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Climate controls on snow reliability in French Alps ski resorts
P Spandre1,2, H François1, D Verfaillie2,3
1Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR LESSEM, 38000, Grenoble, France.
Scientific Reports
|May 31, 2019
Summary
Climate change threatens ski tourism. Snowmaking improves snow reliability in French Alps ski resorts up to 2°C warming, but becomes unreliable and water-intensive beyond 3°C.
Area of Science:
- Climate Science
- Tourism Management
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Ski tourism is vital for mountain economies but threatened by climate change.
- Snow management, including artificial snowmaking, is crucial for ski resort operations.
- The effectiveness of snowmaking as an adaptation strategy under future climate change is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of climate change on snow reliability in French Alps ski resorts.
- To evaluate snowmaking as an adaptation measure for ski tourism.
- To inform public and private sector decisions regarding climate change adaptation in ski resorts.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a snowpack model incorporating grooming and snowmaking.
- Employed downscaled regional climate projections from a large ensemble.
- Integrated a geospatial model of ski resort organization for 129 resorts.
Main Results:
- A 45% snowmaking coverage improves snow reliability compared to grooming alone.
- This improvement is observed for the 1986-2005 reference period and below 2°C global warming.
- Beyond 3°C global warming, 45% snowmaking coverage leads to frequent unreliability and increased water demand.
Conclusions:
- Snowmaking can enhance ski resort resilience to climate change up to a certain warming threshold.
- Future climate change, particularly warming beyond 3°C, poses significant challenges to snow reliability and water resources for ski tourism.
- Strategic planning and adaptation measures are essential for the long-term sustainability of ski tourism in the face of climate change.
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