting to 40–80 % by mid century relative to 1971–2000 and depending upon the model considered. At these elevations, mean winter temperatures are close to the melting point. At higher elevations the decrease of mean winter SWE is less pronounced but still a robust feature. For instance, at elevations of 2,000–2,500 m, SWE reductions amount to 10–60 % by mid century and to 30–80 % by the end of the century. The duration of the continuous snow cover season shows an asymmetric reduction with strongest shortening in springtime when ablation is the dominant factor for changes in SWE. We also find a substantial ensemble-mean reduction of snow reliability relevant to winter tourism at elevations below about 1,800 m by mid century, and at elevations below about 2,000 m by the end of the century.     

Effect of snow cover on pan-Arctic permafrost thermal regimes

This study quantitatively evaluated how insulation by snow depth (SND) affected the soil thermal regime and permafrost degradation in the pan-Arctic area, and more generally defined the characteristics of soil temperature (T_SOIL) and SND from 1901 to 2009. This was achieved through experiments performed with the land surface model CHANGE to assess sensitivity to winter precipitation as well as air temperature. Simulated T_SOIL, active layer thickness (ALT), SND, and snow density were generally comparable with in situ or satellite observations at large scales and over long periods. Northernmost regions had snow that remained relatively stable and in a thicker state during the past four decades, generating greater increases in T_SOIL. Changes in snow cover have led to changes in the thermal state of the underlying soil, which is strongly dependent on both the magnitude and the timing of changes in snowfall. Simulations of the period 2001–2009 revealed significant differences in the extent of near-surface permafrost, reflecting differences in the model’s treatment of meteorology and the soil bottom boundary. Permafrost loss was greater when SND increased in autumn rather than in winter, due to insulation of the soil resulting from early cooling. Simulations revealed that T_SOIL tended to increase over most of the pan-Arctic from 1901 to 2009, and that this increase was significant in northern regions, especially in northeastern Siberia where SND is responsible for 50 % or more of the changes in T_SOIL at a depth of 3.6 m. In the same region, ALT also increased at a rate of approximately 2.3 cm per decade. The most sensitive response of ALT to changes in SND appeared in the southern boundary regions of permafrost, in contrast to permafrost temperatures within the 60°N–80°N region, which were more sensitive to changes in snow cover. Finally, our model suggests that snow cover contributes to the warming of permafrost in northern regions and could play a more important role under conditions of future Arctic warming.     

An improved snow hydrology for GCMs. Part 1: snow cover fraction,albedo, grain size,and age

A new, physically-based snow hydrology has been implemented into the NCAR CCM1. The snow albedo is based on snow depth, solar zenith angle, snow cover pollutants, cloudiness, and a new parameter, the snow grain size. Snow grain size in turn depends on temperature and snow age. An improved expression is used for fractional snow cover which relates it to surface roughness and to snow depth. Each component of the new snow hydrology was implemented separately and then combined to make a new control run integrated for ten seasonal cycles. With the new snow hydrology, springtime snow melt occurs more rapidly, leading to a more reasonable late spring and summer distribution of snow cover. Little impact is seen on winter snow cover, since the new hydrology affects snow melt directly, but snowfall only indirectly, if at all. The influence of the variable grain size appears more important when snow packs are relatively deep while variable fractional snow cover becomes increasingly important as the snow pack thins. Variable surface roughness affects the snow cover fraction directly, but shows little effect on the seasonal cycle of the snow line. As an applicaion of the new snow hydrology, we have rerun simulations involving Antarctic and Northern Hemisphere glaciation; these simulations were previously made with CCM1 and the old snow hydrology. Relatively little difference is seen for Antarctica, but a profound difference occurs for the Northern Hemisphere. In particular, ice sheets computed using net snow accumulations from the GCM are more numerous and larger in extent with the new snow hydrology. The new snow hydrology leads to a better simulation of the seasonal cycle of snow cover, however, our primary goal in implementing it into the GCM is to improve the predictive capabilities of the model. Since the snow hydrology is based on fundamental physical processes, and has well-defined parameters, it should enable model simulations of climatic change in which we have increased confidence.This paper was presented at the Second International Conference on Modelling of Global Climate Variability, held in Hamburg 7–11 September 1992 under the auspices of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Guest Editor for these papers is L. Dümenil     

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.     

The role of terrestrial snow cover in the climate system

Snow cover is known to exert a strong influence on climate, but quantifying its impact is difficult. This study investigates the global impact of terrestrial snow cover through a pair of GCM simulations run with prognostic snow cover and with all snow cover on land eliminated (NOSNOWCOVER). In this experiment all snowfall over land was converted into its liquid–water equivalent upon reaching the surface. Compared with the control run, NOSNOWCOVER produces mean-annual surface air temperatures up to 5 K higher over northern North America and Eurasia and 8–10 K greater during winter. The globally averaged warming of 0.8 K is one-third as large as the model’s response to 2 × CO₂ forcing. The pronounced surface heating propagates throughout the troposphere, causing changes in surface and upper-air circulation patterns. Despite the large atmospheric warming, the absence of an insulating snow pack causes soil temperatures in NOSNOWCOVER to fall throughout northern Asia and Canada, including extreme wintertime cooling of over 20 K in Siberia and a 70% increase in permafrost area. The absence of snow melt water also affects extratropical surface hydrology, causing significantly drier upper-layer soils and dramatic changes in the annual cycle of runoff. Removing snow cover also drastically affects extreme weather. Extreme cold-air outbreaks (CAOs)—defined relative to the control climatology—essentially disappear in NOSNOWCOVER. The loss of CAOs appears to stem from both the local effects of eliminating snow cover in mid-latitudes and a remote effect over source regions in the Arctic, where −40°C air masses are no longer able to form.     

Climate change impact on snow and soil temperature in boreal Scots pine stands

Scenarios indicate that the air temperature will increase in high latitude regions in coming decades, causing the snow covered period to shorten, the growing season to lengthen and soil temperatures to change during the winter, spring and early summer. To evaluate how a warmer climate is likely to alter the snow cover and soil temperature in Scots pine stands of varying ages in northern Sweden, climate scenarios from the Swedish regional climate modelling programme SWECLIM were used to drive a Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT)-model (COUP). Using the two CO₂ emission scenarios A and B in the Hadley centres global climate model, HadleyA and HadleyB, SWECLIM predicts that the annual mean air temperature and precipitation will increase at most 4.8°C and 315 mm, respectively, within a century in the study region. The results of this analysis indicate that a warmer climate will shorten the period of persistent snow pack by 73–93 days, increase the average soil temperature by 0.9–1.5°C at 10 cm depth, advance soil warming by 15–19 days in spring and cause more soil freeze–thaw cycles by 31–38%. The results also predict that the large current variations in snow cover due to variations in tree interception and topography will be enhanced in the coming century, resulting in increased spatial variability in soil temperatures.     

Influence of the Eurasian snow cover on the Indian summer monsoon variability in observed climatologies and CMIP3 simulations

The present study is aimed at revisiting the possible influence of the winter/spring Eurasian snow cover on the subsequent Indian summer precipitation using several statistical tools including a maximum covariance analysis. The snow–monsoon relationship is explored using both satellite observations of snow cover and in situ measurements of snow depth, but also a subset of global coupled ocean–atmosphere simulations from the phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3) database. In keeping with former studies, the observations suggest a link between an east–west snow dipole over Eurasia and the Indian summer monsoon precipitation. However, our results indicate that this relationship is neither statistically significant nor stationary over the last 40 years. Moreover, the strongest signal appears over eastern Eurasia and is not consistent with the Blanford hypothesis whereby more snow should lead to a weaker monsoon. The twentieth century CMIP3 simulations provide longer timeseries to look for robust snow–monsoon relationships. The maximum covariance analysis indicates that some models do show an apparent influence of the Eurasian snow cover on the Indian summer monsoon precipitation, but the patterns are not the same as in the observations. Moreover, the apparent snow–monsoon relationship generally denotes a too strong El Niño-Southern Oscillation teleconnection with both winter snow cover and summer monsoon rainfall rather than a direct influence of the Eurasian snow cover on the Indian monsoon.     

一种基于卫星遥感与地面测站数据融合技术的雪深动态反演方法

提出了一种新的基于被动微波遥感和地面测站数据融合技术的雪深动态反演方法.这种新方法不再依赖单一的地面测站数据或卫星遥感数据,而是利用它们联合建立雪盖可信度指数,共同确定雪盖分布;然后在此基础上采用时空距离权重法设定反演系数动态参数化方案,反演雪深.这种雪深反演方法具有以下特点:针对不同时空条件下反演系数的动态差异问题,提出利用实时测站观测雪深,灵活调整雪深反演系数的解决方案,使反演系数具备随时空动态调整的能力,这是与静态反演方法最大的区别;充分利用了被动微波遥感数据时空连续性好的优势,能够在测站稀少的西部高山地区反演出空间分辨率相对较高的雪深数据,这是地面观测无法做到的.初步检验结果显示,该方法较明显地提高了中国西部高原地区和东部雪盖南缘区的反演精度,并克服了原有融合方法在中国西部雪盖面积偏小的问题,有效避免了静态反演方法在高山地区严重高估而平原地区低估雪深的问题,实现了被动微波遥感和地面观测数据的有效融合,扩大了雪深监测的有效范围     

青藏高原积雪深度对延伸期预报技巧的影响

高原积雪是重要的陆面因子,其变化的时间尺度长于大气而短于海洋。本文利用国家气候中心第二代月动力延伸期预测模式（DERF2.0）历史回报资料与被动微波资料（SMMR）、被动微波成像专用传感器（SSM/I）数据反演的逐日雪深资料,分析了1983~2014年冬季和春季转换季节高原积雪对热带外地区延伸期尺度预测技巧的影响。结果表明,高原积雪异常年动力模式在高原积雪显著影响的青藏高原地区、贝加尔湖地区和北太平洋地区预报技巧明显高于正常年份。随着预报时效的延长,高原积雪偏多年的技巧衰减最慢、其次为积雪偏少年,积雪正常年最快,表明高原积雪异常年可预报时效更长,且高原积雪异常对预报技巧的改善在第1候的预报中就显现出来,尤其是积雪偏多年,其影响时段明显要早于海洋。结果显示高原积雪对延伸期预报技巧有重要贡献,暗示高原积雪异常为东亚延伸期预报的潜在可预报源。     

A new snow parameterization for the Météo-France climate model

Both observational and numerical studies demonstrate the sensitivity of the atmosphere to variations in the extent and mass of snow cover. There is therefore a need for simple but realistic snow parameterizations in forecast and climate models. A new snow hydrology scheme has recently been developed at Météo-France for use in the ARPEGE climate model and has been successfully tested against local field measurements in stand-alone experiments. This study describes the global validation of the parameterization in a 3-year integration for the present-day climate within the T42L30 version of ARPEGE. Results are compared with those from a control simulation and with available observed climatologies, in order to assess the impact of the new snow parameterization on the simulated surface climate. The seasonal cycle of the Northern Hemisphere snow cover is clearly improved when using the new scheme. The snow pack is still slightly overestimated in winter, but its poleward retreat is better reproduced during the melting season. As a consequence, the modified GCM performs well in simulating the springtime continental heating, which may play a strong role in the simulation of the Asian summer monsoon.     

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.     

A comparison of microwave radiometric data and modeled snowpack conditions for Dye 2, Greenland

Summary Meteorological observations were recorded at Dye 2, Greenland during the summer of 1993 as part of a research program to identify interannual variations in melt occurrence on the Greenland ice sheet from satellite microwave data. The meteorological observations were used to drive and energy-balance model of the snowpack during 21 June to 13 July 1993. Time series of the meteorological observations and various model outputs were compared to a concurrent time series of Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data for scan cells centered within 25 km of Dye 2. The satellite microwave observations clearly show an increase in snowpack emissivity at the same time that the model indicates liquid water forming in the snow. Diurnal melt-freeze cycles that occurred during mid June to early July resulted in an increase in the 37 GHz brightness temperature as great as 60K from the dry, refrozen snow in the morning to the wet snow of some afternoons. The effects of fresh snowfall, which tend to increase the brightness temperature, and of snow growth from melt-freeze metamorphism, which tend to decrease the brightness temperature, are also apparent in the microwave observations. The results of this work demonstrate the influence of daily weather variations on the microwave emissivity in the ice sheet's percolation zone and the usefulness of swath data to diagnose the diurnal cycle of melt.With 4 Figures     

Rapid vegetation responses and feedbacks amplify climate model response to snow cover changes

We investigate the response of a climate system model to two different methods for estimating snow cover fraction. In the control case, snow cover fraction changes gradually with snow depth; in the alternative scenarios (one with prescribed vegetation and one with dynamic vegetation), snow cover fraction initially increases with snow depth almost twice as fast as the control method. In cases where the vegetation was fixed (prescribed), the choice of snow cover parameterization resulted in a limited model response. Increased albedo associated with the high snow caused some moderate localized cooling (3–5°C), mostly at very high latitudes (>70°N) and during the spring season. During the other seasons, however, the cooling was not very extensive. With dynamic vegetation the change is much more dramatic. The initial increases in snow cover fraction with the new parameterization lead to a large-scale southward retreat of boreal vegetation, widespread cooling, and persistent snow cover over much of the boreal region during the boreal summer. Large cold anomalies of up to 15°C cover much of northern Eurasia and North America and the cooling is geographically extensive in the northern hemisphere extratropics, especially during the spring and summer seasons. This study demonstrates the potential for dynamic vegetation within climate models to be quite sensitive to modest forcing. This highlights the importance of dynamic vegetation, both as an amplifier of feedbacks in the climate system and as an essential consideration when implementing adjustments to existing model parameters and algorithms.     

Snow-albedo feedback and Swiss spring temperature trends

We quantify the effect of the snow-albedo feedback on Swiss spring temperature trends using daily temperature and snow depth measurements from six station pairs for the period 1961?C2011. We show that the daily mean 2-m temperature of a spring day without snow cover is on average 0.4?°C warmer than one with snow cover at the same location. This estimate is comparable with estimates from climate modelling studies. Caused by the decreases in snow pack, the snow-albedo feedback amplifies observed temperature trends in spring. The influence is small and confined to areas around the upward-moving snow line in spring and early summer. For the 1961?C2011 period, the related temperature trend increases are in the order of 3?C7?% of the total observed trend.     

A new snow parameterization for the Météo-France climate model

Both observational studies and numerical experiments demonstrate the sensitivity of the atmosphere to variations in the extent and mass of snow cover. There is therefore a need for simple but realistic snow parameterizations in forecast and climate models. This study describes a new physically-based snow hydrology for use in the Météo-France climate model, together with the ISBA land-surface scheme. A restricted number of parameters has been added, while preserving a single surface energy budget. The ageing process of the snow pack has been introduced through prognostic equations for snow density and snow albedo. Snowmelt computation has been modified over partially snow-covered and vegetated areas. The new scheme has been validated against field measurements in stand-alone simulations forced by observed meteorological conditions. The results show a strong improvement in the model's performance, thereby suggesting that a simple one-layer snow model is able to reproduce the main physical mechanisms governing the snow pack evolution. Part II of the present study will concern the validation in a 3-D experiment within the Météo-France climate model.     

Impact of snow initialization on sub-seasonal forecasts

The influence of the snowpack on wintertime atmospheric teleconnections has received renewed attention in recent years, partially for its potential impact on seasonal predictability. Many observational and model studies have indicated that the autumn Eurasian snow cover in particular, influences circulation patterns over the North Pacific and North Atlantic. We have performed a suite of coupled atmosphere-ocean simulations with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ensemble forecast system to investigate the impact of accurate snow initialisation. Pairs of 2-month ensemble forecasts were started every 15 days from the 15th of October through the 1st of December in the years 2004–2009, with either realistic initialization of snow variables based on re-analyses, or else with “scrambled” snow initial conditions from an alternate autumn date and year. Initially, in the first 15 days, the presence of a thicker snowpack cools surface temperature over the continental land masses of Eurasia and North America. At a longer lead of 30-day, it causes a warming over the Arctic and the high latitudes of Eurasia due to an intensification and westward expansion of the Siberian High. It also causes a cooling over the mid-latitudes of Eurasia, and lowers sea level pressures over the Arctic. This “warm Arctic—cold continent” difference means that the forecasts of near-surface temperature with the more realistic snow initialization are in closer agreement with re-analyses, reducing a cold model bias over the Arctic and a warm model bias over mid-latitudes. The impact of realistic snow initialization upon the forecast skill in snow depth and near-surface temperature is estimated for various lead times. Following a modest skill improvement in the first 15 days over snow-covered land, we also find a forecast skill improvement up to the 30-day lead time over parts of the Arctic and the Northern Pacific, which can be attributed to the realistic snow initialization over the land masses.     

The contribution of snow condition trends to future ground climate

Global climate models predict that terrestrial northern high-latitude snow conditions will change substantially over the twenty-first century. Results from a Community Climate System Model simulation of twentieth and twenty-first (SRES A1B scenario) century climate show increased winter snowfall (+10–40%), altered maximum snow depth (?5 ± 6 cm), and a shortened snow-season (?14 ± 7 days in spring, +20 ± 9 days in autumn). By conducting a series of prescribed snow experiments with the Community Land Model, we isolate how trends in snowfall, snow depth, and snow-season length affect soil temperature trends. Increasing snowfall, by countering the snowpack-shallowing influence of warmer winters and shorter snow seasons, is effectively a soil warming agent, accounting for 10–30% of total soil warming at 1 m depth and ~16% of the simulated twenty-first century decline in near-surface permafrost extent. A shortening snow season enhances soil warming due to increased solar absorption whereas a shallowing snowpack mitigates soil warming due to weaker winter insulation from cold atmospheric air. Snowpack deepening has comparatively less impact due to saturation of snow insulative capacity at deeper snow depths. Snow depth and snow-season length trends tend to be positively related, but their effects on soil temperature are opposing. Consequently, on the century timescale the net change in snow state can either amplify or mitigate soil warming. Snow state changes explain less than 25% of total soil temperature change by 2100. However, for the latter half of twentieth century, snow state variations account for as much as 50–100% of total soil temperature variations.