Climate change causes functionally colder winters for snow cover-dependent organisms

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 07 October 2019; doi:10.1038/s41558-019-0588-4

The subnivium—the space between snowpack and the ground—is an insulating refuge from winter cold. This study predicts that climate warming decreases the subnivium’s seasonal duration yet increases snow-free days with frozen ground, making winter functionally colder for subnivium-dependent life.