Snowmaking in a warmer climate: an in-depth analysis of future water demands for the ski resort Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis (Switzerland) in the twenty-first century

Abstract

Rising air temperatures threaten the snow reliability of ski resorts. Most resorts rely on technical snowmaking to compensate lacking natural snow. But increased water consumption for snowmaking may cause conflicts with other sectors’ water uses such as hydropower production or the hotel industry. We assessed the future snow reliability (likelihood of a continuous 100-day skiing season and of operable Christmas holidays) of the Swiss resort Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis throughout the twenty-first century, where 65% of the area is currently equipped for snowmaking. Our projections are based on the most recent climate change scenarios for Switzerland (CH2018) and the model SkiSim 2.0 including a snowmaking module. Unabated greenhouse gas emissions (scenario RCP8.5) will cause a lack of natural snow at areas below 1800–2000 m asl by the mid-twenty-first century. Initially, this can be fully compensated by snowmaking, but by the end of the century, the results become more nuanced. While snowmaking can provide a continuous 100-day season throughout the twenty-first century, the economically important Christmas holidays are increasingly at risk under the high-emission scenario in the late twenty-first century. The overall high snow reliability of the resort comes at the cost of an increased water demand. The total water consumption of the resort will rise by 79% by the end of the century (2070–2099 compared to 1981–2010; scenario RCP8.5), implying that new water sources will have to be exploited. Future water management plans at the catchment level, embracing the stakeholders, could help to solve future claims for water in the region.

Assessing the Competitiveness of the Ski Resources around Lake Baikal (Russia) and Measures for Their Further Development

“…A review of the literature in this area reveals various aspects of ski resources, including their natural and geographic characteristics [25,26], environmental sustainability [27][28][29], infrastructure [30], safety [31], and management organization [32]. Researchers examine the impact of climate change on snow cover [33], the efficiency of resource use [34], the impact of the ski industry on local communities [35] and the environment [36], and different strategies for the sustainable development of ski resorts [37]. Balancing commercial interests with the preservation of the natural environment is a critical issue to ensure the long-term sustainability of ski resources [38].…”

“…The presence of suitable slopes, snow conditions, and facilities such as ski lifts and accommodations are essential in determining the attractiveness and competitiveness of a destination [40][41][42]. Researchers have highlighted the importance of assessing these physical attributes to evaluate the potential of ski resources [34,38,43].…”

An Operational Model to Downscale Regional Green Infrastructures in Supra-Local Plans: A Case Study in an Italian Alpine Sub-Region

“…Strategic actions to tackle such trends include green buffer zones, hedgerows or tree rows along peri-urban rural areas and incentives to reuse abandoned buildings or complexes to avoid land take. -Attention and mitigation areas linked to possible functionality loss of low altitude ski resorts (KT3d): Present and future impacts of decreasing snowfalls on mountain activities are a risk factor for ski resorts, with increasing use of artificial snowmak-ing [76,77]. Ski resorts that can be more affected by the snowfall reduction were identified, suggesting alternative recreation strategies.…”