Global snow zone maps and trends in snow persistence 2001–2016

Seasonal snow is a critical component of the surface energy balance and hydrologic cycle, yet global maps of seasonal snow boundaries are not readily available. Snow persistence (SP), the fraction of a year that snow is present on the ground, is an easily globally observed snow metric that can be us...

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Vydáno v:International journal of climatology Ročník 38; číslo 12; s. 4369 - 4383
Hlavní autoři: Hammond, John C., Saavedra, Freddy A., Kampf, Stephanie K.
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.10.2018
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Témata:
Antarctic Oscillation
Atmospheric forcing
Climatic indexes
Continents
Correlation
Critical components
Elevation
Energy balance
Frameworks
Hydrologic cycle
Hydrological cycle
Hydrology
Mountains
North Atlantic Oscillation
Northern Hemisphere
Ocean-atmosphere system
Precipitation
Regions
seasonal snow
Snow
snow cover
Snow line
snow persistence
Southern Hemisphere
Surface energy
Surface energy balance
Surface properties
Temperature
Trends
Northern Hemisphere
ISSN:0899-8418, 1097-0088
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Popis
Shrnutí:Seasonal snow is a critical component of the surface energy balance and hydrologic cycle, yet global maps of seasonal snow boundaries are not readily available. Snow persistence (SP), the fraction of a year that snow is present on the ground, is an easily globally observed snow metric that can be used to map snow zones globally. Here we map snow zones across the globe using SP calculated from the MODIS10A2 product; evaluate how SP relates to precipitation, temperature, and climate indices; and examine trends in annual SP for 2001–2016. In the Northern Hemisphere, intermittent, seasonal, and permanent snow zones occupy a far greater percent (63%) of the land surface than in the Southern Hemisphere (<5%) where the low snow zone dominates (>95%). SP is most variable from year to year near the snow line, which has a relatively consistent decrease in elevation with increasing latitude across all continents. At lower elevations, SP is typically best correlated with temperature, whereas precipitation has greater relative importance for SP at high elevations. SP is best correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation in all continents except South America, where the Southern Annular Mode is a stronger influence, and Africa, where the strongest correlation is with the Oceanic Niño Index. Areas with decreasing SP trends cover 5.8% of snow zone areas, whereas those with increasing trends cover 1.0% of this area. The largest areas of declining SP are in the seasonal snow zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Trend patterns vary within individual regions, with elevation, and on windward‐leeward sides of the mountains. This study supplies a framework for comparing snow between regions, highlights areas with snow changes, and can facilitate analyses of why snow changes vary within and between regions. Seasonal snow is a critical component of the surface energy balance and hydrologic cycle, yet global maps of seasonal snow boundaries are not readily available. Snow persistence, the fraction of a year that snow is present, is an easily globally observed snow metric that can be used to map snow zones globally. This study supplies a framework for comparing snow between regions, highlights areas with changes, and facilitates analysis of why snow changes vary within and between regions.
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ISSN:0899-8418
1097-0088
DOI:10.1002/joc.5674