An investigation of winter minimum temperatures in the mountains of Montenegro – a case study from the karst depression of Valoviti Do and selected mountain stations of northern Montenegro

Matej Ogrin; Gojko Nikolić; Darko Ogrin; Tajan Trobec

doi:10.5937/gp22-18017

Matej Ogrin University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Geography
Gojko Nikolić University of Montenegro, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Geography
Darko Ogrin University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Geography
Tajan Trobec Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/gp22-18017

Keywords: minimum temperatures, local climate, mountain climate, Durmitor, Montenegro,

Abstract

This article presents the findings from measurements of winter minimum temperatures taken over a period of several years in the high mountain karst depression of Valoviti Do on the Durmitor massif (Montenegro), and compares them with temperatures measured in the network of official stations operated by the Montenegro Hydrometeorological Institute. We took into consideration meteorological stations that are located in the coldest sites of Montenegro. The results of the measurements showed that winter minimum temperatures in high mountain depressions of Montenegro are considerably lower than the temperatures measured in the framework of the national network of meteorological stations, which are rarely located in the mountain environment. In the course of taking measurements in five nonconsecutive winter seasons in the period from 2007 to 2015 we also measured the lowest temperature recorded to date in Montenegro, -40 ºC.

References

Annys, K., Frankl, A., Spalević, V., Čurović, M., Borota, D., & Nyssen, J. (2014). Geomorphology of the Durmitor Mountains and surrounding plateau Jezerska Površ (Montenegro). Journal of Maps, 10(4), 600-611. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2014.909338 (accessed 23 April 2017).

Bárány-Kevei, I. (1999). Microclimate of karstic dolines. Acta Climatologica, 32(33), 19-27.

Brönnimann, S., Andrade, M., & Diaz, H. F. (2014). Climate Change in the European Alps. In Kohler, Thomas; Wehrli, André & Jurek, Matthias (Eds.) Mountains and Climate Change. A Global Concern (pp. 14-15). Bern: Geographica Bernensia

Burić, D., Ducić, V., & Luković, J. (2011). Climate variability in Montenegro in second half of the XX and the beginning of the XXI century. Podgorica: Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts

Clements, C. B., Whiteman, C. D., & Horel, J. D. (2003). Cold-air-pool structure and evolution in a mountain basin: Peter Sinks, Utah. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 42(6), 752-768.

Dozier, J., & Frew, J. (1990). Rapid calculation of terrain parameters for radiation modeling from digital elevation data. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 28(5), 963-969.

Djurović, P. (2009). Reconstruction of the Pleistocene glaciers of Mt. Durmitor in Montenegro. Acta Geographica Slovenica, 49(2), 263-289.

Djurovic, P. (2011). Visokoplaninski kras Durmitora [High mountain karst on Durmitor]. Belgrade: Forma B.

Djurović, P. (2012). The Debeli Namet glacier (Durmitor, Montenegro)–from the second half of the 20th century to the present. Acta geographica slovenica, 52(2), 277-301. https://ojs.zrc-sazu.si/ags/article/view/1357 (accessed 23 April 2017).

Gams, I. (1972): Prispevek k mikroklimatologiji vrtač in kraških polj [A contribution to the microclimatology of the karst dolines and poljes]. Geografski zbornik, 13, 5–79.

Hurrell, J. W. (1995). Decadal trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: regional temperatures and precipitation. Science, 269(5224), 676-679.

Lareau, N. P., Crosman, E., Whiteman, C. D., Horel, J. D., Hoch, S. W., Brown, W. O., & Horst, T. W. (2013). The persistent cold-air pool study. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 94(1), 51-63. http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00255.1 (accessed 22 April 2017).

Martinčić, A. (1975). Vpliv človeka na nastanek nekaterih mrazišč v Trnovskem gozdu. Razprave. Posebna številka 1, 35–43. URL: http://www.meteo-drustvo.si/data/Arhiv_razprave_papers/razprave/po_stevilkah/75/simpozij/1/simpozij_75_1_35-43.pdf (accessed 23 April 2017).

Martinčič, A. (1977). Prispevek k poznavanju ekologije mrazišč v Sloveniji.– botanično-ekološka skica [Contribution to the knowledge of the ecology of cold holes in Slovenia: botanical-ecological sketch.]. Ljubljana: Slovenska Akademija Znanosti in Umetnosti. 91 p.

Morley, M., & Woodward, J. (2007). Mediterranean Quaternary rockshelter sediment records: A multi-proxy approach to environmental reconstruction. University of Manchester.

Müller, H., & Whiteman, C. D. (1988). Breakup of a nocturnal temperature inversion in the Dischma Valley during DISKUS. Journal of applied Meteorology, 27(2), 188-194. http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/1520-0450%281988%29027%3C0188%3ABOANTI%3E2.0.CO%3B2 (accessed 23 April 2017).

Natek, K. (2007). Periglacial landforms in the Pohorje Mountains. Dela, 27, 247-263.

National prediction center (2018). National Weather Service. Monitoring Weather & Climate. URL: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/pna/nao_index.html (accessed 23 October 2018)

Ogrin, D., Sinjur, I., & Ogrin, M. (2006). Extreme temperature minimums in Slovenian Alpine dolines. In Sixth Annual Meeting of the European Meteorological Society (EMS) and Sixth European Conference on Applied Climatography (ECAC). Ljubljana: Slovenia, 4-8 September 2006.

Ogrin, M. (2007). The minimum temperatures in the winter 2006/07 in Slovenian frost hollows and cold basin. Dela, 28, 221-237.

Ortar, J., Ogrin, M., Vertačnik, G., & Sinjur, I. (2010). Primerjava temperaturnih razmer v mraziščih Reovce (Orjen), Valoviti Do (Durmitor), Luknja in Mrzla Komna (obe Julijske Alpe) v meteorološki zimi 2007/2008. In Geoekologija XXI vijeka: teorijski I aplikativni zadaci : zbornik referata [Geoecology - XXI century: theoretical and applicative tasks: proceedings of the symposium: Proceedings. Nikšić: Filozofski fakultet, pp. 553–561.

Ortar, J. (2011). Tipizacija in regionalizacija slovenskih mrazišč: diplomsko delo (Doctoral dissertation, J. Ortar). Ljubljana: Oddelek za geografijo, Filozofska fakulteta, 63 p.

Petkovšek, Z. (1992). Turbulent dissipation of cold air lake in a basin. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, 47(2-4), 237-245.

Radojčić, B. (2008). Geografija Crne Gore Prirodna osnova. Podgorica: Dukljanska akademija nauka i umjetnosti, 355 p.

Schmidt, W. (1930). Die tiefsten Minimumtemperaturen in Mitteleuropa. Naturwissenschaften, 18(17), 367-369.

Trošt, A. (2008). Mrazišča na Komni: diplomsko delo. Ljubljana: Oddelek za geografijo, Filozofska fakulteta, 83 p.

Whiteman, C. D., Bian, X., & Zhong, S. (1999). Wintertime evolution of the temperature inversion in the Colorado Plateau Basin. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 38(8), 1103-1117.

Wetterzentrale (2018). Archive of GFS reanalysis. URL: http://www.wetterzentrale.de/reanalysis.php?map=1&model=avn&var=2&jaar=2011&maand=01&dag=04&uur=0000&h=0&tr=1440&nmaps=24#mapref (accessed 23 October 2018)

Whiteman, C. D., Haiden, T., Pospichal, B., Eisenbach, S., & Steinacker, R. (2004). Minimum temperatures, diurnal temperature ranges, and temperature inversions in limestone sinkholes of different sizes and shapes. Journal of applied meteorology, 43(8), 1224-1236.

Whiteman, C. D., De Wekker, S. F., & Haiden, T. (2004). Boundary layer moisture regimes in small closed basins. In 16th Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence, 9 − 13 August 2004, Portland.

Zhong, S., Whiteman, C. D., Bian, X., Shaw, W. J., & Hubbe, J. M. (2001). Meteorological processes affecting the evolution of a wintertime cold air pool in the Columbia basin. Monthly Weather Review, 129(10), 2600-2613.