Changes in snow cover extent in the Central Taurus Mountains from 1981 to 2021 in relation to temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric teleconnections

The snow cover over the Taurus Mountains affects water supply, agriculture, and hydropower generation in the region. In this study, we analyzed the monthly Snow Cover Extent(SCE) from November to April in the Central Taurus Mountains(Bolkar, Aladaglar, Tahtali and Binboga Mountains) from 1981 to 2021. Linear trends of snow cover season(November to April) over the last 41 years showed decreases in SCE primarily at lower elevations. The downward trend in SCE was found to be more pronounced and statistically significant for only November and March. SCE in the Central Taurus Mountains has declined about-6.3% per decade for 2500-3000 m in November and about-6.0% per decade for 1000-1500 m and 3000+ m in March over the last 41 years. The loss of SCE has become evident since the 2000s, and the lowest negative anomalies in SCE have been observed in 2014, 2001, and 2007 in the last 41 years, which are consistent with an increase in air temperature and decreased precipitation. SCE was correlated with both mean temperature and precipitation, with temperature having a greater relative importance at all elevated gradients. Results showed that there is a strong linear relationship between SCE and the mean air temperature(r =-0.80) and precipitation(r = 0.44) for all elevated gradients during the snow season. The Arctic Oscillation(AO), the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO), and the Mediterranean Oscillation(MO) winter indices were used to explain the year-to-year variability in SCE over the Central Taurus Mountains. The results showed that the inter-annual variability observed in the winter SCE on the Central Taurus Mountains was positively correlated with the phases of the winter AO, NAO and MO, especially below 2000 m elevation.

Impact of Climate Change on Mountaineering Activities in Haba Snow Mountain Reserve and the Development of Surrounding Communities

In the context of global climate change, this study reviews and discusses the three aspects of ecology, economic development of surrounding communities, ecological balance and snow mountain activities in the Haba Snow Mountain Reserve through literature collation and research. 1) The Hengduan Mountain Plate of Haba Snow Mountain is affected by the high altitude temperate monsoon and is sensitive to climate change. There has been continuous glacier melting and snow line fluctuations. Although there is no forest line movement, the vegetation at the junction of the forest line has increased. 2) Human activities in the Haba Snow Mountain Reserve have shown an active trend, and the Biomass in various ecosystems in the region is inversely correlated. 3) Climate change will have a negative impact on landscape attraction and tourism safety in snowy mountain areas. 4) Haba Snow Mountain Reserve needs more perfect biological species statistical research and dynamic vegetation research to support the establishment of a perfect ecological protection strategy and ecological early warning in the region. 5) As the frequency of tourist activities in the Haba Protected Area increases, corresponding environmental protection signage, garbage cleaning methods, and tourist education have not been synchronizedly improved.

Conflicts and Countermeasures between Haba Snow Mountain Nature Reserve and Development of Peripheral Communities

Using research approaches such as questionnaire investigation, interview, and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PAR), the relationship between Haba Snow Mountain Nature Reserve and peripheral communities was studied. The results showed that there are lots of conflicts between Haba Snow Mountain Nature Reserve and peripheral communities. On the one hand, conservation of natural environment brings inconvenience to the development of peripheral communities, such as limiting the use of resources, constraining space of development, resulting in economic losses, reducing tourist income, and low compensation. On the other hand, peripheral communities' development threats conservation of the natural environment, for instance, illegal deforestation, illegal mining, over-harvesting, over-grazing and non-ecotourism. Therefore, effective suggestions were given as "scientific planning of functional areas, enhancing economic compensation, devoting more in ecotourism development, and realizing the cooperation of communities".

Snow cover influences the thermal regime of active layer in Urumqi River Source,Tianshan Mountains,China

Snow cover is characterized by the high albedo, low thermal conductivity, and notable heat transition during phase changes. Thus, snow cover significantly affects the ground thermal regime. A comparison of the snow cover in high latitudes or high-altitude snowy mountain regions indicates that the eastern Tianshan Mountains(China) show a characteristically thin snow cover(snow depth below 15 cm) with remarkable temporal variability. Based on snow depth, heat flux, and ground temperature from 2014 to 2015 in the Urumqi River source, the spatialtemporal characteristics of snow cover and snow cover influences on the thermal conditions of active layer in the permafrost area were analyzed. During the autumn(Sept.-Oct.), thin and discontinuous snow cover can noticeably accelerate the exothermic process of the ground, producing a cooling effect on the shallow soil. During the winter(Nov.-Mar.), it is inferred that the effective thermal insulation starts with snow depth exceeding 10 cm during early winter.However, the snow depth in this area is generally below 15 cm, and the resulting snow-induced thermal insulation during the winter is very limited. Due to common heavy snowfalls in the spring(Apr. to May), the monthly mean snow thickness in April reached to 15 cm and remained until mid-May. Snow cover during the spring significantly retarded the ground warming. Broadly, snow cover in the study area exerts a cooling effect on the active layer and plays a positive role in the development and preservation of permafrost.

Recreational value of glacier tourism resources：A travel cost analysis for Yulong Snow Mountain

Glaciers, with their unique and spectacular appearances and rich and varied terrain, have received widespread attention and become important tourist attractions. This paper uses the travel cost method to estimate the recreational value of the glacier tourism resources of Yulong Snow Mountain(also called Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), which is the most developed glacier tourist attraction in China. First-hand information was obtained through field surveys, and the travel costs of visitors visiting the Yulong Snow Mountain glacier were calculated before the method was applied to evaluate the recreational value of the focal glacier resource. The results show that the Yulong Snow Mountain consumer surplus associated with its glacier resources in 2016 ranged from 645.59-3439.10 million CNY, and the total recreational value ranged from 1.97-8.17 billion CNY. Approaches allocating travel costs across multiple recreational sites, however, can vary, and there is large difference in estimated results depending on used approaches. Nevertheless, the results of the analysis can help understand the socio-economic value of glacier resources and provide a reference for their development and protection.

Chemical Characteristics and Environmental Significance of Fresh Snow Deposition on Urumqi Glacier No.1 of Tianshan Mountains, China

Ice and snow chemistry of alpine glaciers is crucial for the research of regional atmospheric environment change. Fresh snow samples were weekly collected from Urumqi Glacier No.1 in the Tianshan Mountains, Xin- jiang, China, and the chemical characteristics and seasonal variations of major ions, mineral dust, δ18O and trace metals were measured. Results show that the concentrations of major ions in the snow are Ca2+ > SO42-> NH4+ > NO3-> Cl-> Na+ > Mg2+ > K+, in which Ca2+ is the dominant cation, and SO42-is the dominant anion. All major ions have close positive correlations with each other except NO3-. δ18O shows positive correlation with air temperature change during the study period. Mineral dust particle and major ionic concentrations in fresh snow have obvious seasonal change, with high concentration in spring but low concentration in summer and autumn, which indicates that the chemical mass input from Asian dust activity to snow is very significant. Temporal changes of trace metals in fresh snow, e.g., Cd, Pb, Zn, Al, Fe, have shown that human-induced pollution of central Asian region also has large contribution to the snow chemistry on alpine glaciers of the Tianshan Mountains.

Chemical characteristics and influencing factors of snow in eastern Qilian Mountains, China

As an important indicator of environmental and climate changes, snow chemical properties can be used to reflect microcosmic changes, large-scale environmental and climate changes. 174 groups of snow samples were collected from four different rivers, Jinta river, Sishui river, Binggou river, and Nancha river, in the eastern Qilian Mountains in west China from May 2014 to October 2017. The characteristics of inorganic ions, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl–, NO3–, HCO3–, and SO2–, in the samples were analyzed by Dionex-600 and Dionex-3000 ion chromatograph. The results show that Ca2+ is the main cation, while HCO3– is the main anion;the ion concentration of snow is higher than that of rain. After careful analysis, we draw the conclusion that due to the controlling of the westerly wind, the atmosphere of the Qilian Mountains is dry with high dust content in winter and spring, which makes the ions in the snow mainly derive from the weathering of carbonate rock and sulfate rock. The ions in snow cover mainly come from land-sourced dust, while less contribution is from marine sources and human activities.

Role of blowing snow in snow processes in Qilian Mountainous region

Blowing snow is an important part of snow hydrologic processes in mountainous region, however the related researches were rare for the Qilian mountainous region where blowing snow is frequent. Using the observation dataset in 2008 snow season in Binggou wa- tershed in Qilian mountainous region, we systematically studied the energy and mass processes of blowing snow by field observation and model simulation. The results include the analysis of snow observation, the occurrence probability of blowing snow, blowing snow transport and blowing snow sublimation. It was found that blowing snow was obvious in high altitude region （4,146 m）, the snow redislribution phenomena was remarkable. In Yakou station in the study region, blowing snow was easily occurred in midwinter and early spring when no snowmelt, the blowing snow transport was dominated in this period; when snowmelt beginning, the occur- rence probability of blowing snow decreased heavily because of the increasing air temperature, melt, and refrozen phenomena. The blowing snow sublimation accounted for 41.5% of total snow sublimation at Yakou station in 2008 snow season.

Variations of Snow Temperature and their Influence on Snow Cover Physical Parameters in the Western Tianshan Mountains,China

This article discussed about snow temperature variations and their impact on snow cover parameters. Automatic temperature recorders were used to sample at lo-minute intervals at the Tianshan Station for Snow-cover and Avalanche Research, Chinese snow temperature Academy of Sciences. lo-layer and the snow cover parameters were measured by the snow property analyzer （Snow Fork） in its Stable period, Interim period and Snow melting period. Results indicate that the amplitude of the diurnal fluctuation in the temperature during Snow melting period is 1.62 times greater than that during Stable period. Time up to the peak temperature at the snow surface lags behind the peak solar radiation by more than 2.5 hours, and lags behind the peak atmospheric temperature by more than 0.2 hours during all three periods. The optimal fitted function of snow temperature profile becomes more complicated from Stable period to Snow melting period. 22 h temperature profiles in Stable period are the optimal fitted by cubic polynomial equation. In Interim period and Snow melting period, temperature profiles are optimal fitted by exponential equation between sunset and sunrise, and by Fourier function when solar radiation is strong. The vertical gradient in the snow temperature reaches its maximum value at the snow surface for three periods. The peak of this maximum value occurs during Stableperiod, and is 4.46 times greater than during Interim period. The absolute value of temperature gradient is lower than 0.1℃ cm-1 for 30 cm beneath snow surface. Snow temperature and temperature gradient in Stable period-Interim period indirectly cause increase （decrease） of snow density mainly by increasing （decreasing） permittivity. While it dramatically increases its water content to change its permittivity and snow density in Snow melting period.

Study of seasonal snow cover influencing the ground thermal regime on western flank of Da Xing'anling Mountains,northeastern China

Although many studies relevant to snow cover and permafrost have focused on alpine, arctic, and subarctic areas, there is still a lack of understanding of the influences of seasonal snow cover on the thermal regime of the soils in permafrost regions in the mid-latitudes and boreal regions, such as that on the westem flank of the Da Xing＇anling （Hinggan） Mountains, northeastern China. This paper gives a detailed analysis on meteorological data series from 2001 to 2010 provided by the Gen＇he Weather Station, which is located in a talik of discontinuous permafrost zone and with sparse meadow on the observation field. It is inferred that snow cover is important for the ground thermal regime in the middle Da Xing＇anling Mountains. Snow cover of 10-cm in thickness and five to six months in duration （generally November to next March） can reduce the heat loss from the ground to the atmosphere by 28%, and by 71% if the snow depth increases to 36 cm. Moreover, the occurrence of snow cover resulted in mean annual ground surface temperatures 4.7-8.2℃ higher than the mean annual air temperatures recorded at the Gen＇he Weather Station, The beginning date for stable snow cover establishment （SE date） and the initial snow depth （SDi） also had a great influences on the ground freezing process. Heavy snowfall before ground surface freeze-up could postpone and retard the freezing process in Gen＇he. As a result, the duration of ground freezing was shortened by at least 20 days and the maximum depth of frost penetration was as much as 90 cm shallower.

Change in Fresh Snow Density in Tianshan Mountains,China

The fresh snow density was observed with snow analyzer (Snow Fork) at Tianshan Station for Snowcover and Avalanche Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences from February 21 to March 5, 2009. Results show that fresh snow density increases from the 5th h to the 291st h after the snowfall, with an average rate of increase of 4.0×10-4 g/(cm3·h) (R2 = 0.943). Analysis shows that fresh snow density is negatively correlated with the compac-tion rate of fresh snow (R2 = -0.960). Inversely, it is positively correlated with fresh snow viscosity (R2 = 0.896). In relation to meteorological factors, ground temperature rising at a depth of 40 cm is the major driving factor of snow density increase. The temperature increase in fresh snow layer and the decrease in depth hoar layer have the most prominent impacts on the snow density increase in the afternoon. Principal component analysis shows that the de-terminant factors of fresh snow density change can be grouped into 3 types as follows: 1) dynamic factor contributes about 69.71% to fresh snow density change, with a significant effect from the 5th h to the 106th h after the snowfall; 2) exogenous energy factor contributes about 20.91% to it, with a significant effect at the 130th h; and c) endoge-nous energy factor contributes about 9.38% to it, with a significant effect at the 130th h and the 195th h.

Monitoring and analysis of snow cover change in an alpine mountainous area in the Tianshan Mountains,China

Estimating the snow cover change in alpine mountainous areas(in which meteorological stations are typically lacking)is crucial for managing local water resources and constitutes the first step in evaluating the contribution of snowmelt to runoff and the water cycle.In this paper,taking the Jingou River Basin on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains,China as an example,we combined a new moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer(MODIS)snow cover extent product over China spanning from 2000 to 2020 with digital elevation model(DEM)data to study the change in snow cover and the hydrological response of runoff to snow cover change in the Jingou River Basin under the background of climate change through trend analysis,sensitivity analysis and other methods.The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020,the annual average temperature and annual precipitation in the study area increased and snow cover fraction(SCF)showed obvious signs of periodicity.Furthermore,there were significant regional differences in the spatial distribution of snow cover days(SCDs),which were numerous in the south of the basin and sparse in the central of the basin.Factors affecting the change in snow cover mainly included temperature,precipitation,elevation,slope and aspect.Compared to precipitation,temperature had a greater impact on SCF.The annual variation in SCF was limited above the elevation of 4200 m,but it fluctuated greatly below the elevation of 4200 m.These results can be used to establish prediction models of snowmelt and runoff for alpine mountainous areas with limited hydrological data,which can provide a scientific basis for the management and protection of water resources in alpine mountainous areas.

Response of snow hydrological processes to a changing climate during 1961 to 2016 in the headwater of Irtysh River Basin, Chinese Altai Mountains

With changing climatic conditions and snow cover regime, regional hydrological cycle for a snowy basin will change and further available surface water resources will be redistributed. Assessing snow meltwater effect on runoff is the key to water safety, under climate warming and fast social-economic developing status. In this study, stable isotopic technology was utilized to analyze the snow meltwater effect on regional hydrological processes, and to declare the response of snow hydrology to climate change and snow cover regime, together with longterm meteorological and hydrological observations, in the headwater of Irtysh River, Chinese Altai Mountains during 1961-2015. The average δ^(18) O values of rainfall, snowfall, meltwater, groundwater and river water for 2014–2015 hydrological year were-10.9‰,-22.3‰,-21.7‰,-15.7‰ and-16.0‰, respectively.The results from stable isotopes, snow melting observation and remote sensing indicated that the meltwater effect on hydrological processes in Kayiertesi River Basin mainly occurred during snowmelt supplying period from April to June. The contribution of meltwater to runoff reached 58.1% during this period, but rainfall, meltwater and groundwater supplied 49.1%, 36.9% and 14.0% of water resource to annual runoff, respectively. With rising air temperature and increasing snowfall in cold season, the snow water equivalent(SWE) had an increasing trend but the snow cover duration declined by about one month including 13-day delay of the first day and 17-day advancement of the end day during 1961–2016. Increase in SWE provided more available water resource. However, variations in snow cover timing had resulted in redistribution of surface water resource, represented by an increase of discharge percentage in April and May, and a decline in Juneand July. This trend of snow hydrology will render a deficit of water resource in June and July when the water resource demand is high for agricultural irrigation and industrial manufacture.

Snowline and Snow Cover Monitoring at High Spatial Resolution in a Mountainous River Basin Based on a Timelapse Camera at a Daily Scale

Snowline change and snow cover distribution patterns are still poorly understood in steep alpine basins of the Qilian Mountainous region because fast changes in snow cover cannot be observed by current sensing methods due to their short time scale. To address this issue of daily snowline and snow cover observations, a ground- based EOS 7D camera and four infrared digital hunting video cameras （LTL5210A） were installed around the Hulugou river basin （HRB） in the Qilian Mountains along northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau （38°15′54″N, 99°52′53″E） in September 2011. Pictures taken with the EOS 7D camera were georeferenced and the data from four LIL521oA cameras and snow depth sensors were used to assist snow cover estimation. The results showed that the time-lapse photography can be very useful and precise for monitoring snowline and snow cover in mountainous regions. The snowline and snow cover evolution at this basin can be precisely captured at daily scale. In HRB snow cover is mainly established after October, and the maximum snow cover appeared during February and March. The consistent rise of the snowline and decrease in snow cover appeared after middle part of March. This melt process is strongly associated with air temperature increase.

Energy Budget over Seasonal Snow Surface at an Open Site and Beneath Forest Canopy Openness during the Snowmelt Period in Western Tianshan Mountains,China

In this study, meteorological factors and snowmelt rate at an open site on sunny slope(OPS) and beneath forest canopy openness on shady slope(BFC) were measured using an automatic weather station and snow lysimeter during the snowmelt period in 2009, 2010 and 2013. The energy budget over snow surface was calculated according to these meteorological datasets. The analysis results indicated that the net shortwave radiation(K) and sensible heat flux(H) were energy sources, and the latent heat flux(LVE) was energy sinks of snow surfaces at all sites. The net longwave radiation(L) was energy sink at OPS and 80% BFC, but energy source at 20% BFC. The gain of K, H, and the loss of LVE at BFC were obviously lower than those at OPS. The L was the maximum difference of energy budget between snow surface at BFC and OPS. In warm and wet years, the most important factor of the energy budget variation at OPS was air humidity and the second mostimportant factor was air temperature. However, the ground surface temperature on the sunny slope was the most important factor for L and energy budget at BFC. With the increases in forest canopy openness and the slope of adjacent terrains, the influences of ground surface temperature on the sunny slope on L and the energy budget over snow surface at BFC increased, especially when the snow cover on the sunny slope melts completely.

Alpine vegetation responses to snow phenology in the Chinese Tianshan mountainous region

Investigating the interrelation between snow and vegetation is essential to explain the response of alpine ecosystems to climate change.Based on the MOD10 A1 daily cloud-free snow product and MOD13 A1 NDVI(normalized difference vegetation index)data,this study analysed the spatial and temporal patterns of snow phenology including snow onset date,snow end date,snow cover days,and vegetation phenology including the start of growing season,the end of growing season and the length of growing season in the Chinese Tianshan Mountainous Region(CTMR)from 2002 to 2018,and then investigated the snow phenological effects on the vegetation phenology among different ecogeographic zones and diverse vegetation types.The results indicated that snow onset date was earlier at higher elevations and later at lower elevations,while snow end date showed opposite spatial distribution characteristics.The end of growing season occurred later on the northwest slope of the CTMR and the Yili Valley.The earliest end of growing season was in the middle part of the CTMR.A long growing season was mainly distributed along the northern slope and the Yili Valley,while a short growing season was concentrated in the middle part of the CTMR.The response of vegetation phenology to changes in snow phenology varied among vegetation types and ecogeographic zones.The effect of snow phenology on vegetation phenology was more significant in IID5(Yili Valley)than in the other ecogeographic zones.A negative correlation was observed between the start of growing season and snow end date in nearly 54.78%of the study area,while a positive correlation was observed between the start of growing season and the snow end date in 66.85%of the study area.The sensitivity of vegetation phenology to changes in snow cover varied among different vegetation types.Snow onset date had the greatest effect on the start of growing season in the four vegetation cover types(alpine meadows,alpine steppes,shrubs,and alpine sparse vegetation),whereas the snow cover days had the least impact.Snow end date had the greatest impact on the end of growing season in the alpine steppes and shrub areas.The study results are helpful for understanding the vegetation dynamics under ongoing climate change,and can benefit vegetation management and pasture development in the CTMR.

Reconstructed annual glacier surface mass balance in theányêmaqên Mountains,Yellow River source,based on snow line altitude

Annual mass balance is an important factor that reflects glacier change and glacier meltwater resources.In this study,we analyzed the changes in glacier area,snow line altitude(SLA)and surface elevation in theányêmaqên Mountain region using multisource remote sensing data.Then,the annual mass balance of two glaciers was reconstructed by using SLA-mass-balance gradient method.The results showed that the glacier area in theányêmaqên Mountains decreased by 29.4 km2from 1985 to 2017.The average SLAs of the Halong Glacier and Yehelong Glacier were approximately 5290 m and 5188 m,respectively.The glacier mass balance for the two glaciers from 1990 to 2020 was-0.71 m w.e.a^(-1) and-0.63 m w.e.a^(-1),respectively.Our results indicate that SLA is an important indicator of glacier changes,and a long sequence of SLAs can more accurately reconstruct the glacier mass balance of the glacier.The mean annual glacial meltwater-fed streamflow is 1.45×10^(7)m^(3) and 1.12×10^(7)m^(3),respectively.Sensitivity analysis indicates that summer air temperature plays a leading role in regard to the influential climatic factors of glacial retreat in theányêmaqên Mountains.This highlights the potential of the methodology for application on reconstructing annual glacier surface mass balance at larger scales without direct measurements.

Application of Snow Melt Runoff Model in a Mountainous Basin of Iran

Simulation and modeling the stream flow provide major data while it is a challenge in mountainous basins with regard to the important role of snowmelt runoff as well as the data scarcity in these places. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the capability of an integrated application of remote sensing data and Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) to simulate scheme of daily stream flow in the snow-dominated catchment, located in the North-East region of Iran. The main parameters of the model are Snow Cover Area (SCA), temperature and participation. Regarding to the lack of measured data, the input variable and parameters of the model are extracted or estimated based on accessible maps, satellite data and available meteorological and hydrological stations. The changes of snow-cover, as spatial-temporal data, which are the most effective variable in performance of SRM, are obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) eight-day composite snow cover images. The evaluation of the model application efficiency was tested by the coefficient of determination and the volume difference, which are 0.85% and -4.6% respectively. The result depicts the relative capability of SRM though it is evident that the more accurate the estimation of model parameters, the more efficient simulation results can be obtained.

自然资源统一确权登记技术难点探析——以玉龙雪山省级自然保护区为例

以玉龙雪山自然保护区自然资源确权试点为例,阐述了自然资源确权工作流程,分别针对确权工作中的多源异构数据融合、基础数据坐标系统多样、权利归属复杂、保护区内界线冲突等问题提出有效可行的解决方案,最后针对现状的自然资源确权提出切实有效的建议,为后续相关项目的开展提供指导和借鉴。