Climate Change Impact Assessment on Ski Tourism in Greece: Case Study of the Parnassos Ski Resort

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear authors,

I have with interest read this manuscript and I think that there are many interesting ideas in the text. However, I will provide some (hopefully) constructive criticisms to help improve the manuscript. 

Major issues that have to addressed:

A lack of references to literature on Climate change and ski tourism. Now you only have 19, which I think is an extremely limited number. Not all have to be directly related to Greece, but there is at least one hundred texts that could fit into this manuscript that is missing. Therefore, I get the feeling that you have not made yourselves familiar enough with the research, I might be wrong, but you need to convince me that you are knowledgeable on the topic. Using ‘the height of snow’ instead of ‘snow depth’ (row 118) is not doing that (or did you mean elevation?). Below follows some examples on where and how to address this:

·         The justification of the study as stated on p. 2 (rows: 65-76) is central and could be presented earlier in the introduction. Furthermore, this justification can be supported by referencing other research and could present an opportunity for showing an overall knowledge of research in the field (see above).

·         The first paragraph in the introduction contains several contentions that lack reference to other studies but could easily be supported by other studies.

In section 2 you need to engage a lot more in the research that has been done on impact assessment in other regions and contexts. What other studies have been done, what methods have been used, and to what extent are they comparable/not comparable? What is already researched? What do you contribute?

Why is adaptation to climate change vital for resilient development in the case presented here? Is it good sustainability policy and practice to continue supporting ski tourism and increased visitation while knowing that it will become difficult if not impossible to provide quite soon? Does that not contribute to increased vulnerabilities with time (lock-in and unwanted path dependence)? If not, explain! Your conclusion on p 15 row 385 that you need to take action to increase the number of visitors is not explained enough for it to make sense.

The quality of the English language is good.

Author Response

Thank you for your time dealing with the manuscript and the constructive comments that are addressed in the revised version of the manuscript. Please find attached our responses to your comments.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The sustainability of ski tourism is directly related to the prevailing climatic conditions. This study investigates the impact of climate change on the sector of ski tourism in Greece. For this 11 purpose, the current situation is assessed and the changes in underlying climatic parameters (temperature, snow cover, snow depth) are examined, on the basis of a selected climatic scenario (RCP 4.5) for ski tourism in Greece in general, but also for the specific case of Parnassos ski resort (PSR). The results refer to the period 2051-2060 compared to 1971-1980 and show a clear increase in temperature and a considerable decrease in snow cover and snowfall throughout the Greek territory, as well as in the special case of PSR.

The article capture the main theme of the study. However, it can be improved with given major and minor comments. 

I recommend to add the main hook of the topic with given studies (1-4) as “Simultaneously with the disruption of the production systems (1-4), climate change also exerted its impact on the tourism industry. Regardless of its small size, Greece...”

[1] Sensitivity analysis of greenhouse gas emissions at farm level: case study of grain and cash crops. Environmental science and pollution research, 2022

[2] Towards Sustainable Farm Production System: A Case Study of Corn Farming. Sustainability, 2021, 13, no. 16: 9243

[3] Extreme weather events risk to crop-production and the adaptation of innovative management strategies to mitigate the risk: A retrospective survey of rural Punjab, Pakistan

[4] Understanding farmers’ intention and willingness to install renewable energy technology: A solution to reduce the environmental emissions of agriculture. Applied Energy. Volume 309, 118459

*** I recommend to add the above hook of the topic with given studies (1-4) as the very start of introduction. 

I recommend to write the study gaps in the introduction section. Moreover, it is also recommend to write the main methods that have been used to fill the research gaps.

The given bar graphs in the figure must have to draw from bottom to top.

Please write the numerical values at the given curves in figure 7, 8, 9 and 10. 

The discussion section should have to write separately from the conclusion.

Based on the results of the study, please write main policy implications at the end of conclusion section.

Author Response

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript has greatly improved - congratulations! I hope to see more research from you in the future.

Reviewer 2 Report

Thank you for addressing all my concerns and revising the work accordingly. I am satisfied with revisions.