Spatial and temporal variability of snow cover in the southern forest-steppe of the Upper Ob River

Abstract

The study area is the forest-steppe in the Upper Ob basin located on the south of the West Siberian Plain. The results of studies of the dates of setting-up and loss of a stable snow cover and its duration are presented, the thickness of snow and snow storages for the period of maximum snow accumulation are analyzed. We used observational data obtained on routes and meteorological sites in 1966–2018 together with our own snow measurements of 2011–2019. It was found that in the southern forest-steppe, the duration of the stable snow cover presence decreases mainly as a result of its earlier destruction. At the same time, on the routes in a «field» the thickness of snow and snow storage increase due to growth of winter precipitation. But no such trend is observed on the routes in a «forest» which is explained by influence of its canopy density. The snow cover here is unevenly distributed over the territory because the driſted snow transport depends mainly on features of the vegetation cover and the terrain relief. The route snow surveys performed near weather stations do not reflect the entire landscape diversity of the territory.

Keywords

• upper ob
• southern forest-steppe
• setting-up dates
• destruction
• stable snow cover duration
• thickness and water content of snow cover