Articles | Volume 18, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-6005-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-6005-2024
Research article
 | 
19 Dec 2024
Research article |  | 19 Dec 2024

Snow depth sensitivity to mean temperature, precipitation, and elevation in the Austrian and Swiss Alps

Matthew Switanek, Gernot Resch, Andreas Gobiet, Daniel Günther, Christoph Marty, and Wolfgang Schöner

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
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Cited articles

Avanzi, F., Munerol, F., Milelli, M., Gabellani, S., Massari, C., Girotto, M., Cremonese, E., Galvagno, M., Bruno, G., di Cella, U. M., Rossi, L., Altamura, M., and Ferraris, L.: Winter snow deficit was a harbinger of summer 2022 socio-hydrologic drought in the Po Basin, Italy, Commun. Earth Environ., 5, 64, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01222-z, 2024. a
Beaumet, J., Ménégoz, M., Morin, S., Gallée, H., Fettweis, X., Six, D., Vincent, C., Wilhelm, B., and Anquetin, S.: Twentieth century temperature and snow cover changes in the French Alps, Reg. Environ. Change, 21, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-021-01830-x, 2021. a
Beniston, M., Farinotti, D., Stoffel, M., Andreassen, L. M., Coppola, E., Eckert, N., Fantini, A., Giacona, F., Hauck, C., Huss, M., Huwald, H., Lehning, M., López-Moreno, J.-I., Magnusson, J., Marty, C., Morán-Tejéda, E., Morin, S., Naaim, M., Provenzale, A., Rabatel, A., Six, D., Stötter, J., Strasser, U., Terzago, S., and Vincent, C.: The European mountain cryosphere: a review of its current state, trends, and future challenges, The Cryosphere, 12, 759–794, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-759-2018, 2018. a
Bertoldi, G., Bozzoli, M., Crespi, A., Matiu, M., Giovannini, L., Zardi, D., and Majone, B.: Diverging snowfall trends across months and elevation in the northeastern Italian Alps, Int. J. Climatol., 43, 2794–2819, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.8002, 2023. a
Buchmann, M., Coll, J., Aschauer, J., Begert, M., Brönnimann, S., Chimani, B., Resch, G., Schöner, W., and Marty, C.: Homogeneity assessment of Swiss snow depth series: comparison of break detection capabilities of (semi-)automatic homogenization methods, The Cryosphere, 16, 2147–2161, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2147-2022, 2022. a
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Short summary
Snow depth plays an important role in water resources, mountain tourism, and hazard management across the European Alps. Our study uses station-based historical observations to quantify how changes in temperature and precipitation affect average seasonal snow depth. We find that the relationship between these variables has been surprisingly robust over the last 120 years. This allows us to more accurately estimate how future climate will affect seasonal snow depth in different elevation zones.
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