September 29, 2009
Graph of the Day: Northern Hemisphere Ice Extent and Snow Cover Extent, 1960s to Present
Reductions in terrestrial snow cover (blue) and sea ice (red) extent during June to August over the Northern Hemisphere since the late 1960s and 1970s, respectively. Data are from the Global Snow Lab, Rutgers University, New Jersey, and the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Eric Post, et al., Ecological Dynamics Across the Arctic Associated with Recent Climate Change, Science, 11 September 2009: Vol. 325. no. 5946, pp. 1355 – 1358 DOI: 10.1126/science.1173113
Thanks for the link Des! When I first started noticing tree decline I thought it was due to climate change induced drought and particularly a reduction in snow cover, which insulates roots and provides a large slow release during spring melts. But I searched in vain for someone who measured the extent of snow cover over time!
Now I think it's mainly an atmospheric problem anyway, because of similar symptoms in aquatic plants, and annuals, and trees being watered regularly in nurseries.
But I'm still interested in the snow.