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Sensitivity of mountain catchments to global warming: a case study of the San Basin, Poland
Author(s) -
Kędra Mariola
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/wej.12567
Subject(s) - precipitation , environmental science , snow , climate change , structural basin , global warming , hydrology (agriculture) , climatology , drainage basin , snowmelt , physical geography , geography , meteorology , geology , paleontology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , cartography
Abstract In changing climatic conditions with rising surface air temperatures mountain regions with their characteristic environment and accumulated snow deserve special attention and sustainable management. To investigate the sensitivity of mountain catchments to global warming, this study explores potential trends for hydro‐climatic variables between 1957 and 2016 (60 years). Based on the Mann‐Kendall test results, upward trends in air temperature were found from April to August; they are accompanied by less frequent but significant trends in precipitation (P), with increases in P for January and May, but a decrease for December. For river flow, significant upward trends were identified only for January, in line with P trends. In addition, comparative analyses of changes for two 30‐year periods (1987–2016 vs. 1957–1986) corroborate the main change directions and provide detailed information for more realistic future land and water management in the mountain catchments studied.