Interannual variability of snow cover characteristics of the GrØnfjord basin (Spitsbergen) at the beginning of the XXI century

The snow cover plays one of the key roles in the water balance of water objects in Arctic archipelagos. The current climate changes in the Arctic region can have a complex impact on the snow cover of Arctic archipelagos. Since 2000, the Russian Federal State Budgetary Institution “AARI” has been conducting research on the snow cover on the Spitsbergen Archipelago near Barentsburg as part of a hydrological study. The aim of this work is to generalize and analyze the data obtained from the perspective of interannual variability under conditions of climate change. The paper presents results of snow surveys. Gaps in the observations are restored using statistical methods. It was found that during the study period from 2000 to 2024, no statistically significant trends were observed in the main characteristics of the snow cover (height, density, snow water equivalent) — –2.6 cm/10 years, –1.0 kg/m³/10 years and 1.8 mm w. e./10 years respectively. It was shown that the characteristics of the snow cover at similar objects are well correlated with each other and with the maximum height of the snow cover at the Barentsburg weather station, and they can be used to reconstruct the gaps. The climate in the study area during the cold season is becoming slightly warmer, windier, and drier, though the warmest years are also the wettest. The dates of snow disappearance and onset, as well as the duration of snow cover presence, remain largely unchanged. No relationships were found between the meteorological parameters of the cold period and the height or proportion of basal ice in total watershed liquid-water content. Correlation analysis results demonstrate the sensitivity of high-elevation watershed snow cover characteristics (glaciers) to precipitation totals during the cold period, while lowland valley watershed characteristics are sensitive to temperature. Thus, we currently observe an overall stationary period of snow accumulation conditions, where the increase in coldseason temperatures is partially offset by increased precipitation, and the sensitivity of watershed snow cover characteristics depends on their elevation.