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Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions
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Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Climatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2020) | Viewed by 59215

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Thomas Marke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Alpine Climate and Water Research (ACWR), Department of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: modelling and monitoring of climatological and hydrological processes; land–atmosphere interaction; scaling issues and regionalization; climate change and climate change impacts on the hydrosphere
Dr. Wolfgang Gurgiser

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Research Area Mountain Regions, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: mountain weather and climate; climate change detection and impacts; climate change perceptions vs. measurements/modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Atmosphere is dedicated to "Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions". Due to their complex topography and small-scale heterogeneity with respect to many land-surface characteristics (e.g., land cover or soil conditions), climatological and hydrological processes in mountain regions differ from those in other regions of the world. Steep gradients in climate (e.g., temperature or solar radiation) often induce similarly rapid changes in hydrological conditions (e.g., evapotranspiration or the absence/presence of a snow cover), with the processes in the atmosphere and at the land surface being strongly linked due to various mechanisms of interaction and feedback. With respect to climate change and its effects on water resources, mountain regions are also characterized by very particular spatiotemporal patterns due to such phenomena as “elevation-dependent warming” and the often nonlinear response of snow- and ice-dominated regions to a changing climate.

To understand and describe the unique and complex climatological and hydrological setting in mountain regions, monitoring and modeling techniques represent important tools. While both share the ability to provide new knowledge (e.g., for scientific advance or decision support) under present-day conditions, climatological and hydrological models also allow us to assess potential changes in the climate and water systems in the light of global change.

Given the climatological and hydrological uniqueness of mountain environments as well as their particular sensitivity to environmental change, we invite you to contribute an article to this Special Issue by reporting on monitoring and modeling studies that provide new insights into climatological and hydrological processes in mountain regions. We thereby encourage research including (but not limited to) studies on the development and/or application of innovative modeling techniques, on regionalization and scaling issues in climatology and hydrology, on land surface–atmosphere interactions as well as on energy and water fluxes in different subsystems of the atmosphere/hydrosphere. Articles on human–climate and human–water interactions in mountain regions as well as on global-change-related alterations in the climate and water systems are also highly encouraged.

Dr. Thomas Marke
Dr. Wolfgang Gurgiser
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climatological and hydrological processes
  • mountain regions
  • climatological and hydrological monitoring and modeling techniques
  • climate change and climate change impacts
  • land–atmosphere interaction
  • scaling issues and regionalization
  • human–climate and human–water interaction

Published Papers (16 papers)

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23 pages, 32651 KiB  
Article
Present and Future High-Resolution Climate Forcings over Semiarid Catchments: Case of the Tensift (Morocco)
by Ahmed Moucha, Lahoucine Hanich, Yves Tramblay, Amina Saaidi, Simon Gascoin, Eric Martin, Michel Le Page, Elhoussaine Bouras, Camille Szczypta and Lionel Jarlan
Atmosphere 2021, 12(3), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12030370 - 11 Mar 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3322
Abstract
In semiarid areas, the climate is characterized by strong spatiotemporal variability while the meteorological ground network is often very sparse. In this context, the spatial distribution of meteorological variables is thus a real issue for watershed hydrology, agronomy and the study of surface–atmosphere [...] Read more.
In semiarid areas, the climate is characterized by strong spatiotemporal variability while the meteorological ground network is often very sparse. In this context, the spatial distribution of meteorological variables is thus a real issue for watershed hydrology, agronomy and the study of surface–atmosphere retroaction in these regions. The aim of this study is twofold: (1) to evaluate and to adapt a reanalysis system “Système d’Analyse Fournissant des Renseignements Adaptés à la Nivologie” (SAFRAN) to map the meteorological variables on the Tensift catchment (Morocco) between 2004 and 2014; (2) to project temperature and precipitation for the 2041–2060 horizon at high-resolution based on the Euro-CORDEX database at 12 km resolution (using two Representative Concentration Pathway -RCPs- scenarios and four Regional Climate Models), on the SAFRAN reanalysis and on a network of meteorological stations. SAFRAN was assessed: (1) based on leave-one-out for a station located in the plain and another in the mountains; (2) by comparison to another re-analysis system named the Meteorological Distribution System for High-Resolution Terrestrial Modeling (MicroMet); (3) by comparison to in situ measurements of snowfall at one station and to the daily Snow Cover Area derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) product at the catchment scale. The evaluation of the SAFRAN reanalysis showed that an irregular grid up to 1 km resolution is better for reproducing meteorological variables than the regular version of SAFRAN at 8 km, especially in mountains. The projection of the SAFRAN forcing is conducted in three steps corresponding to the three subsections below: (1) disaggregation of the Euro-CORDEX climate scenarios using the Q–Q approach based on stations data; (2) computation of the spatialized delta-change between historical and future Euro-CORDEX runs after Q–Q correction; (3) futurization of SAFRAN using the spatialized delta change values. The mountainous area is expected to face a higher increase in air temperature than the plains, reaching +2.5 °C for RCP8.5 and +1.71 °C for RCP4.5 over 2041–2060. This warming will be accompanied by a marked decrease in precipitation (−16% for RCP8.5). These present and future spatialized data sets should be useful for impact studies, in particular those focusing on water resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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21 pages, 7510 KiB  
Article
Changes in Snow Depth, Snow Cover Duration, and Potential Snowmaking Conditions in Austria, 1961–2020—A Model Based Approach
by Marc Olefs, Roland Koch, Wolfgang Schöner and Thomas Marke
Atmosphere 2020, 11(12), 1330; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121330 - 08 Dec 2020
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 7356
Abstract
We used the spatially distributed and physically based snow cover model SNOWGRID-CL to derive daily grids of natural snow conditions and snowmaking potential at a spatial resolution of 1 × 1 km for Austria for the period 1961–2020 validated against homogenized long-term snow [...] Read more.
We used the spatially distributed and physically based snow cover model SNOWGRID-CL to derive daily grids of natural snow conditions and snowmaking potential at a spatial resolution of 1 × 1 km for Austria for the period 1961–2020 validated against homogenized long-term snow observations. Meteorological driving data consists of recently created gridded observation-based datasets of air temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration at the same resolution that takes into account the high variability of these variables in complex terrain. Calculated changes reveal a decrease in the mean seasonal (November–April) snow depth (HS), snow cover duration (SCD), and potential snowmaking hours (SP) of 0.15 m, 42 days, and 85 h (26%), respectively, on average over Austria over the period 1961/62–2019/20. Results indicate a clear altitude dependence of the relative reductions (−75% to −5% (HS) and −55% to 0% (SCD)). Detected changes are induced by major shifts of HS in the 1970s and late 1980s. Due to heterogeneous snowmaking infrastructures, the results are not suitable for direct interpretation towards snow reliability of individual Austrian skiing resorts but highly relevant for all activities strongly dependent on natural snow as well as for projections of future snow conditions and climate impact research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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22 pages, 4118 KiB  
Article
Extending Limited In Situ Mountain Weather Observations to the Baseline Climate: A True Verification Case Study
by Marlis Hofer and Johannes Horak
Atmosphere 2020, 11(11), 1256; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11111256 - 21 Nov 2020
Viewed by 2177
Abstract
The availability of in situ atmospheric observations decreases with elevation and topographic complexity. Data sets based on numerical atmospheric modeling, such as reanalysis data sets, represent an alternative source of information, but they often suffer from inaccuracies, e.g., due to insufficient spatial resolution. [...] Read more.
The availability of in situ atmospheric observations decreases with elevation and topographic complexity. Data sets based on numerical atmospheric modeling, such as reanalysis data sets, represent an alternative source of information, but they often suffer from inaccuracies, e.g., due to insufficient spatial resolution. sDoG (statistical Downscaling for Glacierized mountain environments) is a reanalysis data postprocessing tool designed to extend short-term weather station data from high mountain sites to the baseline climate. In this study, sDoG is applied to ERA-Interim predictors to produce a retrospective forecast of daily air temperature at the Vernagtbach climate monitoring site (2640 MSL) in the Central European Alps. First, sDoG is trained and cross-validated using observations from 2002 to 2012 (cross-validation period). Then, the sDoG retrospective forecast and its cross-validation-based uncertainty estimates are evaluated for the period 1979–2001 (hereafter referred to as the true evaluation period). We demonstrate the ability of sDoG to model air temperature in the true evaluation period for different temporal scales: day-to-day variations, year-to-year and season-to-season variations, and the 23-year mean seasonal cycle. sDoG adds significant value over a selection of reference data sets available for the site at different spatial resolutions, including state-of-the-art global and regional reanalysis data sets, output by a regional climate model, and an observation-based gridded product. However, we identify limitations of sDoG in modeling summer air temperature variations particularly evident in the first part of the true evaluation period. This is most probably related to changes of the microclimate around the Vernagtbach climate monitoring site that violate the stationarity assumption underlying sDoG. When comparing the performance of the considered reference data sets, we cannot demonstrate added value of the higher resolution data sets over the data sets with lower spatial resolution. For example, the global reanalyses ERA5 (31 km resolution) and ERA-Interim (80 km resolution) both clearly outperform the higher resolution data sets ERA5-Land (9 km resolution), UERRA HARMONIE (11 km resolution), and UERRA MESCAN-SURFEX (5.5 km resolution). Performance differences among ERA5 and ERA-Interim, by contrast, are comparably small. Our study highlights the importance of station-scale uncertainty assessments of atmospheric numerical model output and downscaling products for high mountain areas both for data users and model developers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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14 pages, 2202 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of Precipitation Measurements with a PWS100 Laser Sensor and a Geonor T-200B Precipitation Gauge at a Nival Glacial Zone in Eastern Tianshan, Central Asia
by Yufeng Jia, Zhongqin Li, Chunhai Xu, Shuang Jin and Haijun Deng
Atmosphere 2020, 11(10), 1079; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11101079 - 10 Oct 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2504
Abstract
Precipitation is a key process in the hydrologic cycle. However, accurate precipitation data are scarce in high mountainous areas, mainly restricted by complex topography, solid precipitation and sparse recording stations. In order to evaluate the quality of precipitation measurement, this study conducted a [...] Read more.
Precipitation is a key process in the hydrologic cycle. However, accurate precipitation data are scarce in high mountainous areas, mainly restricted by complex topography, solid precipitation and sparse recording stations. In order to evaluate the quality of precipitation measurement, this study conducted a comparison campaign of precipitation measurements with the PWS100 laser sensor and the Geonor T-200B rain gauge for an entire year from 30 April 2018 to 1 May 2019 at an elevation of 3835 m in a nival glacial zone in eastern Tianshan, Central Asia. The results show that the daily precipitation values recorded by Geonor T-200B and PWS100 are well correlated and the annual precipitation amounts recorded by the two instruments differ by 7%, indicating good capabilities of both instruments in solid precipitation measurement. However, the amount of precipitation measured by Geonor T-200B was 36 mm lower in June to August and 120 mm higher in the remaining months compared with the values measured by PWS100. Our study indicated that Geonor T-200B is more efficient than PWS100 in terms of catching solid precipitation measurements. According to the PWS100 data, the experiment site was dominated by solid precipitation particles, accounting for 60% of total precipitation particles. Based on the precipitation particle and in-situ air temperature measurements, a set of temperature thresholds were established to discriminate rain, sleet and snow. The threshold temperature of rainfall and snowfall is −1.5 and 8 °C, respectively. When air temperature ranges from −1.5 to 8 °C, sleet occurs, meanwhile the ratio of rain to snow depends on air temperature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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20 pages, 4660 KiB  
Article
A Comprehensive Gridded Dataset Associated to the Climate Change Effect on the Water Resources in the Grand Est Region, France
by Mărgărit-Mircea Nistor, Ionel Haidu, Ştefan Dezsi and Cristina Ştefan
Atmosphere 2020, 11(10), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11101026 - 24 Sep 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2331
Abstract
Water resources and environment quality are nowadays under high pressure because of climate change, land use practices, as well as human actions. A comprehensive gridded dataset becomes a necessary instrument to assess the risk level at regional scale, and also for territorial planning, [...] Read more.
Water resources and environment quality are nowadays under high pressure because of climate change, land use practices, as well as human actions. A comprehensive gridded dataset becomes a necessary instrument to assess the risk level at regional scale, and also for territorial planning, the defining strategies to address future natural and anthropological challenges. In order to obtain a complete database with the most important parameters at spatial scale, this study is constructed as a preparation of layers used for various environmental risks, but mostly with the climate change effect on the water resources from the Grand Est region, France. In addition, geological formations, terrain data, and land cover were harmonized as grid format for the study area. Thus, the temperature and precipitation parameters, related to the 1961–1990 (1990s), 2011–2040 (2020s), and 2041–2070 (2050s), become useful data for evapotranspiration, water availability, and effective precipitation calculations. The geology layer indicates the composition and types of aquifers and it contributes to the potential infiltration map (PIM). The morphology of the terrain contributes to the slope angle and PIM. Through the typology of land cover, the pollution load index (PLI) was estimated. The findings indicate intense aridization and the depletion of the effective precipitation (below 650 mm) during the present and future periods. With respect to these concerns, the surface waters and groundwater resources from the Grand Est region are experiencing the negative effects of climate change on runoff and aquifers recharge respectively. In addition, the high PLI in the industrial and agricultural areas contribute to the possibility of the increasing water resources vulnerability. The affected areas extend mainly in the western, north-central, and north-eastern parts of the region, mainly in the Rhine, Aube, and Marne Valleys. Considered as a precious resource in the region, the water management should follow best practices for vulnerability and risk assessment, and further to delineate the protection areas. As a comprehensive gridded dataset, the calculations and original maps presented in this paper represent a complex product with main environmental parameters processed at spatial scale of 1 km2 in ArcGIS. This product has the purpose to integrate the geospatial data for the Grand Est region of France. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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20 pages, 2004 KiB  
Article
What Can We Learn from Comparing Glacio-Hydrological Models?
by Elena Stoll, Florian Hanzer, Felix Oesterle, Johanna Nemec, Johannes Schöber, Matthias Huttenlau and Kristian Förster
Atmosphere 2020, 11(9), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090981 - 14 Sep 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3011
Abstract
Glacio-hydrological models combine both glacier and catchment hydrology modeling and are used to assess the hydrological response of high-mountain glacierized catchments to climate change. To capture the uncertainties from these model combinations, it is essential to compare the outcomes of several model entities [...] Read more.
Glacio-hydrological models combine both glacier and catchment hydrology modeling and are used to assess the hydrological response of high-mountain glacierized catchments to climate change. To capture the uncertainties from these model combinations, it is essential to compare the outcomes of several model entities forced with the same climate projections. For the first time, we compare the results of two completely independent glacio-hydrological models: (i) HQsim-GEM and (ii) AMUNDSEN. In contrast to prevailing studies, we use distinct glacier models and glacier initialization times. At first glance, the results achieved for future glacier states and hydrological characteristics in the Rofenache catchment in Ötztal Alps (Austria) appear to be similar and consistent, but a closer look reveals clear differences. What can be learned from this study is that low-complexity models can achieve higher accuracy in the calibration period. This is advantageous especially when data availability is weak, and priority is given to efficient computation time. Furthermore, the time and method of glacier initialization play an important role due to different data requirements. In essence, it is not possible to make conclusions about the model performance outside of the calibration period or more specifically in the future. Hence, similar to climate modeling, we suggest considering different modeling approaches when assessing future catchment discharge or glacier evolution. Especially when transferring the results to stakeholders, it is vital to transparently communicate the bandwidth of future states that come with all model results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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30 pages, 15297 KiB  
Article
Flow Regimes and Föhn Types Characterize the Local Climate of Southern Patagonia
by Franziska Temme, Jenny V. Turton, Thomas Mölg and Tobias Sauter
Atmosphere 2020, 11(9), 899; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090899 - 25 Aug 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3798
Abstract
The local climate in Southern Patagonia is strongly influenced by the interaction between the topography and persistent westerlies, which can generate föhn events, dry and warm downslope winds. The upstream flow regime influences different föhn types which dictate the lee-side atmospheric response regarding [...] Read more.
The local climate in Southern Patagonia is strongly influenced by the interaction between the topography and persistent westerlies, which can generate föhn events, dry and warm downslope winds. The upstream flow regime influences different föhn types which dictate the lee-side atmospheric response regarding the strength, spatial extent and phenomenology. We use a combination of observations from four automatic weather stations (AWSs) and high-resolution numerical modeling with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for a region in Southern Patagonia (48° S–52° S, 72° W–76.5° W) including the Southern Patagonian Icefield (SPI). The application of a föhn identification algorithm to a 10-month study period (June 2018–March 2019) reveals 81 föhn events in total. A simulation of three events of differing flow regimes (supercritical, subcritical, transition) suggests that a supercritical flow regime leads to a linear föhn event with a large spatial extent but moderate intensity. In contrast, a spatially limited but locally strong föhn response is induced by a subcritical regime with upstream blocking and by a transition regime with a hydraulic jump present. Our results imply that the hydraulic jump-type föhn event (transition case) is the most critical for glacier mass balances since it shows the strongest warming, drying, wind velocities and solar radiation over the SPI. The consideration of flow regimes over the last 40 years shows that subcritical flow occurs most frequently (78%), however transitional flow occurs 14% of the time, implying the potential impact on Patagonian glaciers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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20 pages, 6838 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Multiple WRF Configurations and Forcing over the Northern Patagonian Icecap (NPI) and Baker River Basin
by Marcelo Somos-Valenzuela and Francisco Manquehual-Cheuque
Atmosphere 2020, 11(8), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11080815 - 03 Aug 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2509
Abstract
The use of numerical weather prediction (NWP) model to dynamically downscale coarse climate reanalysis data allows for the capture of processes that are influenced by land cover and topographic features. Climate reanalysis downscaling is useful for hydrology modeling, where catchment processes happen on [...] Read more.
The use of numerical weather prediction (NWP) model to dynamically downscale coarse climate reanalysis data allows for the capture of processes that are influenced by land cover and topographic features. Climate reanalysis downscaling is useful for hydrology modeling, where catchment processes happen on a spatial scale that is not represented in reanalysis models. Selecting proper parameterization in the NWP for downscaling is crucial to downscale the climate variables of interest. In this work, we are interested in identifying at least one combination of physics in the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model that performs well in our area of study that covers the Baker River Basin and the Northern Patagonian Icecap (NPI) in the south of Chile. We used ERA-Interim reanalysis data to run WRF in twenty-four different combinations of physics for three years in a nested domain of 22.5 and 4.5 km with 34 vertical levels. From more to less confident, we found that, for the planetary boundary layer (PBL), the best option is to use YSU; for the land surface model (LSM), the best option is the five-Layer Thermal, RRTM for longwave, Dudhia for short wave radiation, and Thompson for the microphysics. In general, the model did well for temperature (average, minimum, maximum) for most of the observation points and configurations. Precipitation was good, but just a few configurations stood out (i.e., conf-9 and conf-10). Surface pressure and Relative Humidity results were not good or bad, and it depends on the statistics with which we evaluate the time series (i.e., KGE or NSE). The results for wind speed were inferior; there was a warm bias in all of the stations. Once we identify the best configuration in our experiment, we run WRF for one year using ERA5 and FNL0832 climate reanalysis. Our results indicate that Era-interim provided better results for precipitation. In the case of temperature, FNL0832 gave better results; however, all of the models’ performances were good. Therefore, working with ERA-Interim seems the best option in this region with the physics selected. We did not experiment with changes in resolution, which may have improved results with ERA5 that has a better spatial and temporal resolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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22 pages, 6302 KiB  
Article
Groundwater Vulnerability in the Piedmont Region under Climate Change
by Mărgărit-Mircea Nistor
Atmosphere 2020, 11(8), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11080779 - 23 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3069
Abstract
Groundwater vulnerability has increased in recent decades due to several factors, but mainly due to climate change. In this study, we applied a complex approach to determine groundwater vulnerability at a regional scale in the Piedmont region including high-resolution climate models. Aquifers, terrain [...] Read more.
Groundwater vulnerability has increased in recent decades due to several factors, but mainly due to climate change. In this study, we applied a complex approach to determine groundwater vulnerability at a regional scale in the Piedmont region including high-resolution climate models. Aquifers, terrain model, climate data, land cover, and groundwater monitoring stations data of nitrate (NO3) concentration were the main layers used for the vulnerability and risk mapping. Validation of the groundwater vulnerability map consisted of pixel pair comparison (PPC) using the quality status of a monitored groundwater station, dating from 2005 to 2012. The groundwater vulnerability maps that related to the 1990s and 2020s periods indicated very high and high vulnerability of groundwater in the central and eastern parts of the region, especially in the porous aquifers of Po Plain. The areas with very low and low vulnerability extend into the north and west, mainly in the non-aquiferous media and fissured aquifers. The future scenarios of groundwater vulnerability indicate a consistent increase of the very high vulnerability class, from the 1990s to the 2050s periods, in all scenarios, and mainly in the Po Plain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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24 pages, 4792 KiB  
Article
Elevation Effects on Air Temperature in a Topographically Complex Mountain Valley in the Spanish Pyrenees
by Francisco Navarro-Serrano, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, Cesar Azorin-Molina, Esteban Alonso-González, Marina Aznarez-Balta, Samuel T. Buisán and Jesús Revuelto
Atmosphere 2020, 11(6), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11060656 - 19 Jun 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4499
Abstract
Air temperature changes as a function of elevation were analyzed in a valley of the Spanish Pyrenees. We analyzed insolation, topography and meteorological conditions in order to understand how complex topoclimatic environments develop. Clustering techniques were used to define vertical patterns of air [...] Read more.
Air temperature changes as a function of elevation were analyzed in a valley of the Spanish Pyrenees. We analyzed insolation, topography and meteorological conditions in order to understand how complex topoclimatic environments develop. Clustering techniques were used to define vertical patterns of air temperature covering more than 1000 m of vertical elevation change. Ten locations from the bottom of the valley to the summits were monitored from September 2016 to June 2019. The results show that (i) night-time lapse rates were between −4 and −2 °C km−1, while in the daytime they were from −6 to −4 °C km−1, due to temperature inversions and topography. Daily maximum temperature lapse rates were steeper from March to July, and daily minimum temperatures were weaker from June to August, and in December. (ii) Different insolation exposure within and between the two analyzed slopes strongly influenced diurnal air temperatures, creating deviations from the general lapse rates. (iii) Usually, two cluster patterns were found (i.e., weak and steep), which were associated with stable and unstable weather conditions, respectively, in addition to high-low atmospheric pressure and low-high relative humidity. The results will have direct applications in disciplines that depend on air temperature estimations (e.g., snow studies, water resources and sky tourism, among others). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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19 pages, 5210 KiB  
Article
Partitioning of Large-Scale and Local-Scale Precipitation Events by Means of Spatio-Temporal Precipitation Regimes on Corsica
by Isabel Knerr, Katja Trachte, Emilie Garel, Frédéric Huneau, Sébastien Santoni and Jörg Bendix
Atmosphere 2020, 11(4), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11040417 - 21 Apr 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3280
Abstract
The island of Corsica in the western Mediterranean is characterized by a pronounced topography in which local breeze systems develop in the diurnal cycle. In interaction with the large-scale synoptic situation, various precipitation events occur, which are classified in this study with regard [...] Read more.
The island of Corsica in the western Mediterranean is characterized by a pronounced topography in which local breeze systems develop in the diurnal cycle. In interaction with the large-scale synoptic situation, various precipitation events occur, which are classified in this study with regard to their duration and intensity. For this purpose, the island was grouped into five precipitation regimes using a cluster analysis, namely the western coastal area, the central mountainous region, the southern coastal area, the northeast coastal area, and the eastern coastal area. Based on principal component analysis using mean sea level pressure (mslp) obtained from ERA5 reanalysis (the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, ECMWF), six spatial patterns were identified which explain 98% of the large-scale synoptic situation, while the diurnal breeze systems within the regimes characterize local drivers. It is shown that on radiation days with weak large-scale pressure gradients, pronounced local circulations in mountainous regions are coupled with sea breezes, leading to a higher number of short and intense precipitation events. Meridional circulation patterns lead to more intensive precipitation events on the eastern part of the island (30% intensive events with meridional patterns on the east side compared to 11% on the west side). On the west side of Corsica, however, coastal precipitation events are seldom and less intense than further inland, which can be attributed to the influence of the topography in frontal passages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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15 pages, 4082 KiB  
Article
The Combination of Wildfire and Changing Climate Triggers Permafrost Degradation in the Khentii Mountains, Northern Mongolia
by Munkhdavaa Munkhjargal, Gansukh Yadamsuren, Jambaljav Yamkhin and Lucas Menzel
Atmosphere 2020, 11(2), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11020155 - 31 Jan 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3478
Abstract
High topographic heterogeneity and complex mechanisms between the atmosphere and the ground create unique hydro-climatic processes over mountainous regions. Based on in situ observations, we present the spatial variability of ground surface temperature (GST) in the Khentii Mountains of northern Mongolia, which is [...] Read more.
High topographic heterogeneity and complex mechanisms between the atmosphere and the ground create unique hydro-climatic processes over mountainous regions. Based on in situ observations, we present the spatial variability of ground surface temperature (GST) in the Khentii Mountains of northern Mongolia, which is situated at the southern fringe of the Eurasian permafrost zone. Changes in the hydrothermal regime of the active layer were investigated in association with changing climate and wildfire effects. The results reveal that the GST tends to increase continuously since 2011 in both thawing and freezing seasons, and varies significantly within a short horizontal distance, particularly during the thawing season. Extreme weather events, such as drought and heavy snowfall, amplify the increase in the ground temperature and deepen the seasonal thawing depth. The fire-induced loss in organic layer resulted in a greater heat penetration deeper into the ground and unbalanced the moisture distribution. Overall, the thawing depth is greater by >1.7 m under severely burned forest, compared to unburned forest. Given that about 30% of the boreal forest was affected by wildfire in the study area, the ground thermal regime changed considerably. The findings suggest that the combination of regional temperature rise and more frequent extreme weather and wildfire events in the region triggers permafrost degradation and alters the hydrothermal regime in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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25 pages, 5772 KiB  
Article
Heavy Rainfall Events and Mass Movements in the Funchal Area (Madeira, Portugal): Spatial Analysis and Susceptibility Assessment
by Sérgio Lopes, Marcelo Fragoso and António Lopes
Atmosphere 2020, 11(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11010104 - 15 Jan 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4122
Abstract
The article presents new information on the spatial distribution of intense rainfall and a new map of susceptibility to the formation of mass movements in the mountainous streams of the municipality of Funchal, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, an archipelago [...] Read more.
The article presents new information on the spatial distribution of intense rainfall and a new map of susceptibility to the formation of mass movements in the mountainous streams of the municipality of Funchal, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, an archipelago of Portugal. The methodology that was adopted is based on the spatial analysis of weighted overlap of variables, with influence in the occurrence of hydro-geomorphological processes that are at the origin of catastrophic events, marked by the mobilization of solid material towards and along the fluvial channels. Intense precipitations are effectively the main triggering factor of mass movements, which is why their statistical characteristics and local contrasts are analyzed, to integrate this layer of information into the new susceptibility assessment model of mass movements produced in this article. This type of spatialized information is of strategic importance to support the planning of urban expansion, which requires a land use management practice in accordance with the existing risk in the Madeira Island. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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17 pages, 4586 KiB  
Article
Estimating Ensemble Flood Forecasts’ Uncertainty: A Novel “Peak-Box” Approach for Detecting Multiple Peak-Flow Events
by Antonio Giordani, Massimiliano Zappa and Mathias W. Rotach
Atmosphere 2020, 11(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11010002 - 18 Dec 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3707
Abstract
Ensemble flood forecasts are an established tool to provide information about the uncertainty of runoff predictions. However, their interpretation may not be straightforward, especially when dealing with extreme events; therefore, the development of new tools to enhance their understanding and visualization is necessary. [...] Read more.
Ensemble flood forecasts are an established tool to provide information about the uncertainty of runoff predictions. However, their interpretation may not be straightforward, especially when dealing with extreme events; therefore, the development of new tools to enhance their understanding and visualization is necessary. Recently, the so-called “peak-box” approach has been developed to help decision makers in the interpretation and verification of peak-flow forecasts, receiving positive feedbacks within the hydrological community. However, this method has proven to be limited when multiple peak-flow events occur within the forecast, being unable to separate close discharge peaks. The aim of this paper is then to develop a new algorithm designed to accomplish this task. To do so, we consider runoff probabilistic forecasts obtained with a coupled hydrometeorological flood forecasting system formed by the high resolution meteorological Ensemble model COSMO-E and the hydrological model PREVAH, for the small Verzasca basin, Switzerland, during October and November 2018. The application of this new method, despite the limitation given by the small sample size considered in this study, indicates a successful implementation: the new algorithm is able to distinguish among different events and to provide sharper and more skillful forecasts, and its verification yields slightly better timing estimations compared to the former approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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33 pages, 42042 KiB  
Article
A 5 km Resolution Regional Climate Simulation for Central Europe: Performance in High Mountain Areas and Seasonal, Regional and Elevation-Dependent Variations
by Michael Warscher, Sven Wagner, Thomas Marke, Patrick Laux, Gerhard Smiatek, Ulrich Strasser and Harald Kunstmann
Atmosphere 2019, 10(11), 682; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10110682 - 07 Nov 2019
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5516
Abstract
Mountain regions with complex orography are a particular challenge for regional climate simulations. High spatial resolution is required to account for the high spatial variability in meteorological conditions. This study presents a very high-resolution regional climate simulation (5 km) using the Weather Research [...] Read more.
Mountain regions with complex orography are a particular challenge for regional climate simulations. High spatial resolution is required to account for the high spatial variability in meteorological conditions. This study presents a very high-resolution regional climate simulation (5 km) using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) for the central part of Europe including the Alps. Global boundaries are dynamically downscaled for the historical period 1980–2009 (ERA-Interim and MPI-ESM), and for the near future period 2020–2049 (MPI-ESM, scenario RCP4.5). Model results are compared to gridded observation datasets and to data from a dense meteorological station network in the Berchtesgaden Alps (Germany). Averaged for the Alps, the mean bias in temperature is about −0.3 °C, whereas precipitation is overestimated by +14% to +19%. R 2 values for hourly, daily and monthly temperature range between 0.71 and 0.99. Temporal precipitation dynamics are well reproduced at daily and monthly scales (R 2 between 0.36 and 0.85), but are not well captured at hourly scale. The spatial patterns, seasonal distributions, and elevation-dependencies of the climate change signals are investigated. Mean warming in Central Europe exhibits a temperature increase between 0.44 °C and 1.59 °C and is strongest in winter and spring. An elevation-dependent warming is found for different specific regions and seasons, but is absent in others. Annual precipitation changes between −4% and +25% in Central Europe. The change signals for humidity, wind speed, and incoming short-wave radiation are small, but they show distinct spatial and elevation-dependent patterns. On large-scale spatial and temporal averages, the presented 5 km RCM setup has in general similar biases as EURO-CORDEX simulations, but it shows very good model performance at the regional and local scale for daily meteorology, and, apart from wind-speed and precipitation, even for hourly values. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 3740 KiB  
Review
An Overview of the Integrated Meteorological Observations in Complex Terrain Region at Dali National Climate Observatory, China
by Anlun Xu and Jian Li
Atmosphere 2020, 11(3), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11030279 - 12 Mar 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3190
Abstract
Systematically observing components of the climate system as well as their processes and interactions are crucial to understand the weather, climate, climate change, etc. In order to launch long-term, continuous, stereoscopic, and integrated meteorological observations for key regions of the climate system in [...] Read more.
Systematically observing components of the climate system as well as their processes and interactions are crucial to understand the weather, climate, climate change, etc. In order to launch long-term, continuous, stereoscopic, and integrated meteorological observations for key regions of the climate system in southwestern China where it is sensitive to interactions among multiple layers and exchanges of mass and energy, the Dali National Climate Observatory (DNCO) was established in May 2006. To date, the DNCO has gradually performed an integrated meteorological observation network in a complex terrain region over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau including the conventional observations of weather and climate, and the special observations of radiation, lightning, soil moisture, wind profile, water vapor, water quality, water level, water temperature profile, turbulent fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, latent heat, carbon dioxide, and methane, etc. Furthermore, the DNCO mainly focuses on the field observation experiments and scientific research activities for mountain meteorology. This paper presents an overview of the DNCO including its location, climatology, scientific objectives, research tasks, and existing observation projects. The progresses in observation and associated research including data quality controls and assessments, recent observation results, and regional numerical model tests are summarized. Future works are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climatological and Hydrological Processes in Mountain Regions)
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