• Energy Research

Abstract Snow represents a fundamental water resource for mountain and lowland areas. Changes in the frequency and magnitude of snow droughts can significantly impact societies and ecosystems that rely on snowmelt to satisfy their water demands. Here we documented and quantified the snow drought that affected the Italian Alps during the early 2020s. We used 15 long-term snow-depth series (period 1930–2023, elevation range: 864–2200 m a.s.l.) to simulate the snow water equivalent (SWE), in conjunction with climatic reanalysis data and river discharge observations. We found that the March SWE anomaly in 2022 reached the lowest value in the last century, due to an unprecedented combination of drier- and warmer-than-normal conditions in the period December 2021–March 2022. This event contributed to causing critical hydrological conditions in the Po and Adige rivers which, during summer 2022, experienced the worst hydrological drought ever recorded. Despite its unprecedented magnitude, the snow drought in 2022 is part of a recent pattern of increased intensity and frequency of snow-drought events since the 1990s, due to the combined increasing occurrence of warmer- and drier-than-normal climatic conditions during the snow season. Remarkably, three out of the five most severe snow-drought events occurred in the last five years, with exceptional snow-drought conditions even occurring in the last two consecutive winters, 2022 and 2023. The snow-drought conditions that occurred in the early 2020s in the Italian Alps warn of the pressing need for the implementation of impact mitigation measures to adapt to the fast changing snow and climatic conditions.

The skiing industry often represent the main contribution to mountain regions’ economy, by providing several economic benefits and the improvement of services and infrastructure. Ski resorts also play a crucial role as an impacting factor, causing severe changes on Alpine landscape and ecosystems. In particular ski runs construction and operation have considerable impacts on alpine soils, influencing their chemical and physical properties which affecting the establishment and development of plant communities. The work provides a description of the changes in soil properties and the related effects on vegetation. It aims furthermore to investigate the recent best practices applied for a successful soil restoration after ski runs construction, which may contribute to a sustainable use of mountain soils and ecosystems. Based on the current regulatory framework, this review gives a global overview on how, in Europe and specifically in Italy, the sustainable use of soils is considered during the construction and management of ski runs. As the framework is still lacking of specific rules regarding soil protection and management on ski runs, the present work wishes to provide recommendations in order to fill this gap, favoring the effective application of best practices for soil protection during ski run construction and maintenance.

Average atmospheric temperature has increased globally over the last decades and, as a response, the cryosphere is changing (Fountain et al., 2012). Permafrost, a component of the cryosphere, is widespread in the Arctic and Antarctica, and in cold mountains, including densely populated areas of the European Alps and Asian mountain ranges (Gruber, 2012). Permafrost interacts with climate (Walter Anthony et al., 2006; Schuur et al., 2015), hydrology (e.g., Liljedahl et al., 2016), ecosystems (Jorgenson et al., 2001; Vonk et al., 2015) and human systems (Nelson et al., 2002; Harris et al., 2009). Recent reviews have focused on the impacts of permafrost warming and degradation on river biogeochemistry (Frey and McClelland, 2009) and aquatic ecosystems (Vonk et al., 2015) in the Arctic. Notwithstanding, local and regional modifications of water hydrochemistry due to permafrost degradation have been reported from many locations, globally. Given the sparsity of data available, understanding and analysing permafrost degradation impacts on inorganic chemistry of surface fresh water will benefit from identifying common patterns in existing studies. The present review thus aims to distil insight gained across differing permafrost environments and configurations globally. Following a brief background section, we distinguish three typical example configurations of permafrost thaw. For those, we review impacts of permafrost degradation on major ions (e.g., Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42-, NO3-) and on trace elements (e.g., Ni, Mn, Al, Hg, Pb).

Pour mieux comprendre l'application mondiale des modèles de prédiction de l'érosion des sols, nous avons examiné de manière approfondie la littérature de recherche pertinente évaluée par des pairs sur la modélisation de l'érosion des sols publiée entre 1994 et 2017. Nous avons cherché à identifier (i) les processus et les modèles les plus fréquemment abordés dans la littérature, (ii) les régions dans lesquelles les modèles sont principalement appliqués, (iii) les régions qui restent non traitées et pourquoi, et (iv) la fréquence des études menées pour valider/évaluer les résultats des modèles par rapport aux données mesurées. Pour mener à bien cette tâche, nous avons combiné les connaissances collectives de 67 scientifiques spécialistes de l'érosion des sols de 25 pays. La base de données résultante, intitulée « Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT) », comprend 3030 enregistrements de modélisation individuels provenant de 126 pays, englobant tous les continents (à l'exception de l'Antarctique). Sur les 8471 articles identifiés comme potentiellement pertinents, nous avons examiné 1697 articles appropriés et systématiquement évalué et transféré 42 attributs pertinents dans la base de données. Cette base de données GASEMT fournit des informations complètes sur l'état de l'art des modèles d'érosion des sols et des applications de modèles dans le monde entier. Cette base de données vise à soutenir la prochaine évaluation mondiale de l'érosion des sols par les Nations Unies basée sur les pays, en plus d'aider à éclairer les priorités de recherche sur l'érosion des sols en construisant une base pour de futures analyses ciblées et approfondies. GASEMT est une base de données open-source à la disposition de l'ensemble de la communauté des utilisateurs pour développer la recherche, corriger les erreurs et faire des extensions futures. Para comprender mejor la aplicación global de los modelos de predicción de la erosión del suelo, revisamos exhaustivamente la literatura de investigación relevante revisada por pares sobre modelos de erosión del suelo publicada entre 1994 y 2017. Nuestro objetivo fue identificar (i) los procesos y modelos abordados con mayor frecuencia en la literatura, (ii) las regiones dentro de las cuales se aplican principalmente los modelos, (iii) las regiones que permanecen sin abordar y por qué, y (iv) con qué frecuencia se realizan estudios para validar/evaluar los resultados del modelo en relación con los datos medidos. Para realizar esta tarea, combinamos el conocimiento colectivo de 67 científicos de erosión de suelos de 25 países. La base de datos resultante, denominada 'Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT)', incluye 3030 registros de modelado individuales de 126 países, que abarcan todos los continentes (excepto la Antártida). De los 8471 artículos identificados como potencialmente relevantes, revisamos 1697 artículos apropiados y evaluamos y transferimos sistemáticamente 42 atributos relevantes a la base de datos. Esta base de datos GASEMT proporciona información integral sobre el estado del arte de los modelos de erosión del suelo y las aplicaciones de modelos en todo el mundo. Esta base de datos tiene la intención de apoyar la próxima evaluación mundial de la erosión del suelo de las Naciones Unidas basada en los países, además de ayudar a informar las prioridades de investigación de la erosión del suelo mediante la creación de una base para futuros análisis específicos y en profundidad. GASEMT es una base de datos de código abierto disponible para toda la comunidad de usuarios para desarrollar investigaciones, rectificar errores y realizar futuras expansiones. To gain a better understanding of the global application of soil erosion prediction models, we comprehensively reviewed relevant peer-reviewed research literature on soil-erosion modelling published between 1994 and 2017. We aimed to identify (i) the processes and models most frequently addressed in the literature, (ii) the regions within which models are primarily applied, (iii) the regions which remain unaddressed and why, and (iv) how frequently studies are conducted to validate/evaluate model outcomes relative to measured data. To perform this task, we combined the collective knowledge of 67 soil-erosion scientists from 25 countries. The resulting database, named 'Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT)', includes 3030 individual modelling records from 126 countries, encompassing all continents (except Antarctica). Out of the 8471 articles identified as potentially relevant, we reviewed 1697 appropriate articles and systematically evaluated and transferred 42 relevant attributes into the database. This GASEMT database provides comprehensive insights into the state-of-the-art of soil- erosion models and model applications worldwide. This database intends to support the upcoming country-based United Nations global soil-erosion assessment in addition to helping to inform soil erosion research priorities by building a foundation for future targeted, in-depth analyses. GASEMT is an open-source database available to the entire user-community to develop research, rectify errors, and make future expansions. للحصول على فهم أفضل للتطبيق العالمي لنماذج التنبؤ بتآكل التربة، قمنا بمراجعة شاملة للأدبيات البحثية ذات الصلة التي استعرضها الأقران حول نمذجة تآكل التربة المنشورة بين عامي 1994 و 2017. كنا نهدف إلى تحديد (1) العمليات والنماذج التي يتم تناولها بشكل متكرر في الأدبيات، (2) المناطق التي يتم فيها تطبيق النماذج في المقام الأول، (3) المناطق التي لا تزال دون معالجة ولماذا، و (4) عدد المرات التي يتم فيها إجراء دراسات للتحقق من صحة/تقييم نتائج النموذج بالنسبة للبيانات المقاسة. لأداء هذه المهمة، جمعنا المعرفة الجماعية لـ 67 عالمًا في مجال تآكل التربة من 25 دولة. تتضمن قاعدة البيانات الناتجة، المسماة "التطبيقات العالمية لتتبع نمذجة تآكل التربة (GASEMT )"، 3030 سجل نمذجة فردي من 126 دولة، تشمل جميع القارات (باستثناء القارة القطبية الجنوبية). من بين 8471 مقالة تم تحديدها على أنها ذات صلة محتملة، قمنا بمراجعة 1697 مقالة مناسبة وقمنا بتقييم ونقل 42 سمة ذات صلة بشكل منهجي إلى قاعدة البيانات. توفر قاعدة بيانات GASEMT هذه رؤى شاملة حول أحدث نماذج تآكل التربة وتطبيقات النماذج في جميع أنحاء العالم. تهدف قاعدة البيانات هذه إلى دعم التقييم العالمي المقبل لتآكل التربة الذي تجريه الأمم المتحدة على المستوى القطري بالإضافة إلى المساعدة في توجيه أولويات أبحاث تآكل التربة من خلال بناء أساس للتحليلات المتعمقة المستهدفة في المستقبل. GASEMT هي قاعدة بيانات مفتوحة المصدر متاحة لمجتمع المستخدمين بأكمله لتطوير البحث وتصحيح الأخطاء وإجراء التوسعات المستقبلية.

We studied the effects of three soil management approaches (permanent grassing, chemical weeding, and buffer strips), and the additional impact of tractor passage on soil erosion in a sloping vineyard located in the inner part of Aosta Valley (N-W Italian Alps). The vineyard rows were equipped with a sediment collection system with channels and barrel tanks. A total of 12 events with sediment production were observed across 6 years, and the collected sediments were weighted and analyzed. Average erosion rates ranged from negligible (mainly in grassed rows) to 1.1 t ha−1 per event (after weeding). The most erosive event occurred in July 2015, with a total rainfall of 32.2 mm, of which 20.1 were recorded in 1 h. Despite the limited number of erosive events observed, and the low measured erosion rates, permanent grassing reduced soil erosion considerably with respect to weeding; buffering had a comparable effect to grassing. The tractor passage, independent of the soil management approaches adopted, visibly accelerated the erosion process. The collected sediments were highly enriched in organic C, total N, and fine size fractions, indicating a potential loss of fertility over time. Despite the measured erosion rates being low over the experiment’s duration, more severe events are well documented in the recent past, and the number of intense storms is likely to increase due to climate change. Thus, the potential effects of erosion in the medium and long term need to be limited to a minimum rate of soil loss. Our experiment helped to compare soil losses by erosion under different soil management practices, including permanent grassing, i.e., a nature-based erosion mitigation measure. The results of the research can provide useful indications for planners and practitioners in similar regions, for sustainable, cross-sectoral soil management, and the enhancement of soil ecosystem services.