Impact of climate change on snowpack and avalanches in Slovenia

The Soča Valley case study

Bibliographic Data

ID21321595
AuthorsBlaž Komac (0000-0003-4205-5790, Anton Melik Geographical Institute Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts), Matija Zorn (0000-0002-5788-018X, Anton Melik Geographical Institute Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Year2023
Volume96
Issue1
Pages29-51
Publication date2023-04-14
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeographia Polonica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0016-7282 • E-ISSN: 2300-7362
PublisherInstitute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.7163/gpol.0244
OpenAlexW4378877107
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited70

The article discusses avalanche occurrence in the Slovenian Alps (SE Alps) in the context of climate change. It analyses the relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation and maximum snow depth over the last two centuries, and the relationships between maximum snow depth and avalanches over the last three decades. We argue that higher temperatures lead to precipitation in the form of rain at higher elevations even in winter, so that major wet avalanches occur already in winter rather than in early spring, as was more common in the past. A case study of extreme avalanches in January 2021 is presented to support the hypothesis

Archaeology · Climate change · Climatology · Context (archaeology) · Geography · Meteorology · North Atlantic oscillation · Physical geography · Precipitation · Snow · Snowpack · Spring (device) · Cryospheric studies and observations · Environmental Science · Flood Risk Assessment and Management · Geology · Landslides and related hazards · Oceanography

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