The impact of urban heat island on snow properties and stratigraphy in the Moscow region

IF 6.9 2区工程技术 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Urban Climate Pub Date : 2025-08-01 DOI:10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102545

Anton Komarov , Alla Turchaninova , Yuri Seliverstov , Sergey Sokratov , Julienne Stroeve

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is common in large cities during both summer and winter. In winter, heat is not only retained by infrastructure, buildings, and roads, but also actively released during their use, with substantial losses to the surrounding environment. This leads to higher urban temperatures compared to nearby rural areas. While the phenomenon is well documented, its impact on snow cover properties remains understudied.

In this study, we examine the influence of the UHI on snow cover by comparing snow properties and stratigraphy between an urban site (Moscow) and adjacent rural site (Khotkovo) over the 2014–2022 period. Our methodology included in-situ measurements of snow depth and density, analysis of meteorological station data on snow depth, temperature and precipitation, and satellite-based assessment of land surface temperature using MODIS (MOD11A1) imagery.

Results show that snow cover duration was shorter at the urban site due to later onset and earlier melt. Despite slightly higher winter precipitation in Moscow, snow depth and snow water equivalent were consistently lower than in Khotkovo. Urban snowpacks had higher average density. Stratigraphic analysis revealed thicker melt-freeze layers in Moscow and thinner layers of faceted crystals and depth hoar compared to the rural site.

These findings highlight the role of the urban heat island in altering snow cover properties and stratigraphy. They provide valuable insights for improving snowpack modeling and assessing hydrological and ecological conditions in urban environments.

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莫斯科地区城市热岛对雪性质和地层学的影响

城市热岛效应在大城市夏季和冬季都很常见。在冬季，热量不仅被基础设施、建筑物和道路保留，而且在使用过程中也会主动释放，对周围环境造成大量损失。这导致城市温度高于附近的农村地区。虽然这一现象已被充分记录，但其对积雪特性的影响仍未得到充分研究。在这项研究中，我们通过比较2014-2022年期间城市站点（莫斯科）和邻近农村站点（霍特科沃）的雪特性和地层学，研究了UHI对积雪覆盖的影响。我们的方法包括现场测量雪深和密度，分析气象站的雪深、温度和降水数据，以及使用MODIS （MOD11A1）图像进行基于卫星的地表温度评估。结果表明：城区积雪持续时间较短，积雪开始时间较晚，积雪融化时间较早；尽管莫斯科冬季降水量略高，但雪深和雪水当量始终低于霍特科沃。城市积雪的平均密度较高。地层学分析显示，与农村地区相比，莫斯科的融冻层更厚，多面晶体层更薄，深度也更浅。这些发现强调了城市热岛在改变积雪特性和地层学中的作用。它们为改善积雪模型和评估城市环境中的水文和生态条件提供了有价值的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Urban Climate Social Sciences-Urban Studies

CiteScore

9.70

自引率

9.40%

发文量

286

期刊介绍： Urban Climate serves the scientific and decision making communities with the publication of research on theory, science and applications relevant to understanding urban climatic conditions and change in relation to their geography and to demographic, socioeconomic, institutional, technological and environmental dynamics and global change. Targeted towards both disciplinary and interdisciplinary audiences, this journal publishes original research papers, comprehensive review articles, book reviews, and short communications on topics including, but not limited to, the following: Urban meteorology and climate[...] Urban environmental pollution[...] Adaptation to global change[...] Urban economic and social issues[...] Research Approaches[...]