Data di Pubblicazione:
2022
Citazione:
Long-term trend of snow water equivalent in the Italian Alps / N. Colombo, M. Valt, E. Romano, F. Salerno, D. Godone, P. Cianfarra, M. Freppaz, M. Maugeri, N. Guyennon. - In: JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY. - ISSN 0022-1694. - 614:(2022), pp. 128532.1-128532.13. [10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128532]
Abstract:
Snow stores a significant amount of water in mountain regions. The decrease of water storage in the snowpack
can have relevant impacts on water supply for mountain and lowland areas that rely on snow melting. In this
work, we modelled the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) using daily snow depth (HS) data obtained from 19 his-
torical HS measurement stations located in the southern European Alps (Italy). Then, we analysed the long-term
(1930–2020) variability of the monthly Standardised SWE Index (SSWEI) and its links with climate change and
large-scale atmospheric forcings (teleconnection indices). We found a marked variability in monthly SSWEI, with
the lowermost values generally occurring in the last few decades (1991–2020), irrespective of elevation. In this
recent period, highly negative values occurred at the snow season tails, mostly in spring. We found large-scale
atmospheric patterns (North Atlantic Oscillation, Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation, and Artic Oscillation) and
precipitation to be interconnected with SSWEI oscillations, although this relation changed after the 1980s,
especially at low and medium elevations. This change occurred in correspondence of highly positive air tem-
perature anomalies. In the last decades, we found increasing air temperature to be the main driver for the
pronounced snow mass loss and persistent snow-drought conditions.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Snow; Mountains; Standardised index; Teleconnection indices; Global warming; Drought
Elenco autori:
N. Colombo, M. Valt, E. Romano, F. Salerno, D. Godone, P. Cianfarra, M. Freppaz, M. Maugeri, N. Guyennon
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