Abstract
The paper discusses temporal changes in the configuration of vertical climatic belts in the Tatra Mountains as a result of current climate change. Meteorological stations are scarce in the Tatra Mountains; therefore, we modelled decadal air temperatures using existing data from 20 meteorological stations and the relationship between air temperature and altitude. Air temperature was modelled separately for northern and southern slopes and for convex and concave landforms. Decadal air temperatures were additionally used to delineate five climatic belts previously distinguished by Hess on the basis of threshold values of annual air temperature. The spatial extent and location of the borderline isotherms of 6, 4, 2, 0, and − 2 °C for four decades, including 1951–1960, 1981–1990, 1991–2000, and 2001–2010, were compared.Significant warming in the Tatra Mountains, uniform in the vertical profile, started at the beginning of the 1980s and led to clear changes in the extent and location of the vertical climatic belts delineated on the basis of annual air temperature. The uphill shift of the borderline isotherms was more prominent on southern than on northern slopes. The highest rate of changes in the extent of the climatic belts was found above the isotherm of 0 °C (moderately cold and cold belts). The cold belt dramatically diminished in extent over the research period.
Highlights
Similar to latitudinal climatic zones, but distributed within short distances, vertical climatic belts constitute the most prominent feature of mountain areas from the viewpoint of climate studies (Beniston et al 1997)
The station data and the Hess method (1968) were used to reconstruct linear regression equations separately for four decades (1951–1960, 1981–1990, 1991–2000, 2001–2010), which were used in turn to calculate mean annual air temperatures at each of a dense set of points representing the diversity of the topography of the Tatra Mountains (Fig. 1)
The stations were divided into four groups, depending on the aspects and landforms identified based on digital elevation model (DEM) and on knowledge acquired during fieldwork in the Tatra Mountains (Table 2)
Summary
Similar to latitudinal climatic zones, but distributed within short distances, vertical climatic belts (altitudinal zonation) constitute the most prominent feature of mountain areas from the viewpoint of climate studies (Beniston et al 1997). Clear linear relationships between relief (altitude, aspect, and landform) and average annual air temperatures in the Tatra Mountains were recognised and quantified by Hess (1965, 1966, 1968, 1974) and used to demarcate five vertical climatic belts. This enabled us to create linear regression equations enabling calculation of the annual air temperature at any point in the vertical profile of the Tatra Mountains. Analysis of the current changes in altitudinal zonation is relevant and interesting
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