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Dr. Marc Pons
Andorra Research and Innovation

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Director of the Andorra Research and Innovation Institute.

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Journal article
Published: 18 December 2020 in Sustainability
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Climate change is an evolving business reality influencing the sustainability of ski tourism worldwide. A new integrated model of the co-evolution of supply (27 ski areas) and demand-side (skier behaviour) climate change adaptation in the ski tourism market of Ontario, Canada is presented. Ski area operations are modeled under a high-emission 2050s scenario, with skier responses to altered operations informed by a survey of 2429 skiers. These market adaptive dynamics reveal new insights into differential climate risk, capturing patterns not apparent when considering only operational conditions of ski resorts. A decoupling of ski season length and skier visitation was found at four ski areas, where, despite average season length losses, visitation increased as a result of reduced competition. Simulated skier visit losses were smaller than reductions in season length, contributing to an increase in crowding. Growing the market of skiers was also identified as a critical adaptation strategy that could offset skier visit losses from shortened seasons. Climate change challenges the future sustainability of ski areas in this market in several ways: profitability of ski areas with substantially shorter seasons, increased snowmaking costs, crowding impacts on visitor experience, and potential overtourism at the few most climate resilient destinations.

ACS Style

Daniel Scott; Robert Steiger; Michelle Rutty; Marc Pons; Peter Johnson. Climate Change and Ski Tourism Sustainability: An Integrated Model of the Adaptive Dynamics between Ski Area Operations and Skier Demand. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10617 .

AMA Style

Daniel Scott, Robert Steiger, Michelle Rutty, Marc Pons, Peter Johnson. Climate Change and Ski Tourism Sustainability: An Integrated Model of the Adaptive Dynamics between Ski Area Operations and Skier Demand. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (24):10617.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Scott; Robert Steiger; Michelle Rutty; Marc Pons; Peter Johnson. 2020. "Climate Change and Ski Tourism Sustainability: An Integrated Model of the Adaptive Dynamics between Ski Area Operations and Skier Demand." Sustainability 12, no. 24: 10617.

Preprint content
Published: 23 March 2020
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Water resources have a fundamental value for both ecosystems and society. However, changes in climate, population, consumption patterns, land use and urbanization are affecting its quality and future availability. In Andorra, a country located in the middle of the Pyrenees, the confluence of climate change and a socioeconomic model with an important weight of tourism industry based on an intensive use of water could threaten the future sustainability of water resources. 

This paper analyses the water resources of Andorra and its future sustainability using the Water Evaluation And Planning system (WEAP) modelling tool. 

The WEAP-Andorra model presents an initial estimate of the national water demand segregated into the main water consumers of the country (tourism, residential, primary sector and power generation). It explores the future evolution of water resources combining climatic and socioeconomic scenarios such as evolution of the population, tourism, power generation plans and land use patterns.

Results of scenarios show that in general terms and at country scale the impact of climate change will not compromise the future water demand. However, in some locations and in specific periods or seasons it could be some challenges to give response to all the demands and rise tensions about what water uses should be prioritized, especially between tourism and ski resort and resident uses.   

The WEAP model presented in this paper is demonstrated a useful tool to support management, decision-making and the design of policies for sustainable water management and adaptation to climate change.

ACS Style

Cristina Pesado-Pons; Oriol Travesset-Baro; Javier Zabalza; Juan Ignacio López-Moreno; Marc Pons. Sustainability of water resources in Andorra under global change: The effects of climate and socio-economic changes in the future of water resources. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Cristina Pesado-Pons, Oriol Travesset-Baro, Javier Zabalza, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, Marc Pons. Sustainability of water resources in Andorra under global change: The effects of climate and socio-economic changes in the future of water resources. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cristina Pesado-Pons; Oriol Travesset-Baro; Javier Zabalza; Juan Ignacio López-Moreno; Marc Pons. 2020. "Sustainability of water resources in Andorra under global change: The effects of climate and socio-economic changes in the future of water resources." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 09 August 2019 in Urban Science
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In the new paradigm of the smart cities world, public opinion is one of the most important issues in the new conception of urban space and its corresponding regulations. The data collection in terms of environmental noise cannot only be related to the value of the equivalent noise level LAeq of the places of interest. According to WHO reports, the different types of noise (traffic, anthropomorphic, industrial, and others) have different effects on citizens; the focus of this study is to use the identification of noise sources and their single impacts on background urban noise to develop a visualization tool that can represent all this information in real time. This work used a 3D model platform to visualize the acoustic measurements recorded at three strategic positions over the country by means of a sound map. This was a pilot project in terms of noise source identification. The visualization method presented in this work supports the understanding of the data collected and helps the space-time interpretation of the events. In the study of soundscape, it is essential not only to have the information of the events that have occurred, but also to have the relations established between them and their location. The platform visualizes the measured noise and differentiates four types of noise, the equivalent acoustic level measured and the salience of the event with respect to background noise by means of the calculation of SNR (Signal-to-Noise), providing better data both in terms of quantity and quality and allowing policy-makers to make better-informed decisions on how to minimize the impact of environmental noise on people.

ACS Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès; Marc Vilella; Marc Pons; Robert Garcia Almazan. Mapping the Sound Environment of Andorra and Escaldes-Engordany by Means of a 3D City Model Platform. Urban Science 2019, 3, 89 .

AMA Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès, Marc Vilella, Marc Pons, Robert Garcia Almazan. Mapping the Sound Environment of Andorra and Escaldes-Engordany by Means of a 3D City Model Platform. Urban Science. 2019; 3 (3):89.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès; Marc Vilella; Marc Pons; Robert Garcia Almazan. 2019. "Mapping the Sound Environment of Andorra and Escaldes-Engordany by Means of a 3D City Model Platform." Urban Science 3, no. 3: 89.

Journal article
Published: 24 April 2019 in The Cryosphere
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Climate change is increasingly regarded as a threat for winter tourism due to the combined effect of decreasing natural snow amounts and decreasing suitable periods for snowmaking. The present work investigated the snow reliability of 175 ski resorts in France (Alps and Pyrenees), Spain and Andorra under past and future conditions using state-of-the-art snowpack modelling and climate projections using Representative Concentration Pathways RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The natural snow reliability (i.e. without snowmaking) elevation showed a significant spatial variability in the reference period (1986–2005) and was shown to be highly impacted by the ongoing climate change. The reliability elevation using snowmaking is projected to rise by 200 to 300 m in the Alps and by 400 to 600 m in the Pyrenees in the near future (2030–2050) compared to the reference period for all climate scenarios. While 99 % of ski lift infrastructures exhibit adequate snow reliability in the reference period when using snowmaking, a significant fraction (14 % to 25 %) may be considered in a critical situation in the near future. Beyond the mid-century, climate projections highly depend on the scenario with either steady conditions compared to the near future (RCP2.6) or continuous decrease in snow reliability (RCP8.5). Under RCP8.5, our projections show that there would no longer be any snow-reliable ski resorts based on natural snow conditions in the French Alps and Pyrenees (France, Spain and Andorra) at the end of the century (2080–2100). For this time period and this scenario, only 24 resorts are projected to remain reliable with snowmaking, all being located in the Alps.

ACS Style

Pierre Spandre; Hugues François; Deborah Verfaillie; Marc Pons; Matthieu Vernay; Matthieu Lafaysse; Emmanuelle George; Samuel Morin. Winter tourism under climate change in the Pyrenees and the French Alps: relevance of snowmaking as a technical adaptation. The Cryosphere 2019, 13, 1325 -1347.

AMA Style

Pierre Spandre, Hugues François, Deborah Verfaillie, Marc Pons, Matthieu Vernay, Matthieu Lafaysse, Emmanuelle George, Samuel Morin. Winter tourism under climate change in the Pyrenees and the French Alps: relevance of snowmaking as a technical adaptation. The Cryosphere. 2019; 13 (4):1325-1347.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pierre Spandre; Hugues François; Deborah Verfaillie; Marc Pons; Matthieu Vernay; Matthieu Lafaysse; Emmanuelle George; Samuel Morin. 2019. "Winter tourism under climate change in the Pyrenees and the French Alps: relevance of snowmaking as a technical adaptation." The Cryosphere 13, no. 4: 1325-1347.

Correction
Published: 18 March 2019 in Environments
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The authors would like to correct the published article

ACS Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès; Robert Garcia Almazán; Marc Vilella; Marc Pons. Correction: Alsina-Pagès et al. Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Environments, 2019, 6, 24. Environments 2019, 6, 37 .

AMA Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès, Robert Garcia Almazán, Marc Vilella, Marc Pons. Correction: Alsina-Pagès et al. Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Environments, 2019, 6, 24. Environments. 2019; 6 (3):37.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès; Robert Garcia Almazán; Marc Vilella; Marc Pons. 2019. "Correction: Alsina-Pagès et al. Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Environments, 2019, 6, 24." Environments 6, no. 3: 37.

Journal article
Published: 22 February 2019 in Environments
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Noise pollution is a critical factor and it has an important impact on public health, with the relationship between road traffic noise (RTN) and several illnesses in urban areas of particular concern. Andorra is currently developing a national strategy regarding noise pollution in their urban environments. The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability is trying to to identify, monitor, map and model the effects of noise pollution and design mitigation policies to reduce the impact in certain priority areas. This analysis should take into account the existence of different types of anomalous noise events (ANEs) present in the street, e.g., horns, people talking, music, and other events that coexist with RTN, to characterize the soundscape of each of the locations. This paper presents a preliminary analysis considering both the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the duration of the ANEs to evaluate their presence in urban areas in the three different locations in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. The experiments conducted required a 10-h recording campaign distributed in the three locations under study, which was evaluated on two different days, one during the week and the other on the weekend. Afterwards, the data were carefully labeled and the SNR of each event was evaluated to determine the potential impact of the four categories under study: vehicles, works, city life and people.

ACS Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès; Robert Garcia Almazán; Marc Vilella; Marc Pons. Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Environments 2019, 6, 24 .

AMA Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès, Robert Garcia Almazán, Marc Vilella, Marc Pons. Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Environments. 2019; 6 (2):24.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès; Robert Garcia Almazán; Marc Vilella; Marc Pons. 2019. "Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany." Environments 6, no. 2: 24.

Journal article
Published: 14 March 2018 in Water
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Despite the large literature focused on residential water use, our knowledge of the impact of individual metering on household water consumption remains limited. Our work aims to fill this gap by providing the first estimate of the residential water demand function in the Principality of Andorra, where collective and individual metering coexists. Using a panel dataset covering the years 2006 to 2015, we propose estimating a domestic water demand function for the municipality of Andorra La Vella (the capital of Andorra). Our estimates reveal a price elasticity of the residential water demand equal to –0.7. Facing a price increase of 10 percent, households will react in the short run by reducing their water consumption by 7 percent. Interestingly, the price elasticity is found to be significantly different in single-family units compared to multi-family units. This may suggest a significant impact of individual metering on domestic water consumption in Andorra.

ACS Style

Arnaud Reynaud; Marc Pons; Cristina Pesado. Household Water Demand in Andorra: Impact of Individual Metering and Seasonality. Water 2018, 10, 321 .

AMA Style

Arnaud Reynaud, Marc Pons, Cristina Pesado. Household Water Demand in Andorra: Impact of Individual Metering and Seasonality. Water. 2018; 10 (3):321.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Arnaud Reynaud; Marc Pons; Cristina Pesado. 2018. "Household Water Demand in Andorra: Impact of Individual Metering and Seasonality." Water 10, no. 3: 321.

Review
Published: 08 December 2017 in Current Issues in Tourism
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ACS Style

Robert Steiger; Daniel Scott; Bruno Abegg; Marc Pons; Carlo Aall. A critical review of climate change risk for ski tourism. Current Issues in Tourism 2017, 22, 1343 -1379.

AMA Style

Robert Steiger, Daniel Scott, Bruno Abegg, Marc Pons, Carlo Aall. A critical review of climate change risk for ski tourism. Current Issues in Tourism. 2017; 22 (11):1343-1379.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Robert Steiger; Daniel Scott; Bruno Abegg; Marc Pons; Carlo Aall. 2017. "A critical review of climate change risk for ski tourism." Current Issues in Tourism 22, no. 11: 1343-1379.

Original articles
Published: 21 November 2017 in Current Issues in Tourism
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The international ski tourism industry is highly vulnerable to inter-annual climate variability and climate change. Accordingly, there is a strong need to advance our understanding of climate risk for this multi-billion tourism market that is so important to mountain regions around the world. This study addressed major limitations in the ski tourism literature, while concurrently supporting priority information needs of ski tourism stakeholders. An improved version of SkiSim 2.0 is applied to all 34 alpine ski areas in southern Ontario (Canada) to examine potential changes in the capacity of this regional marketplace. Model improvements include differential snowmaking capacities of individual ski areas, updated snowmaking decision rules, as well as a new indicator, termed ‘terrain-days’, to estimate changes in system capacity. The results project two fundamentally different futures for this ski tourism marketplace under climate change. If the international community succeeds in achieving the + 2°C Paris Agreement policy goal, then losses in system capacity can be limited to less than 10% in the mid- and late-century. In contrast, a high-end emission scenario (RCP 8.5) would severely disrupt this ski tourism market by mid-century, with system capacity losses between 28% and 73%.

ACS Style

Daniel Scott; Robert Steiger; Michelle Rutty; Marc Pons; Peter Johnson. The differential futures of ski tourism in Ontario (Canada) under climate change: the limits of snowmaking adaptation. Current Issues in Tourism 2017, 22, 1327 -1342.

AMA Style

Daniel Scott, Robert Steiger, Michelle Rutty, Marc Pons, Peter Johnson. The differential futures of ski tourism in Ontario (Canada) under climate change: the limits of snowmaking adaptation. Current Issues in Tourism. 2017; 22 (11):1327-1342.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Scott; Robert Steiger; Michelle Rutty; Marc Pons; Peter Johnson. 2017. "The differential futures of ski tourism in Ontario (Canada) under climate change: the limits of snowmaking adaptation." Current Issues in Tourism 22, no. 11: 1327-1342.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2016 in Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
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ACS Style

Bas Amelung; Jillian Student; Sarah Nicholls; Machiel Lamers; Rodolfo Baggio; Inês Boavida-Portugal; Peter Johnson; Eline De Jong; Gert Jan Hofstede; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger; Stefano Balbi. The value of agent-based modelling for assessing tourism–environment interactions in the Anthropocene. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2016, 23, 46 -53.

AMA Style

Bas Amelung, Jillian Student, Sarah Nicholls, Machiel Lamers, Rodolfo Baggio, Inês Boavida-Portugal, Peter Johnson, Eline De Jong, Gert Jan Hofstede, Marc Pons, Robert Steiger, Stefano Balbi. The value of agent-based modelling for assessing tourism–environment interactions in the Anthropocene. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 2016; 23 ():46-53.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bas Amelung; Jillian Student; Sarah Nicholls; Machiel Lamers; Rodolfo Baggio; Inês Boavida-Portugal; Peter Johnson; Eline De Jong; Gert Jan Hofstede; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger; Stefano Balbi. 2016. "The value of agent-based modelling for assessing tourism–environment interactions in the Anthropocene." Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 23, no. : 46-53.

Research letters
Published: 08 May 2016 in Current Issues in Tourism
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Agent-based modelling (ABM) is an emerging approach in tourism research. Despite the natural fit between theories of tourism as a complex, interconnected system, and the generative approach supported in ABM, there has been only limited integration within mainstream tourism research. This research letter reports on a recent gathering of tourism ABM researchers to define the main challenges that face the adoption of ABM in tourism research. These include technical, communications, and novelty issues. In response to these challenges, three potential strategies to ease adoption are outlined: education, awareness, and interdisciplinary teams. These findings are framed as a call for increased attention to the fit of ABM within tourism research, and a framework for negotiating constraints to adoption of this technology.

ACS Style

Peter Johnson; Sarah Nicholls; Jillian Student; Bas Amelung; Rodolfo Baggio; Stefano Balbi; Ines Boavida-Portugal; Eline De Jong; Gert Jan Hofstede; Machiel Lamers; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger. Easing the adoption of agent-based modelling (ABM) in tourism research. Current Issues in Tourism 2016, 20, 801 -808.

AMA Style

Peter Johnson, Sarah Nicholls, Jillian Student, Bas Amelung, Rodolfo Baggio, Stefano Balbi, Ines Boavida-Portugal, Eline De Jong, Gert Jan Hofstede, Machiel Lamers, Marc Pons, Robert Steiger. Easing the adoption of agent-based modelling (ABM) in tourism research. Current Issues in Tourism. 2016; 20 (8):801-808.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peter Johnson; Sarah Nicholls; Jillian Student; Bas Amelung; Rodolfo Baggio; Stefano Balbi; Ines Boavida-Portugal; Eline De Jong; Gert Jan Hofstede; Machiel Lamers; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger. 2016. "Easing the adoption of agent-based modelling (ABM) in tourism research." Current Issues in Tourism 20, no. 8: 801-808.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2015 in Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
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ACS Style

Michelle Rutty; Daniel Scott; Peter Johnson; Eric Jover; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger. Behavioural adaptation of skiers to climatic variability and change in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 2015, 11, 13 -21.

AMA Style

Michelle Rutty, Daniel Scott, Peter Johnson, Eric Jover, Marc Pons, Robert Steiger. Behavioural adaptation of skiers to climatic variability and change in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 2015; 11 ():13-21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michelle Rutty; Daniel Scott; Peter Johnson; Eric Jover; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger. 2015. "Behavioural adaptation of skiers to climatic variability and change in Ontario, Canada." Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 11, no. : 13-21.

Journal article
Published: 24 September 2015 in The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien
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Weather and climate directly influence ski season length, the quality of snow conditions, and skier visits. Inter-annual climate variability, which is expected to become more pronounced under future climate change, poses an increased risk for the ski tourism industry. Using a survey (n = 2448), this study examines where and how far skiers in Ontario (Canada) are willing to travel if their ski resort was to temporarily or permanently close due to a lack of snow. The majority of respondents (≥59%) would travel to five key resorts in Ontario, with the largest share (≥27%) selecting Blue Mountain Resort. An additional 11–15% of respondents would leave Ontario, opting to travel to Quebec or the state of New York. Overall, this paper presents the first empirical evidence on the geographical patterns skiers may engage in as a result of marginal snow conditions, in addition to providing information on travel distance and time thresholds. This research is fundamental for assessing contemporary climate risk and can inform how future climate change could alter demand patterns in regional ski marketplaces. Future research needs are identified to further appraise the consequences and future viability of individual ski resorts in Ontario and the ski industry more generally. Les phénomènes météorologiques et climatiques exercent une influence majeure sur la durée de la saison de ski, la qualité des conditions de neige et la fréquentation par les skieurs. La variabilité climatique interannuelle, que l'on prévoit être plus marquée suite aux changements climatiques dans les prochaines années, présente un risque accru pour l'industrie touristique du ski. Une enquête (n = 2448) a été menée dans le cadre de cette étude afin d'explorer où et jusqu'où les skieurs de l'Ontario (Canada) étaient prêts à se déplacer si leur station de ski devait cesser ses activités de façon temporaire ou permanente en raison d'un manque de neige. La majorité des répondants (≥59%) se rendraient à cinq des plus importantes stations ontariennes, et la plupart d'entre eux (≥27%) privilégieraient la station Blue Mountain. Quelques 11 à 15% des répondants quitteraient l'Ontario et se déplaceraient vers le Québec ou l'état de New York. Dans l'ensemble, cet article établit pour le première fois les tendances géographiques des choix d'alternatives des skieurs qui doivent composer avec de mauvaises conditions de neige, en plus de fournir des informations sur la valeur des seuils de distance et de temps de déplacement. Cette recherche a réalisé une évaluation du risque climatique actuel et apporte un éclairage sur l'ampleur des changements climatiques futurs et de leur incidence sur les tendances de la demande dans les marchés de ski régionaux. À l'avenir, il faudra mener des recherches afin de réaliser des évaluations plus poussées sur les effets que ces changements entraîneront sur chacune des stations de ski de l'Ontario et leur pérennité et, de manière plus générale, sur l'industrie du ski.

ACS Style

Michelle Rutty; Daniel Scott; Peter Johnson; Eric Jover; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger. The geography of skier adaptation to adverse conditions in the Ontario ski market. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien 2015, 59, 391 -403.

AMA Style

Michelle Rutty, Daniel Scott, Peter Johnson, Eric Jover, Marc Pons, Robert Steiger. The geography of skier adaptation to adverse conditions in the Ontario ski market. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien. 2015; 59 (4):391-403.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michelle Rutty; Daniel Scott; Peter Johnson; Eric Jover; Marc Pons; Robert Steiger. 2015. "The geography of skier adaptation to adverse conditions in the Ontario ski market." The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien 59, no. 4: 391-403.

Journal article
Published: 06 May 2015 in Climatic Change
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Winter tourism is the main source of income and the driving force of local development in many mountain areas. However, in recent years, the industry has been identified as being extremely vulnerable to future climate change. Although the Pyrenees has the largest ski area in Europe after the Alps, there are few detailed climate change vulnerability assessments on the ski resorts based in this region. This paper analyzes the vulnerability of the Pyrenean ski resorts to projected changes in the snowpack under various future climate scenarios. In addition, the study analyzes the sustainability of the snowmaking systems to offset the climate variability of natural snow cover. On average, the study predicts a shorter ski-season length, especially in low-altitude ski resorts in a moderate climate change scenario and for all ski resorts in a more intensive climate change scenario. However, a significant regional variability has been identified for the projected impacts at very short geographical distances within the studied area. Moreover, this paper shows that snowmaking cannot completely solve the problem for all ski resorts in the Pyrenees, as the measure can only act as a robust adaptation strategy in the region provided climate change is limited to +2 °C snowmaking.

ACS Style

Marc Pons; Ignacio Lopez-Moreno; Martí Rosas-Casals; Eric Jover. The vulnerability of Pyrenean ski resorts to climate-induced changes in the snowpack. Climatic Change 2015, 131, 591 -605.

AMA Style

Marc Pons, Ignacio Lopez-Moreno, Martí Rosas-Casals, Eric Jover. The vulnerability of Pyrenean ski resorts to climate-induced changes in the snowpack. Climatic Change. 2015; 131 (4):591-605.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marc Pons; Ignacio Lopez-Moreno; Martí Rosas-Casals; Eric Jover. 2015. "The vulnerability of Pyrenean ski resorts to climate-induced changes in the snowpack." Climatic Change 131, no. 4: 591-605.

Journal article
Published: 21 October 2014 in Pirineos
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ACS Style

Marc Pons; Ignacio Lopez-Moreno; Pere Esteban; S. Maciá; J. Gavalda; C. Garcia; M. Rosas-Casals; E. Jover. Influencia del cambio climático en el turismo de nieve del Pirineo. Experiencia del proyecto de investigación NIVOPYR. Pirineos 2014, 169, e006 .

AMA Style

Marc Pons, Ignacio Lopez-Moreno, Pere Esteban, S. Maciá, J. Gavalda, C. Garcia, M. Rosas-Casals, E. Jover. Influencia del cambio climático en el turismo de nieve del Pirineo. Experiencia del proyecto de investigación NIVOPYR. Pirineos. 2014; 169 ():e006.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marc Pons; Ignacio Lopez-Moreno; Pere Esteban; S. Maciá; J. Gavalda; C. Garcia; M. Rosas-Casals; E. Jover. 2014. "Influencia del cambio climático en el turismo de nieve del Pirineo. Experiencia del proyecto de investigación NIVOPYR." Pirineos 169, no. : e006.

Original articles
Published: 05 June 2014 in International Journal of Geographical Information Science
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One main argument for modeling socio-ecological systems is to advance the understanding of dynamic correlations between various human and environmental factors, including impacts and responses to environmental change. We explore the shift in skier distribution among ski resorts taking into account the behavioral adaptation of individuals due to the impact of climate change on snow conditions. This analysis is performed at a regional scale by means of a coupled gravity and georeferenced agent-based model. Four different scenarios are considered. Two scenarios assume an increase of winter mean temperature of +2°C and +4°C, respectively, taking into account only natural snow conditions. Two additional scenarios add the effect of snowmaking to enhance the natural snow depth and extend the skiing season in the +2°C and +4°C base scenarios. Results show differing vulnerability levels, allowing the classification of ski resorts into three distinct groups: (1) highly vulnerable ski resorts with a strong reduction in visitors attendance for all climate change scenarios, characterized by unfavorable geographical and attractiveness conditions, making it difficult to ensure snow availability in the future; (2) low vulnerability ski resorts, with moderate reduction in season length during a high climate change scenario but no reduction (or even an increase) in a low one, characterized by ski resorts with a medium capacity and attractiveness to ensure enough snow conditions and capture skiers from other ski resorts; and (3) resilient ski resorts, with good conditions to ensure future snow-reliable seasons and outstanding attractiveness, allowing them to offer longer ski seasons than their competitors and potentially attracting skiers from other closed or marginal resorts. Ski resorts included in this last group increase their skier attendance in all climate change scenarios. Although similar studies in the literature foretell a significant reduction of the ski market in the near future, another probable effect outlined in this study is a redefinition of this market due to a redistribution of skiers, from vulnerable ski resorts to more resilient ones.

ACS Style

Marc Pons Pons; Peter Johnson; Martí Rosas; Eric Jover. A georeferenced agent-based model to analyze the climate change impacts on ski tourism at a regional scale. International Journal of Geographical Information Science 2014, 28, 2474 -2494.

AMA Style

Marc Pons Pons, Peter Johnson, Martí Rosas, Eric Jover. A georeferenced agent-based model to analyze the climate change impacts on ski tourism at a regional scale. International Journal of Geographical Information Science. 2014; 28 (12):2474-2494.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marc Pons Pons; Peter Johnson; Martí Rosas; Eric Jover. 2014. "A georeferenced agent-based model to analyze the climate change impacts on ski tourism at a regional scale." International Journal of Geographical Information Science 28, no. 12: 2474-2494.

Journal article
Published: 07 September 2013 in Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics
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The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of slope aspect on the response of snowpack to climate warming in the Pyrenees. For this purpose, data available from five automatic weather stations were used to simulate the energy and mass balance of snowpack, assuming different magnitudes of an idealized climate warming (upward shifting of 1, 2 and 3 °C the temperature series). Snow energy and mass balance were simulated using the Cold Regions Hydrological Modelling platform (CRHM). CRHM was used to create a model that enabled correction of the all-wave incoming radiation fluxes from the observation sites for various slope aspects (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW,W,NW and flat areas), which enabled assessment of the differential impact of climate warming on snow processes on mountain slopes. The results showed that slope aspect was responsible for substantial variability in snow accumulation and the duration of the snowpack. Simulated variability markedly increased with warmer temperature conditions. Annual maximum snow accumulation (MSA) and annual snowpack duration (ASD) showed marked sensitivity to a warming of 1 °C. Thus, the sensitivity of the MSA in flat areas ranged from 11 to 17 % per degree C amongst the weather stations, and the ASD ranged from 11 to 20 days per degree C. There was a clear increase in the sensitivity of the snowpack to climate warming on those slopes that received intense solar radiation (S, SE and SW slopes) compared with those slopes where the incident radiation was more limited (N, NE and NW slopes). The sensitivity of the MSA and the ASD increased as the temperature increased, particularly on the most irradiated slopes. Large interannual variability was also observed. Thus, with more snow accumulation and longer duration the sensitivity of the snowpack to temperature decreased, especially on south-facing slopes.

ACS Style

J. I. López-Moreno; Jesús Revuelto; M. Gilaberte; Enrique Morán-Tejeda; Marc Pons; E. Jover; Pere Esteban; C. García; J. W. Pomeroy. The effect of slope aspect on the response of snowpack to climate warming in the Pyrenees. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 2013, 117, 207 -219.

AMA Style

J. I. López-Moreno, Jesús Revuelto, M. Gilaberte, Enrique Morán-Tejeda, Marc Pons, E. Jover, Pere Esteban, C. García, J. W. Pomeroy. The effect of slope aspect on the response of snowpack to climate warming in the Pyrenees. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics. 2013; 117 (1-2):207-219.

Chicago/Turabian Style

J. I. López-Moreno; Jesús Revuelto; M. Gilaberte; Enrique Morán-Tejeda; Marc Pons; E. Jover; Pere Esteban; C. García; J. W. Pomeroy. 2013. "The effect of slope aspect on the response of snowpack to climate warming in the Pyrenees." Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 117, no. 1-2: 207-219.

Journal article
Published: 11 October 2012 in Climate Research
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Mountain regions have been identified as especially vulnerable areas to climate change. Changes in snowfall, glacier retreat and shifts in biodiversity amount and distribution are some examples of the sensitivity of mountain ecosystems. Moreover, in many mountain economies, reliable snow cover plays a key role as an important resource for the winter tourism industry, the main income source and driving force of local development in such regions. This study presents a georeferenced agent-based model to analyze the climate change impacts on the ski industry in Andorra and the effect of snowmaking as future adaptation strategy. The present study is the first attempt to analyze the ski industry in the Pyrenees region and will contribute to a better understanding of the vulnerability of Andorran ski resorts and the suitability of snowmaking as potential adaptation strategy to climate change. This study projects a reduction on the ski season length and the drop of the number of skiers especially in the lowest elevation ski resort of this region. Moreover, this work indicates that snowmaking cannot completely solve the problem of ensuring snow cover at low elevation ski resorts and should be considered as a suitable short-term strategy, but not as a sustainable long-term adaptation strategy. The resulting model can be used as a planning support tool to help local stakeholders understand the vulnerability and potential impacts of climate change and in the decision-making process of designing and developing appropriate sustainable adaptation strategies to future climate variabilityPeer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

ACS Style

M Pons-Pons; Pa Johnson; M Rosas-Casals; B Sureda; È Jover; Peter Johnson. Modeling climate change effects on winter ski tourism in Andorra. Climate Research 2012, 54, 197 -207.

AMA Style

M Pons-Pons, Pa Johnson, M Rosas-Casals, B Sureda, È Jover, Peter Johnson. Modeling climate change effects on winter ski tourism in Andorra. Climate Research. 2012; 54 (3):197-207.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M Pons-Pons; Pa Johnson; M Rosas-Casals; B Sureda; È Jover; Peter Johnson. 2012. "Modeling climate change effects on winter ski tourism in Andorra." Climate Research 54, no. 3: 197-207.