Item: Snow cover and climate changes in the Italian Alps (1930-2018)
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Title: Snow cover and climate changes in the Italian Alps (1930-2018)
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2018, Innsbruck, Austria
Authors:
- Mauro Valt [ AINEVA, Trento Italy ] [ ARPAV -Avalanche Centre Arabba, Italy ]
- Paola Cianfarra [ Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Dipartimento di Scienze Roma, Italy ]
Date: 2018-10-07
Abstract: The Fifth AR5 report of the working group of the Stockholm IPCC panel confirmed that the snow cover extent in the Northern Hemisphere has been gradually decreasing, and that in March and April high correlation exists between such decrease and anomalous temperature values. Recent works have already proved that also in the Italian Alps (6.6-13.7 E and 47.1-44.1 N) the snow cover extent and the amount of fresh snow have been gradually reducing, especially in March and April, at altituders ranging between 800 and 1,500 m. The present work analyses temperature data, snowfalls and snow cover duration with more than 30 cm thickness (skiable snow) in the 1930-2017 period. The explored 1987-1988 period highlighted a variation of regime for all the three parameters analysed. Furthermore, in the 1991-2000 period, the largest deficit was observed in the last 10 years. In the 2004-2013 period a lower temperature rise was observed in December-February compared with the 1961-1990 average, and almost standard snowfalls. Temperature ranges in March-April have been instead steadily increasing, with a major snow deficit (approximately -30%) especially at low altitudes, and resulting lower snow cover duration. As for the snow reliability line (LAN), altitude rose by over 300 m following a seasonal temperature rise of +0.7 °C, amounting to a much higher value t han that recorded in other studies, i.e. 150 m for +1.0 °C.
Object ID: ISSW2018_P05.18.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s):
Keywords: Snow cover, Snow reliability, Alps, Climate.
Page Number(s): 498-502
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