Snow & Ice

1970-2012

Snowfall % Changes, 1973-2023

Mean annual northern hemisphere snow cover is 9.9 million square miles, or 25.6 million square kilometers The minimum is in August and the maximum in January.

The northern hemisphere snow cover fell 7% over 1967-2021.

Over 2000-2021, mean annual snow cover shrank 9% for Asia, 2-3% for North America, 10% for Europe, 17% for South America, 0% for Australia-New Zealand, and 17% for Africa.

Projection, from IPCC 5th Climate Assessment, Science Summary

Projection from IPCC 5th Climate Assessment, Science Summary.

1980-2100

Articles

Shedding Light on Snow's Crucial Role in Earth's Climate System 1224.rtf

Dreaming of Snow This Winter? Expect Less in the US. 1124.rtf - Places and times cold enough for precipitation to fall as snow are fewer than were.

Historic Lack of Great Lakes Ice Leads to Fewer Fish and More Algae 0324.rtf

Kashmiris Suffer through a Dry Winter, Waiting for Snow. Blame Climate Change. 0124.rtf

World Nears Dangerous Climate Tipping Point, with Snow in Short Supply 0124.rtf

Study Shows Who’s Losing the Most Snow as Earth Warms 0124.rtf

Great Lakes Start 2024 with Smallest Amount of Ice in at Least 50 Years 0124.rtf

California Snowpack Lowest in Decade, despite Hope with December Storms 0124.rtf

Snow Pummels Western New York as Metro Buffalo Digs Out from Up to 6.7 Feet 1122.rtf

Snowfall Is Becoming Rare in New York City, and Elsewhere 1223.rtf

New Maps Show Where Snowfall Is Disappearing 1123.rtf

Greater Snowfall Speeds the Melting of Arctic Tundra 0823.rtf - It insulates the permafrost underneath it from the very cold air of winter, so that the permafrost thaws earlier or deeper in the warmer seasons.

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What the Decline of Mountain Snow Cover Means for Canada 0423.rtf

California’s Record Snowpack, Nearly Full Reservoirs after Epic Winter 0323.rtf

Is California’s 12 Feet of Snow Enough to Ease the Drought? 0323.rtf

Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches Record Low - Be Concerned 0323.rtf

Burning Trees in the Amazon Melts Snow in the Himalayas 0123.rtf

Snow and Ice Loss Causing Arctic to Reflect Less Heat 1119.rtf

Less Snow & Ice Drive Reduced Arctic Surface Albedo since 1980s 1119.pdf

Water Resources to Become Less Predictable with Climate Change 0722.rtf - With warming, more preipitatuion falls as rain ande less as snow. Also, snow melts earlier in the spring, leaving less or none for summer.

The End of Snow Threatens to Upend 76 Million American Lives 0822.rtf

As Planet Warms, Less Ice Is Covering North American Lakes 0322.rtf

Climate Change May Be Fueling Increase in Major Northeast Snowstorms 0222.rtf

Record December Snow in West Brings Major Drought Relief, Hope for 2022 - 1221.rtf

2021 Arctic Report Card Reveals Cascading Disruptions, Extreme Events, Global Connections 1221.rtf

Fires, Landslides, Lack of Snow - The Ski Industry Girds for Battle 1221.rtf

Snow May Vanish for Years at a Time in Mountain West with Climate Warming 1221.rtf

Sierra Snowpack Could All but Disappear in 25 Years 1121.rtf

Snow Cover in Himachal Down by 18% in a Year 0821.rtf

Vast Wildfires in Siberia Linked to Warming Arctic 1220.rtf - less snow, with a much warmer winter, leaves forests more vulnerable to fire

Less Snow Is the New Norm. That’s Trouble for Farmers. 1220.rtf

Climate-Driven Arctic Changes Are Interconnected, Says 2020 Report Card 1220.rtf

We’re 60 Years Too Late to Stop Global Warming, Sea Level Rises 1120.rtf - Among other things, snow cover around the poles shrinks (especially melts earlier) as the climate warms. This allows Earth to absorb more sunlight, into the darker ground and plants beneath the snow. This increased energy, in part, heats the air above the ground, for still more sensible warming.

California Will Get So Hot That Mountain Streams Could Kill 0520.rtf

Climate Change May Diminish Big Snowstorms in the US 0520.rtf

Scientists Show How Much Less Snow We're Getting due to Climate Change 0520.rtf

As Yukon Snowpack Hits Near-Historic Low, Yukon Energy Looks beyond Hydro 0420.rtf

A Heat Wave in Antarctica Melted 20% of an Island's Snow in 9 Days 0220.rtf

Chile Ski Stations Fight the Ravages of Climate Change with Snow Cannons 0819.rtf

'Snow Droughts' Are Coming for the American West 0819.rtf

Reduced Snow Pack Could Alter Crystal-Clear Mountain Lakes 1218.rtf

When Mountains Fall into the Sea 0518.rtf

Mountain Snowpack Shrinks to 66% of Normal, Feds Sound Drought Alarm 0418.rtf

Snowpack Has Drastically Declined in the West This Century 0318.rtf

It's Not Just High Temps Messing with Snow—It's Dust 0218.rtf

Is California's Drought Returning? Snowpack Nears 2015's Historic Lows 0218.rtf

Snowpack Near Record Lows Spells Trouble for Western Water Supplies 0118.rtf

Major Trend of More Snowfall Seen in Antarctica Could Counter Sea Level Rise 0118.rtf

How Climate Change Is Impacting the American West Right Now 1217.rtf

Western Water Crunch Has Climate Change Fingerprints 0417.rtf

Thick Ice Formations in Arctic Rivers Are Melting Earlier in Summer 0417.rtf

The World’s Snowiest Place Is Starting to Melt 0417.rtf

As Climate Warms, Sierra Snowpack, CA’s #1 Water Source, Gets Less Reliable 0317.rtf

Peculiar Tie between Warm Climate, Slow Snowmelt 0217.rtf - Snowmelt starts earlier in year, when sun angle is lower.

Despite Gloomy California Snowpack Survey, State Water Officials Are Optimistic 0117.rtf

In the Polar Bear Capital of the World, the Snow Has Gone 1216.rtf

NH Snow Cover, Forcing & Feedbacks, as Function of Temperature - Chen et al. 0716.pdf - [from abstract] "The anomalies in snow cover resulted in a weakened snow radiative forcing of 0.12 (±0.003) W m−2 and feedback of 0.21 (±0.005) W m−2 K−1, in melting season, over the NH, from 1982 to 2013."

Unabated Global Warming Threatens West's Snowpack, Water Supply 0616.rtf

Western U.S. Snowpack Melting At Record Speed 0516.rtf

Sierra Nevada Snow Won’t End California’s Thirst 0416.rtf - Snows return in December 2015.

Meltdown - More Rain, Less Snow as the World Warms 0416.rtf

US East Coast Snowstorms Linked to Slowdown of Atlantic Current 0116.rtf

In Canada's Far North, Warm Weather Threatens Vital Ice Roads 1215.rtf

Dry, Warm Winter Leaves Western U.S. Snowpack at Record Low Levels 0415.rtf

Sierra Nevada Snowpack Hits Historic Low 0315.rtf

As Ice Turns to Slush, Experts Foresee End to Outdoor Hockey in Canada 0315.rtf

What a Record-Low Snowpack Means For Summer In The Northwest 0315.rtf

Scientists See Shrinking California Snowpack as a Harbinger 0115.rtf

Snowiest Decade in 50 Years? Compare Winter Snow Cover to Spring Lack 0115.rtf