Exploring potential nonlinear developments of snowline depletion in a changing climate in Austria

The seasonal snow cover is of great interest in Austria due to its immense importance for numerous economic, ecological and social sectors. Meteorological conditions, expressed as the snowline altitude determine whether rain or snow falls on the ground. If the intensity of precipitation is sufficiently high and there is little atmospheric mixing, the melting of solid precipitation in valley areas can lead to a cooling of the atmosphere and to a further drop in the snowline altitude – the snowline depletion effect.  In the course of a changing climate, an increase in snowline altitude is predicted. However, these predictions do not consider the described effect of snowline depletion. From the theory, the increase of the snowline has nonlinear consequences for the frequency and intensity of the subsequent depletion effect. In this study, we investigate this effect for Austria during past precipitation events on the basis of station observations and gridded now-casting products, develop and test a simplified parametrization, and subsequently show its potential future evolution based on simulations.