Snowfall in the Alps is decreasing: a third less snow since 1920!

Snowfall in the Alps is decreasing: a third less snow since 1920!

Over the last hundred years, snow in the Alps has decreased dramatically, as a recent study by Eurac Research from Bolzano shows. According to study author and environmental meteorologist Michele Bozzoli, new snowfall in the Alps has fallen by an astonishing 34 percent. Areas below 2,000 meters above sea level are particularly affected, such as in Italy, Slovenia and southern Austria, where the amount of snow has even fallen by half. The results of this study, which analyzed comprehensive weather data from 1920 to 2020, were published in the International Journal of Climatology. Even though precipitation has increased in winter, rain is increasingly falling instead of snow in lower-lying regions.

Significant consequences for water resources

Bozzoli warns of the serious consequences of this development: “Snow is essential for water availability.” Without the meltwater in spring, water reserves could not be replenished. Snow also acts as a protection for glaciers and soils from excessive melting and evaporation. These changes could not only affect winter sports, but also have far-reaching consequences for all water-dependent activities. The decline in snow is particularly noticeable in the southwestern and southeastern Alps, where high temperatures even in higher regions mean that there is rain instead of snow, as several media reports.

The results of the study are based on extensive data from 46 different locations throughout the Alpine region. This data includes both state-of-the-art measurements from weather stations and historical records maintained manually. The loss of snow in the Alps is alarming and challenges both science and political planning to take future water availability and the challenge of climate change seriously nau.ch and 5min.at report in detail.