[M-IS11] Mountain Science

[MIS11-P02] The distribution of snow cover in Kamikochi, the Northern Japanese Alps

*Hikaru Kondo¹, Motoshi Nishimura², Akihiko SASAKI³, Koichi Sakakibara¹, Keisuke Suzuki⁴ (1.Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, 2.Arctic Observation Center, National Institute of Polar Research, 3.Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Kokushikan University, 4.Research Center for Mountain Environment, Shinshu University)

Keywords:seasonal snow cover, snowfall, alpine region, in-situ observation, Japanese Alps

Snow plays a role of a natural dam, as it is called a white dam. It has been suggested that snow cover variability in mountainous areas may increase with global warming, but there are still few studies on snow cover and snowfall amount variability in mountainous areas based on in-situ observational data. In addition, the factors contributing to local variations in snow cover in mountainous areas remain unexplained. The objective of this study was to assess 1) the variability of snow cover in mountainous areas and 2) the variability of snow cover distribution due to the pressure pattern and winds in the high-elevation basin terrain of the Kamikochi, the Northern Japanese Alps, based on the analysis of site meteorological observation data in the Kamikochi and surrounding synoptic weather during the ten seasons from 2013/14 winter season to 2022/23 winter season. No trend of increase or decrease over time was observed for the period analyzed. In the analyzed period, 2014/15 winter season had the most snowfall amount and the 2015/16 winter season had the least snowfall amount. The highest snow cover was at the highest elevation of the five sites, but the site with the most snowfall amount in a single snowfall event was not always the highest elevation site.