Drought in Northern Italy: Long Earth Observation Time Series Reveal Snow Line Elevation to Be Several Hundred Meters Above Long-Term Average in 2022

Koehler, Jonas; Dietz, A.J.; Zellner, Peter; Baumhoer, Celia; Dirscherl, Mariel; Cattani, Luca; Vlahović, Živa; Alasawedah, Mohammad Hussein; Mayer, Konrad; Haslinger, Klaus; Bertoldi, Giacomo; Jacob, Alexander; Kuenzer, Claudia

doi:10.3390/rs14236091

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 20 publications

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“…In addition, snow drought can present risk for food security and harm to wildlife and ecosystems (Barsugli et al., 2020; Keyser et al., 2023). For instance, the exceptional snow drought in the Italian Alps in the winter of 2021/2022 significantly reduced the energy potential of the hydroelectric reservoirs in Northern Italy and caused the deficit of melt water runoff (Koehler et al., 2022). Furthermore, snow drought can have a significant impact on forest phenology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern Hemisphere Snow Drought in Earth System Model Simulations and ERA5‐Land Data in 1980–2014

Fang,

Leung

2023

JGR Atmospheres

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Low snow levels over the past few decades and predictions of a low‐to‐no snow future have spurred research into snow droughts, which pose a threat to water security and management. Systematic data‐model comparisons of snow drought have been lacking, hindering our understanding of the drivers of snow drought in the past. To address this gap, we analyzed snow drought events using standardized snow water equivalent index derived from monthly results of four numerical experiments using the E3SM Land Model (ELM) and ERA5‐Land data during the period of 1980–2014. Additionally, we compared snow drought duration calculated from models with those from the ERA5‐Land data during selected El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) years. The numerical experiments were conducted with ELM driven by two prescribed atmospheric forcings, and with the coupled land‐atmosphere configuration of E3SM with and without plant hydraulics scheme feedback. Analysis reveals that 20%–30% of snow droughts occur due to factors other than above‐normal temperature and low snowfall, such as low soil moisture, warm soil temperature, and low relative humidity, etc., especially in high latitudes (50° North). Furthermore, our study highlights the exacerbating effect of ENSO events on snow drought conditions in various regions, despite some discrepancies between model and ERA5‐Land results. We also identified limitations of the coupled land‐atmosphere models in our current configuration in capturing the spatial patterns of snow droughts. This study underscores the challenge of predicting and mitigating snow drought and the need for a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to snow drought.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern Hemisphere Snow Drought in Earth System Model Simulations and ERA5‐Land Data in 1980–2014

Fang,

Leung

2023

JGR Atmospheres

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Hydro-morphological alteration and related effects on fish habitat induced by sediment management in a regulated Alpine river

Servanzi,

Quadroni,

Espa

2023

International Journal of Sediment Research

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Winter snow deficit was a harbinger of summer 2022 socio-hydrologic drought in the Po Basin, Italy

Avanzi,

Munerol,

Milelli

et al. 2024

Commun Earth Environ

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Snow in mountainous regions is a key water resource from local to continental scales. However, the link between increasingly frequent snow droughts and socio-hydrologic impacts from headwaters to lowlands is not fully understood. To untangle this relationship, here we combine snow and climate reanalyses with a range of data of terrestrial water storage, streamflow, and emergency water-use restrictions for the archetypal 2022 snow drought in the Po basin (Italy). We find that a persistent high-pressure ridge during winter 2021–2022 translated into a −88% anomaly in peak snow water equivalent, intraseasonal snowmelt, and earlier melt-out dates. Compounded by reduced summer precipitation and importantly increased temperatures, this snow deficit led to the lowest terrestrial water storage on record in summer 2022. Emergency water-use restrictions were concurrent with the peak in snowmelt deficit in early summer, rather than the peak in precipitation deficit in mid-winter. This study highlights the contribution of snowmelt deficit in driving the 2022 socio-hydrologic drought in the Po Basin.

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Drought in Northern Italy: Long Earth Observation Time Series Reveal Snow Line Elevation to Be Several Hundred Meters Above Long-Term Average in 2022

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

Northern Hemisphere Snow Drought in Earth System Model Simulations and ERA5‐Land Data in 1980–2014

Northern Hemisphere Snow Drought in Earth System Model Simulations and ERA5‐Land Data in 1980–2014

Hydro-morphological alteration and related effects on fish habitat induced by sediment management in a regulated Alpine river

Winter snow deficit was a harbinger of summer 2022 socio-hydrologic drought in the Po Basin, Italy

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