From white to green: Snow cover loss and increased vegetation productivity in the European Alps

Rumpf, Sabine B.; Gravey, Mathieu; Broennimann, Olivier; Luoto, Miska; Cianfrani, Carmen; Mariethoz, Grégoire; Guisan, Antoine

doi:10.1126/science.abn6697

Cited by 110 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In both hemispheres, microclimate variation was stronger (> 0.5°C) during warm seasons, while it was reduced during cold months. In the same period, we recorded an increase in the annual duration of the snow-free season, con rming at the global scale the results of regional analyses 31 . Both these changes were particularly evident nearby glaciers, where the shrinkage of ice with the consequent reduction of its cooling effect ampli es the temperature rise.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Along glacier forelands, additional factors in uence local climate, such as vegetation cover and height, distance from the ice mass, and soil texture, creating heterogeneous microhabitats inhabited by different biotic assemblages 29 . Snow cover is a further key driver of the functioning of mountain ecosystems 30 , affecting biogeochemical and hydrological processes, and controlling the life cycle of many organisms by determining the duration of their growing / activity season 30,31,32 , with potential impacts on ecosystem productivity 31 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At ne spatial scales, spatial variability of both local temperature and snow can be strong, creating a mosaic of nearby micro-habitats that host different communities 31,33 . Microclimate differences between nearby areas might at least temporarily buffer the severity of warming impacts on populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heterogeneous changes of soil microclimate in high mountains and glacier forelands

Marta

Zimmer

Caccianiga

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Landscapes nearby glaciers are disproportionally affected by climate change, still we lack the information on microclimate variation that is required to understand impacts of climate change on these ecosystems and their biodiversity. Here we use near-subsurface soil temperatures in 175 stations from polar, equatorial and alpine glacier forelands to reconstruct temperatures at high resolution, assess spatial differences in microclimate change from 2001 to 2020, and estimate whether microclimate heterogeneity might buffer the severity of warming impacts on organisms. Temporal changes in microclimate are tightly linked to broad-scale trends, but the rate of global warming showed spatial heterogeneity, with faster warming nearby glaciers and during the warm season, and an extension of the snow-free season. Still, the fine-scale spatial variability of microclimate is one-to-ten times larger than the temporal change experienced, indicating the potential for microclimate to buffer climate change, possibly allowing organism to withstand, at least temporarily, the effects of warming.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heterogeneous changes of soil microclimate in high mountains and glacier forelands

Marta

Zimmer

Caccianiga

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…At the same time, particularly mountainous regions such as the European Alps are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Here, snow cover has a direct impact on the climate system due to its high albedo [1] and the resulting feedback mechanisms are expected to amplify warming at mid to high altitudes [2][3][4][5]. Moreover, snow strongly influences habitats and thus ensures biodiversity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snow cover duration, for example, proves to be a strong predictor for spatial species distribution [6], while the timing of snowmelt influences plant phenology and productivity [7]. Thus, climate changeinduced snow cover dynamics also result in habitat shifts and, again, temperature rise due to increased greening effects [4,5]. At the same time, mountains are often described as the water towers of the world, and high altitude snow cover is a major source of freshwater for billions of people, enabling agriculture and electricity generation [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards forecasting future Snow Cover Dynamics in the European Alps – The Potential of Long Optical Remote-Sensing Time Series

Koehler¹,

Bauer²,

Dietz³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Snow is a vital environmental parameter and dynamically responsive to climate change, particularly in mountainous regions. Snow cover can be monitored at variable spatial scales using Earth Observation (EO) data. Long-lasting remote sensing missions enable the generation of multi-decadal time series and thus the detection of long-term trends. However, there have been few attempts to use these to model future snow cover dynamics. In this study, we therefore explore the potential of such time series to forecast the Snow Line Elevation (SLE) in the European Alps. We generate monthly SLE time series from the entire Landsat archive (1985-2021) in 43 Alpine catchments. Positive long-term SLE change rates are detected, with the highest rates (5-8 m/y) in the Western and Central Alps. We utilize this SLE dataset to implement and evaluate seven uni-variate time series modeling and forecasting approaches. The best results were achieved by Random Forests, with a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.79 and a Mean Absolut Error (MAE) of 258 m, Telescope (0.76, 268 m), and seasonal ARIMA (0.75, 270 m). Since the model performance varies strongly with the input data, we developed a Combined forecast based on the best performing methods in each catchment. This approach was then used to forecast the SLE for the years 2022-2029. In the majority of the catchments the shift of the forecast median SLE level retained the sign of the long-term trend. In cases where a deviating SLE dynamic is forecast a discussion based on the unique properties of the catchment and past SLE dynamics is required. In the future, we expect major improvements in our SLE forecasting efforts by including external predictor variables in a multi-variate modeling approach.

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Subtle changes in plant diversity in the Bavarian Alps over the past eight decades

Zettlemoyer,

Munck,

Poschlod

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Historical resurveys represent a unique opportunity to analyze vegetation dynamics over longer timescales than is typically achievable. Leveraging the oldest historical dataset of vegetation change in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, we address how environmental conditions, vegetation composition, and functional diversity in the calcareous grasslands of the Schachen region have changed across different elevational ranges over an 83‐year timeframe. We document changes in regional average temperature and precipitation. We use indicator values (IV) for species' ecological preferences and their palatability to grazers to infer local conditions (temperature, soil moisture/fertility, and grazing regime). We further estimate changes in temporal beta‐diversity and functional trait community composition between historical (1936) and contemporary (2019) surveys in two elevational (subalpine and alpine) belts. Both subalpine and alpine sites became drier; subalpine sites also became warmer with more palatable plants. Species occurrence and abundance in the Schachen region has not changed substantially over time despite changing macroclimate and local environmental conditions under anthropogenic change. Yet these grasslands have experienced several “invisible” changes in functional composition over the past 80 years. As the Schachen has become drier, species with traits related to drought tolerance and animal‐based dispersal have increased in dominance. Specifically, in alpine sites, community‐weighted means revealed that with low fecundity, higher potential for endo‐ and epizoochory (seed dispersal via animal gut and fur, respectively), higher foliar frost tolerance, and deeper dormancy increased in dominance. Similar trends were found for increasing dominance of low fecundity, epizoochorous species in subalpine sites. Vegetation data from resurveying historical plots in combination with changes in local conditions, classic biodiversity indices, and functional trait indices can provide more holistic insights into changes in the environment and potential impacts of those environmental changes on long‐term plant community and functional diversity.

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From white to green: Snow cover loss and increased vegetation productivity in the European Alps

Cited by 110 publications

References 31 publications

Heterogeneous changes of soil microclimate in high mountains and glacier forelands

Heterogeneous changes of soil microclimate in high mountains and glacier forelands

Towards forecasting future Snow Cover Dynamics in the European Alps – The Potential of Long Optical Remote-Sensing Time Series

Subtle changes in plant diversity in the Bavarian Alps over the past eight decades

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