Journal
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
Volume 126, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1029/2020JG006150
Keywords
climate change; elevation; European Alps; precipitation; snow cover seasonality; Spring land surface phenology; temperature
Funding
- University of Zurich Research Priority Program on Global Change and Biodiversity
- University of Hong Kong
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Shifts in phenology due to climate change in mountainous ecosystems are evident in the European Alps, with earlier SOS and increased spring temperatures having a predominant influence on phenological changes. Snow cover duration and melting days have a secondary impact on phenology.
Shifts in phenology are important traces of climate change affecting mountainous ecosystems. We present an analysis of changes in spring phenology using a suite of Earth observation based parameters, that is, start of season (SOS), snow cover extent and meteorological variables from 1991 up to 2012/2014 for the European Alps. Our results show that SOS tends to occur earlier throughout the Alps during this period and spring temperatures have increased in the Eastern Alps. Spring temperatures presented a predominant influence on SOS for both, grasslands and forests across elevations between 500 and 2,200 m asl, while this effect is particularly pronounced in the northeastern Alps. Snow cover duration and snow cover melting days showed secondary impact on SOS. Our research provides a comprehensive observation of spatiotemporal changes in alpine spring vegetation phenology and its driving factors. They improve our understanding of the sensitivity of the European Alps ecosystems to a changing climate.
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