This book documents long-term studies of snow on high land in the
Cairmgorms, including fresh snow lying in summer, the extent of
snow on Ben Macdui plateau at the start of June, and dates of the
first fresh lying snowfalls at the sites of the main snow-beds. It
reviews data on the survival of snow patches through to the
following winter, and recounts a decline of snow patches in recent
decades. The author describes observations on rock lichens in
relation to snow-lie, and lists vantage points on public roads with
good views of places with snow patches on alpine land. He describes
skiing in and near Aberdeen in the snowy winters of the early
1950s, and an exceptional snowfall in the Cairngorms at the start
of September 1976. The author presents some descriptions and
photographs of how birds and mammals use snow for shelter and
sleeping. It has long been well known that red grouse, ptarmigan
and mountain hares use snow hollows, but here the author
illustrates how a fox used a snow hole, and how an otter made a
snow slide. He presents photographs of snow pillars, snow holes
made by human parties practising in winter, and avalanches. Next he
draws attention to the observation that the extent and species of
lichen and moss on cliffs, boulders and soil signify the extent of
snow-lie. These plants are absent on sites where snow lies very
late, or where frequent avalanches plunging down the cliff or water
flowing down it prevent plants from growing. Where prolonged
snow-lie occurs at the foot of cliffs or on cliff-tops, a band of
pale, greenish-yellow rock lichens that thrive in snowy conditions
is conspicuous, and in sunshine easily visible to the naked eye at
over a mile distance. Lastly he presents some photographs that show
snow mould growing on hill vegetation in Iceland and Scotland.
Keywords Snow, climate, weather, physical geography, science,
birds, mammals Author Adam Watson, BSc, PhD, DSc, DUniv, raised in
lowland Aberdeenshire, is a retired research ecologist aged 81. He
began lifelong interests on winter snow in 1937, snow patches in
1938, the Cairngorms in 1939. A mountaineer and ski-mountaineer
since boyhood, he has experienced Scotland, Iceland, Norway,
Sweden, mainland Canada, Newfoundland, Baffin Island, Finland,
Switzerland, Italy, Vancouver Island and Alaska. His main research
was and is on population biology, behaviour and habitat of northern
birds and mammals. In retirement he has contributed 16 scientific
publications on snow patches since 1994. He is a Fellow of the
Arctic Institute of North America, Centre for Ecology and
Hydrology, Royal Meteorological Society, Royal Society of
Edinburgh, and Society of Biology, and an Emeritus Member of the
Ecological Society of America. Since 1954 he has been a member of
the Scottish Mountaineering Club and since 1968 author of the
Club's District Guide to the Cairngorms.
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