Rain-on-snow responses to warmer Pyrenees: a sensitivity analysis using a physically based snow hydrological model

Bonsoms, Josep; López-Moreno, Juan I.; Alonso-González, Esteban; Deschamps-Berger, César; Oliva, Marc

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-245-2024

Articles | Volume 24, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-245-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-245-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 24, issue 1

Research article

|

30 Jan 2024

Research article |

| 30 Jan 2024

Rain-on-snow responses to warmer Pyrenees: a sensitivity analysis using a physically based snow hydrological model

Josep Bonsoms, Juan I. López-Moreno, Esteban Alonso-González, César Deschamps-Berger, and Marc Oliva

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-245-2024-supplement

Data sets

The S2M meteorological and snow cover reanalysis over the French mountainous areas: description and evaluation (1958–2021) (https://www.aeris-data.fr/landing-page/?uuid=865730e8-edeb-4c6b-ae58-80f95166509b#v2020.2) Matthieu Vernay, Matthieu Lafaysse, Diego Monteiro, Pascal Hagenmuller, Rafife Nheili, Raphaëlle Samacoïts, Deborah Verfaillie, and Samuel Morin https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1707-2022

Model code and software

A factorial snowpack model (FSM 1.0) Richard Essery https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-3867-2015

FSM2 Richard Essery https://github.com/RichardEssery/FSM2

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Short summary

Climate warming is changing mountain snowpack patterns, leading in some cases to rain-on-snow (ROS) events. Here we analyzed near-present ROS and its sensitivity to climate warming across the Pyrenees. ROS increases during the coldest months of the year but decreases in the warmest months and areas under severe warming due to snow cover depletion. Faster snow ablation is anticipated in the coldest and northern slopes of the range. Relevant implications in mountain ecosystem are anticipated.