Concepts

Earlier emergence from hibernation in mid-April, more than a month earlier than in the 1970s, due to climate change effects

Lines of equivalent climate conditions that shift upslope with climate change

A physiological niche accounting for radiation, air temperature, wind, and humidity in which an animal can survive

Determination of cloud top altitude using atmospheric absorption in the oxygen A-band to infer pressure level

Nighttime accumulation of cold dense air in valleys and topographic depressions due to radiative cooling and gravity drainage

Turbulent atmospheric layer near surface that develops during daytime heating, characterized by well-mixed conditions and active convection

A statistically-defined avalanche size (typically 100-300 year return period) used for engineering and land-use planning

Climate conditions outside the growing season when plants are not actively growing

Vertical transfer of momentum from upper atmospheric levels down to near-surface levels through turbulent mixing or gravity waves

Precipitation efficiency measure based on integrated vapor transport normalization to evaluate microphysical scheme performance

Environmental changes with elevation including increased solar heating, low nocturnal temperatures, sudden intense storms, large interannual variations in snowpack, shorter growing season, lower plant...

Short-term (2-4 week) variation in temperature and precipitation that may interact with long-term climate change effects

Mechanism where upper-level flow is channeled by valley sidewalls when convective boundary layer grows above ridge height, causing valley wind direction to align with upper-level flow

Quantified biomass of combustible material including duff, litter, and downed woody debris classified by time to ignition

Early season dry period that occurs after snowmelt and lasts until the start of the summer monsoon season

Mass of ice particles per unit volume of air, typically expressed in kg m⁻³

Regulation essential for photosynthesis, respiration, and water retention that impacts plant energy balance

Protection of local environmental conditions from broader regional climate trends by fine-scale topographic features

Representation of cloud microphysical processes in atmospheric models that control precipitation initiation and rates of snowfall

Quantitative measure of how heavily rimed an ice particle is, with M = 0 meaning completely unrimed and M → 1 meaning spherical graupel

Climate changes driven by variations in Earth's orbital parameters affecting incoming solar radiation distribution

Atmospheric absorption of solar radiation by molecular oxygen around 760nm wavelength used for pressure level determination

Reconstruction of past glacier extents and ice thickness using geomorphic evidence and numerical modeling