International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: Climate change in the Alps and its consequences for snow

• • Title: Climate change in the Alps and its consequences for snow

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2018, Innsbruck, Austria

    Authors:

    • Andreas Gobiet  [ Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik ZAMG, Vienna, Austria ]
    • Sven Kotlarski  [ Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Zurich, Switzerland ]
    • Prisco Frei  [ Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Zurich, Switzerland ]  [ ETH Zurich, Switzerland ]
    • Jan Rajczak  [ Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Zurich, Switzerland ]  [ ETH Zurich, Switzerland ]
    • Deborah Verfaillie  [ Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Université de Toulouse, Météo-France, CNRS, CNRM, Centre d'Etudes de la Neige, Grenoble, France ]  [ Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain ]
    • Samuel Morin  [ Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Université de Toulouse, Météo-France, CNRS, CNRM, Centre d'Etudes de la Neige, Grenoble, France ]

    Date: 2018-10-07

    Abstract: The European Alps are strongly affected by climate change. Since 1880 the average temperatures rose by 2°C, which is about twice the global mean warming. This has important consequences on the regional climate and on society and ecosystems in the Alpine area. In particular snow is an important resource for, e.g., tourism, hydropower generation, and water management. It is also pivotal for mountainous hazards (avalanches, snow melt floods, glacier evolution). This study reviews the current state of knowledge about climate change in the Alps, with particular focus on future perspectives, based on the latest generation of high resolution climate simulations for the Alpine region. Apart from changes in temperature and precipitation (including extremes), the consequences of climate change for natural snow in various regions, elevationzones, and seasons is analyzed. The results show that, in addition to already observed warming, the Alps are facing further warming of about 0.3°C per decade on average in all seasons and altitude levels in the coming decades. Total precipitation is expected to increase in winter, but uncertainty in these precipitation projections is high. Heavy precipitation is expected to become more severe in all seasons. Depending on elevation and time of the year, snow cover and snowfall will partly be importantly reduced. However, at higher elevations in the mid-winter season, we can partly expect even more snowfall in future, as a consequence of increased winter precipitation.

    Object ID: ISSW2018_O05.1.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s):

    Keywords: Climate Change, European Alps, Snow.

    Page Number(s): 413-416

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