Abstract
Snowfall in mountainous areas provides indispensable water sources for arid and semi-arid watersheds. Changes in snowfall and snowmelt regimes have significantly impacted the water resources' variations and management. This study addresses the ratio of snowfall to precipitation (S/P) in the Tian Shan Mountains, China. It aims to examine changes in S/P ratio and its synchronization with climate change. The results show that the average S/P ratio experienced a downward trend under the precipitation and snowfall increases as well as temperature increases during the cold seasons in 1961–2010. Spatially, the S/P ratios show an increasing trend in the Boertala Valley and the southern slope of the middle Tian Shan Mountains, but a decreasing trend in Yili Valley, and the western and the northern slope of the middle Tian Shan Mountains. The S/P ratios decreased significantly in middle altitudes with elevation ranging from 1500 to 2500 m, but either decreased or increased at elevations below 1500 m due to a temperature inversion in the elevation belt. In high altitudes with elevation over 3500 m, the magnitudes of the decreased S/P ratios were small because the temperature was always below freezing. The decreases in S/P ratio was mainly attributed to the relative changes in snowfall (dS/S) being less than that in precipitation (dP/P), whereas the increases in S/P ratio resulted from the relative changes in snowfall (dS/S) being more than that in precipitation (dP/P). Temperature increases have also lead to the decreases in S/P ratios to some extent.
Published Version
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