scholarly journals Changes in Air Temperature and Snow Cover in Winter in Poland

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz M. Tomczyk ◽  
Ewa Bednorz ◽  
Katarzyna Szyga-Pluta
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Cover Depth ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Maximum Air Temperature ◽  
Snow Cover Depth

The primary objective of the paper was to characterize the climatic conditions in the winter season in Poland in the years 1966/67–2019/20. The study was based on daily values of minimum (Tmin) and maximum air temperature (Tmax), and daily values of snow cover depth. The study showed an increase in both Tmin and Tmax in winter. The most intensive changes were recorded in north-eastern and northern regions. The coldest winters were recorded in the first half of the analyzed multiannual period, exceptionally cold being winters 1969/70 and 1984/85. The warmest winters occurred in the second half of the analyzed period and among seasons with the highest mean Tmax, particularly winters 2019/20 and 1989/90 stood out. In the study period, a decrease in snow cover depth statistically significant in the majority of stations in Poland was determined, as well as its variability both within the winter season and multiannual.

scholarly journals Snow-cover depth, distribution and duration data from northeast Greenland obtained by continuous automatic digital photography

2001 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 102-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne H. Christiansen
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Digital Photography ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Cover Depth ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Winter Snow ◽  
Snow Drifting ◽  
Snow Cover Depth

AbstractDetailed data on autumn, winter and spring snow-cover conditions from remote areas are often difficult or very expensive to obtain. Therefore, an inexpensive method of digital photography was tested in high-Arctic Greenland. Automatic digital photography has provided daily data on snow distribution and snow depth for > 1 year from the Zackenberg area (74°30’ N) in northeast Greenland. A standard digital hand-held camera (Kodak Digital Science DC50) was equipped to become automatic; it is supplied with an “automatic finger” and an external power supply and built into a protecting box with additional solar panels on top, in order to secure continuous operation throughout the year. The daily photograph covers a 100 m transect through a seasonal snowpatch, and thus on an annual basis also yields information on snow-cover duration in the different vegetation zones of the snowpatch. The camera was installed in mid-August 1998. Photographs from the period mid-August 1998 to early September 1999 were collected and analyzed. All photos are taken at astronomic noon in order to use the daylight as long as possible into the winter season before the 24 h winter darkness begins in mid-November.The digital photographs yielded the following information for the year 1998/99: The first winter snowfall occurred on 18 October; small-scale snow redistribution by snow-drifting started when the winter snow cover was about 5 cm thick. The continuous winter snow cover lasted for a minimum of 170 days in the most snow-deprived areas downwind of the snowpatch, whereas snow in the centre of the snowpatch stayed on the ground for > 325 days, turning the snowpatch perennial in summer 1999.Meteorological data obtained close to the photographed snowpatch site, in combination with the snow-cover depth and distribution data derived from the photographs, show that at wind speeds (at 2 m height) of up to around 6 m s−1, only small-scale snow-drifting took place, when the snow cover was thin. Intense snowdrifting, however, took place at wind speeds of 8–13 m s−1, particularly when enough snow was available in the upwind area. The automatic continuous photography technique demonstrated here could be particularly useful in remote areas at high risk of avalanches during winter. It is an alternative to traditional snow monitoring achieved mainly by sonic sensors, snow pillows or manual measurements of snow depths Likewise, it can provide better areal information than most standard methods, which give only point measurements.

Soil moisture dynamics in winter under heavy snowfall conditions in Shonai (Japan)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Brandt ◽  
Qiqin Zhang ◽  
Maximo Larry Lopez Caceres ◽  
Hideki Murayama
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Moisture Increase ◽  
Eastern Japan ◽  
Hydrological Regimes

<p>Yamagata prefecture, facing the Japan Sea, is one of the heavy snow fall regions of the world. Around half of the annual precipitation of around 3000 mm falls in winter as snow, producing snow covers of more than three meters depth.  However, air temperature is around 0°C in winter and therefore relatively warm. Hence, snow density becomes 0.5 g/cm³ already early in the snow accumulation phase. To qualify and quantify interactions, three spots on a slope, forested with Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), have been selected to compare relationships on top, at the middle and at the bottom of snow covered slopes. The site represents the majority of mountain forests in north-eastern Japan. Monitoring soil and air temperature as well as precipitation and soil moisture we found strong interactions between the three hydrological regimes (precipitation, snow cover and soil) in winter. Soil did not freeze and hence volumetric soil moisture content changed during the winter season. Several sharp significant increases of soil moisture have been measured before the snow melt period even started. High rates of soil moisture increase together with an increase of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) have been found to be caused by rain-on-snow events. In contrast, smaller rates of soil moisture increase in peaks were correlated with a decrease in SWE and therefore a snowmelt process. The interactions of snow cover and soil have been found to be different in the three different spots at the slope. Soil at the bottom of a slope reacts significantly to the highest number of events; soil on the slope reacts only to some events, but more intensively. Thus, most of the water is moving within the snowpack down the slope, increasing the SWE. Thereafter water reaches the soil surface and infiltrates it. This has been found to be also one reason for the formation of depth hoars and therefore the risk of avalanches.</p><p>To conclude, hydrological regimes in north-eastern Japan interact during the whole year due to winter air temperatures around 0°C and soil which does not freeze. The shape of peaks in soil moisture can be used to distinguish between rain and snowmelt causing the soil moisture increase. Various preferential flow patterns at different spots on a slope are an excellent basis for further studies and a basis for further monitoring and modelling. </p>

scholarly journals Schrenk spruce leaf litter decomposition varies with snow depth in the Tianshan Mountains

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Gong ◽  
Xin Chen ◽  
Xueni Zhang ◽  
Xiaodong Yang ◽  
Yanjiang Cai
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Tianshan Mountains ◽  
Cover Depth ◽  
C And N ◽  
Thaw Period ◽  
Snow Cover Depth

Abstract Seasonal snowfall, a sensitive climate factor and the main form of precipitation in arid areas, is important for forest material circulation and surface processes and profoundly impacts litter decomposition and element turnover. However, how the thickness and duration of snow cover affect litter decomposition and element release remain unclear. Thus, to understand the effects of snow on litter decomposition, fiber degradation and their relationships with soil properties, a field litterbag experiment was conducted under no, thin, medium, and thick snow cover in a Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana) forest gap in the Tianshan Mountains. The snow cover period exhibited markedly lower rates of decomposition than the snow-free period. The litter lignin, cellulose and N concentrations in the pregrowing season and middle growing season were significantly higher than those in the deep-freeze period, and the litter C and P concentrations were significantly higher during the onset of the freeze–thaw period, deep-freeze period and thaw period than in the late growing season. The litter cellulose, C and N concentrations were significantly higher under thick snow cover than under no snow cover in most stages. Moreover, the correlations among litter mass, cellulose, lignin/cellulose and soil bulk density varied with snow cover depth. The temporal variations and snow cover depth affected the decomposition process significantly. The former affected lignin, cellulose and P, and the latter affected cellulose, C and N and changed the litter-soil properties relationship. These differences provide references for understanding how winter conditions affect material cycling and other ecological processes under climate change.

Evaluation of the productivity of the hybrid vine Seyval blanc in function of several types of protection against frost in Quebec

OENO One ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
T. Telebak ◽  
Yvon Jolivet ◽  
Jean-Marie Dubois
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Natural Snow

<p style="text-align: justify;">In Quebec, winter frost is one of the determining factors influencing vine survival and yield. To evaluate the quality of the different types of winter protection, ground temperature data under different covers (ground knolls, leaf mounds, carried over snow and natural snow) and ambient air temperatures were recorded. Results show that the Seyval blanc, if not protected against winter frost, can sustain quite serious damages when the air temperature reaches -30 °C. Ridging, leaf covering and the natural snow cover as well as carried over snow have a positive effect on ground temperatures, since over the site without protection, frost penetrated down to a depth of 50 cm. However, it seems that the root System did not sustain significant damages from the ground frost since regrowth occurred in the Spring. Because of its direct exposure to radiation and surface climatic conditions, bare soil warms up more quickly in the Spring compared to the other sites benefiting from protection. Results also indicate that the mortality rate of the vine stock fruit buds without protection is nearly 100 % compared to the protected vine stocks with a fruit bud mortality rate varying from 22.5 to 35.8 %. The protected vine stocks, regardless of the type of protection used, had satislactory yields from 7.2 t/ha to 24.4 t/ha. On the other hand, the raisin yield of the vine stocks without any winter protection is null. The best raisin yields were obtained over sites where vine stocks were protected by ridging (40 cm of earth), while the vine stocks protected by leaf covering showed an average yield. We also observed that when vine stock leaf covering is coupled with lodged vine shoots, raisin yields are higher than when the vine shoots are erect. However, in both cases, potential yield per hectare is satisfactory. Hence, the lodging of vine shoots becomes a useless operation. The vine stocks protected by natural snow as well as by leaf covering (30 cm + carried over snow and lodged vine shoots) gave the fruit with the highest sugar content. Snow is also an excellent insulator because a 37 cm high snow cover permitted the survival of the vine stocks protected by snow even when the temperature reached -30 °C. The only problem still posing a threat is snow cover variability during the winter season. A reduced snow cover, coupled with temperature conditions under the threshold of tolerance of the vine to cold, could not insure satisfactory protection ol the fruit buds.</p>

scholarly journals Loss of Total Phenol in Two Shrub Leaf Litter Species: The Dual Role of Alpine Forest Gap Disturbance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei He ◽  
Wanqin Yang
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Dual Role ◽  
Total Phenol ◽  
First Year ◽  
Forest Gap ◽  
Cover Depth ◽  
Forest Gaps ◽  
Alpine Forest ◽  
Snow Cover Depth

Alpine forest gaps can distribute snowfall, solar radiation and rainfall, thus inducing a heterogeneous hydrothermal microenvironment between the inside and outside areas of forest gaps. Additionally, the characteristics of the heterogeneous microenvironment could vary greatly across the gap location properties during winter and the growing season. To determine the response of total phenol loss (TPL) from the litter to alpine forest gap disturbance during decomposition, we conducted a field litterbag experiment within a representative fir (Abies faxoniana Rehd.) forest based on the gap location properties. The TPL and abundances of fungi and bacteria from two typical shrub species (willow, Salix paraplesia Schneid., and bamboo, Fargesia nitida (Mitford) Keng f.) were measured during the following periods over two years: snow formation (SF), snow cover (SC) snow melting (ST), the early growing season (EG) and the later growing season (LG). At the end of the study, we found that the snow cover depth, frequencies of the freeze-thaw cycle and the fungal copy g-1 to bacterial copy g-1 ratio had significant effects on the litter TPL. The abundances of fungi and bacteria decreased from the gap center to the closed canopy during the two SF, SC, ST and LG periods and reversed during the two EG periods. The TPL closely followed the same trend as the microbial abundance during the first year of incubation. In addition, both species had larger TPLs in the gap center during the first winter, first year and entire two years. These findings suggest that alpine forest gap formation accelerates litter TPL and plays a dual role during specific critical periods by distributing abiotic and biotic factors directly and indirectly. In conclusion, reduced snow cover depth and duration during winter warming under current climate change scenarios or as gaps vanish may slow litter TPL in alpine biomes.

scholarly journals Principal features of Chornohora climate (Ukrainian Carpathians)

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-76
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Błażejczyk ◽  
Oleh Skrynyk
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Atmospheric Precipitation ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Circulation Types ◽  
Air Circulation ◽  
Snow Cover Depth ◽  
Area Data

Abstract Chornohora is the highest mountain ridge in the Ukrainian Carpathians with 6 peaks of an altitude over 2,000 m above sea level (Hoverla is the highest peak, 2,061 m a.s.l). Its climate is explored less than other mountain ridges in Europe. The massif is a climatic barrier for air masses on NW-SE line. To describe the climate of this area data from the weather station at Pozhyzhevska alpine meadow for the years 1961–2010 were used. The seasonal and long-term variability of air temperature, atmospheric precipitation and snow cover were investigated on the background of air circulation types. The results show that general features of Chornohora climate depend both, on elevation above sea level and on air circulation. Lowest temperature is observed at N-NE circulation and highest precipitation – at western air inflow. Long-term changes of examined climate elements in Chornohora show significant increase in mean (0.13°/10 years) and minimum (0.22°C/10 years) air temperature as well as in snow cover depth and number of snowy days.

scholarly journals Relationship Between the Development of Depth Hoar and Avalanche Release in the Tian Shan Mountains, China

1990 ◽  
Vol 36 (122) ◽  
pp. 37-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma Weilin ◽  
Hu Ruji
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Cover Depth ◽  
National Economic ◽  
Optimum Depth ◽  
Tian Shan Mountains ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Economic Construction ◽  
Snow Cover Depth ◽  
Tian Shan

AbstractIn spring and winter, there is a considerable amount of solid precipitation in the western part of the Tian Shan mountains. Avalanches frequently occur here, and often endanger national economic construction and human life. Observation shows that the avalanche occurrences are closely related to the physical characteristics of the snow, especially to the development of depth hoar in the snow cover. The conditions for the development of depth hoar are determined by thickness of the snow cover, air temperature, ground-temperature regime, and the duration of negative temperatures. The results of this study have revealed that the optimum depth of snow cover for the development of depth hoar is about 80 cm in the Tian Shan mountains, and the mean maximum depth of the snow cover in this region is 78 cm. Therefore, depth hoar develops extraordinarily well. The thickness of depth hoar can reach more than 80% of the total snow-cover depth. That is one of the main reasons why avalanches still occur frequently under the conditions of a limited snow-cover depth in the western part of the Tian Shan mountains.

scholarly journals Spatial variation of epoxyscillirosidine concentrations in Moraea pallida (yellow tulp) in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christo J. Botha ◽  
Heleen Coetser ◽  
Rowena A. Schultz ◽  
Leonie Labuschagne ◽  
Deon Van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Sampling Point ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
The North ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Secondary Objective

Moraea pallida (yellow tulp) poisoning is economically the most important intoxication of livestock in South Africa. Poisoning varies according to locality, climatic conditions and growth stage of the plant. The primary objective of this study was to determine the concentration of the toxic principle, epoxyscillirosidine, in yellow tulp leaves and to ascertain the variability of epoxyscillirosidine concentrations within and between different locations. A secondary objective was to utilise Geographic Information Systems in an attempt to explain the variability in toxicity. Flowering yellow tulp plants were collected at 26 sampling points across 20 districts of South Africa. The leaves of five plants per sampling point were extracted and submitted for liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. A large variation in mean epoxyscillirosidine concentrations, ranging from 3.32 μg/g – 238.27 μg/g, occurred between different geographical regions. The epoxyscillirosidine concentrations also varied tremendously between individual plants (n= 5) collected at the same sampling point, with up to a 24 times difference between the lowest and highest concentration detected. No generalised correlation between epoxyscillirosidine concentrations and soil elemental concentrations could be established. However, samples obtained from the north-eastern part of the sampling region tended to have higher epoxyscillirosidine concentrations compared to samples obtained from the south-western part of the sampling region. Higher toxin concentrations in the northeast were associated with statistically significant higher soil concentrations of iron, bismuth, bromide, cadmium, chromium, rubidium, tellurium, thallium, titanium and zinc, whilst soil concentrations of strontium and soil pH, were significantly lower. This study corroborated the contention that epoxyscillirosidine concentration in yellow tulp fluctuates and may explain the variability in toxicity.

scholarly journals Snow depth in eastern Europe in relation to circulation patterns

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 135-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Bednorz ◽  
Joanna Wibig
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Principal Components ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Cover Depth ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
Snow Cover Depth ◽  
Northeastern Europe

AbstractRotated principal components of the 500 hPa geopotential heights in the Euro-Atlantic sector are used as indicators of circulation pattern intensity. Daily snow-cover depth data for the years 1951–95 from 71 eastern European stations are examined. Maps of linear correlation coefficient between monthly change in snow depth and rotated principal components are presented. The positive and negative extremes of each circulation pattern are analyzed, and positive and negative snow-depth signals indicated. A daily analysis of relationships between snow depth and circulation pattern is performed for three locations. The strongest impact of the atmospheric circulation on changes in snow depth is observed in the south and west of the study area, where the eastern European (EE) and central European circulation patterns are found to have the greatest impact. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) impact on the snow depth in eastern Europe is limited to the beginning and the end of winter. Snow cover has low variability in northeastern Europe (where the Scandinavian (SC) pattern is of greatest importance) and low sensitivity to change in the atmospheric circulation. The decrease in snow-cover depth observed in spring is related to the NAO, SC and EE patterns, the latter being important for snow-cover depth fluctuations over northeastern Europe in April.

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