Abstract

The presence or absence of snow and its seasonal variability have profound effects on the climate, energy balance and ecology in high-latitude and high-altitude regions of the world. While the timing, amount and duration of snow and its water content are of fundamental importance for several natural processes, it is also a convincing indicator of climate change in seasonally snow-covered regions. The reduction in the amount and duration of the snowpack that already may have begun to happen across large geographic areas risks affecting several of the important ecosystem services that snow provides. Despite its fundamental role, snow and especially its water content are one of the least monitored climate variables in many seasonally snow-covered regions. Therefore, we add complimentary long-term snow depth data (1980-2015) and snow water equivalent (SWE) data (1986-2015) to an already well-established field research infrastructure - the Krycklan Catchment Study in northern Sweden. By combining digitized snow data to the already available long-term daily precipitation, runoff and water quality information, the ambition is to provide a more holistic database. While the primary purpose of this data release is to make the data readily available to any interested user, it also shows that the length of seasonal winter snow cover has shortened, especially because of its later arrival in the autumn, at the study site over the 35-year monitoring period.

Published in

Hydrological Processes
2016, Volume: 30, number: 13, pages: 2413-2416

SLU Authors

• Laudon, Hjalmar

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Ottosson Löfvenius, Mikaell

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Future Forests


Sustainable Development Goals

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10753

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/77132