Study Area - Response of Flood Events to Land Use and Climate Change - page 105

Fig. 4.6 Average monthly
precipitation between 1961 to
2009
Month
4.4.2 Temperature
Based on the observed data in the Barcelonnette station from 1961 to 2009, the
maximum recorded temperature in August 2003 was 29.37 C while the minimum
temperature in January 1981 was 13.59 C (Fig. 4.7 a-f).
It can be seen through a comparison that the precipitation and discharge in
August 2003 had a maximum value of 48.4 and a minimum value of 5.64. In
January 1981, the precipitation and discharge were recorded at 33.3 and 5.21 mm.
The monthly analysis shows that the highest temperature was during May to
September, but July and August always show the highest temperatures, more than
20 C (Fig. 4.8 ).
4.4.3 Snow Depth
The snow depth observation was limited from only 1995 to 2005, which was
recorded at Restofond at an elevation of 2720 m, with the slope facing to the north.
According to Weber's [ 6 ] investigation, some factors such as air temperature, wind
direction, and wind velocity affect the depth of snow in this area. An average of
1.3 m snow depth was recorded in the Barcelonnette area in the valley region,
while this rate increased to 8 m in the skiing area at an elevation of 2500-3000 m
height on the shady southern slope [ 6 ]. According to the literature, the duration of
snow cover lasts at least 4-5 months per year (Fig. 4.9 ). Bhattacharya [ 9 ]
conducted some interviews with local people and they reported that there had been
neither any decline in the amount of snowfall nor had there been more frequent or
wetter winters. Drier summers are a possible indication of climate change in