Snow accumulation and ablation in disturbed mountain spruce forest in West Tatra Mts

Abstract

In the presented paper we deal with the impact of the mature spruce stand on the accumulation and melting of snow cover at Červenec research area located in the Western Tatras at an elevation of 1420 m a.s.l. The work analyses the data obtained from the monitoring of snow cover during the period 2009–2014 (6 seasons). Since the season 2012/2013 the measurements have been also performed in a dead part of the stand and in a meadow. The results proved significant impact of the spruce stand on hydro-physical characteristics of snow cover — snow water equivalent, snow density, as well as on their change due to the dieback of the stand. The data measured at individual locations (open space in the forest, open meadow area, living and dead forest) were tested with the paired t-test for the significance of average differences. Average snow water equivalent in the living forest, dead forest and meadow was 42%, 47% and 83% of the reference value measured at the open space in the forest, respectively. The process of snow accumulation and melting was fastest at the open space, followed by the dead forest. In the living forest, the processes were the slowest.