Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forests
<p>In mountain regions, forests that overlap with seasonal snow mostly reside in complex terrain. Due to persisting major observational challenges in these environments, the combined impact of forest structure and topography on seasonal snow cover dynamics is still poorly understood. Recent ad...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/27/2099/2023/hess-27-2099-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827935375989932032 |
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| author | G. Mazzotti G. Mazzotti G. Mazzotti C. Webster C. Webster L. Quéno B. Cluzet T. Jonas |
| author_facet | G. Mazzotti G. Mazzotti G. Mazzotti C. Webster C. Webster L. Quéno B. Cluzet T. Jonas |
| author_sort | G. Mazzotti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>In mountain regions, forests that overlap with seasonal
snow mostly reside in complex terrain. Due to persisting major observational
challenges in these environments, the combined impact of forest structure
and topography on seasonal snow cover dynamics is still poorly understood.
Recent advances in forest snow process representation and increasing
availability of detailed canopy structure datasets, however, now allow for
hyper-resolution (<span class="inline-formula"><i><</i>5</span> m) snow model simulations capable of resolving
tree-scale processes. These can shed light on the complex process
interactions that govern forest snow dynamics. We present multi-year
simulations at 2 m resolution obtained with FSM2, a mass- and energy-balance-based forest snow model specifically developed and validated for metre-scale
applications. We simulate an <span class="inline-formula">∼3</span> km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span> model domain
encompassing forested slopes of a sub-alpine valley in the eastern Swiss
Alps and six snow seasons. Simulations thus span a wide range of canopy
structures, terrain characteristics, and meteorological conditions. We
analyse spatial and temporal variations in forest snow energy balance
partitioning, aiming to quantify and understand the contribution of
individual energy exchange processes at different locations and times. Our
results suggest that snow cover evolution is equally affected by canopy
structure, terrain characteristics, and meteorological conditions. We show
that the interaction of these three factors can lead to snow accumulation
and ablation patterns that vary between years. We further identify higher
snow distribution variability and complexity in slopes that receive solar
radiation early in winter. Our process-level insights corroborate and
complement existing empirical findings that are largely based on snow
distribution datasets only. Hyper-resolution simulations as presented here
thus help to better understand how snowpacks and ecohydrological regimes in
sub-alpine regions may evolve due to forest disturbances and a warming
climate. They could further support the development of process-based
sub-grid forest snow cover parameterizations or tiling approaches for
coarse-resolution modelling applications.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:53:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9b02b39ddb414e24abe1b8e9bf756db3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:53:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-9b02b39ddb414e24abe1b8e9bf756db32023-06-02T09:32:14ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382023-06-01272099212110.5194/hess-27-2099-2023Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forestsG. Mazzotti0G. Mazzotti1G. Mazzotti2C. Webster3C. Webster4L. Quéno5B. Cluzet6T. Jonas7WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandUniv. Grenoble Alpes, Université de Toulouse, Météo-France, CNRS, CNRM, Centre d'Études de la Neige, 38100 St. Martin d'Hères, FranceInvited contribution by Giulia Mazzotti, recipient of the EGU Hydrological Sciences Virtual Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation Award 2021.WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandDepartment of Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, NorwayWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), 7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland<p>In mountain regions, forests that overlap with seasonal snow mostly reside in complex terrain. Due to persisting major observational challenges in these environments, the combined impact of forest structure and topography on seasonal snow cover dynamics is still poorly understood. Recent advances in forest snow process representation and increasing availability of detailed canopy structure datasets, however, now allow for hyper-resolution (<span class="inline-formula"><i><</i>5</span> m) snow model simulations capable of resolving tree-scale processes. These can shed light on the complex process interactions that govern forest snow dynamics. We present multi-year simulations at 2 m resolution obtained with FSM2, a mass- and energy-balance-based forest snow model specifically developed and validated for metre-scale applications. We simulate an <span class="inline-formula">∼3</span> km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span> model domain encompassing forested slopes of a sub-alpine valley in the eastern Swiss Alps and six snow seasons. Simulations thus span a wide range of canopy structures, terrain characteristics, and meteorological conditions. We analyse spatial and temporal variations in forest snow energy balance partitioning, aiming to quantify and understand the contribution of individual energy exchange processes at different locations and times. Our results suggest that snow cover evolution is equally affected by canopy structure, terrain characteristics, and meteorological conditions. We show that the interaction of these three factors can lead to snow accumulation and ablation patterns that vary between years. We further identify higher snow distribution variability and complexity in slopes that receive solar radiation early in winter. Our process-level insights corroborate and complement existing empirical findings that are largely based on snow distribution datasets only. Hyper-resolution simulations as presented here thus help to better understand how snowpacks and ecohydrological regimes in sub-alpine regions may evolve due to forest disturbances and a warming climate. They could further support the development of process-based sub-grid forest snow cover parameterizations or tiling approaches for coarse-resolution modelling applications.</p>https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/27/2099/2023/hess-27-2099-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | G. Mazzotti G. Mazzotti G. Mazzotti C. Webster C. Webster L. Quéno B. Cluzet T. Jonas Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forests Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forests |
| title_full | Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forests |
| title_fullStr | Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forests |
| title_short | Canopy structure, topography, and weather are equally important drivers of small-scale snow cover dynamics in sub-alpine forests |
| title_sort | canopy structure topography and weather are equally important drivers of small scale snow cover dynamics in sub alpine forests |
| url | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/27/2099/2023/hess-27-2099-2023.pdf |
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