Snowmaking in Austria: Energy consumption, water turnover, CO2 emissions

作者：Günther Aigner, R. Steiger, Marius Mayer · 发表于：Current Issues in Sport Science (CISS) · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.36950/2024.4ciss028 · 被引用次数：1

Introduction & Purpose Winters in Austria have warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times (Olefs et al., 2020). Since 1961, snow cover periods in Austria have shortened by an average of 40 days (Olefs et al., 2020). This has led to a deeper look into adaptation measures and to ever more efficient snowmaking systems (Steiger & Mayer, 2008). Knowles et al. (2023, p. 2) describe “a surprising lack of research” on the resource consumption of snowmaking. This study collects for the first time evidence-based data on snowmaking. The study region is Austria, the second largest ski tourism market in the world. The focus is on water turnover, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The study aims to improve the level of knowledge on snowmaking and thus make a contribution towards a more economically and ecologically sustainable development of ski tourism. Methods A comprehensive questionnaire was sent out to 141 ski resorts in Austria between June 2023 and April 2024. Continuous plausibility checks have been performed throughout the survey process. Data at the required level was returned from 30 small, medium-sized and large ski resorts. The sample covers an area of 4,253 hectares equipped with snow makers and 34.0% of the Austrian ski tourism volume. Results The water turnover of snowmaking per season throughout Austria is 43.8 million m³. This equals a water consumption of 3,501 m³ per hectare of slopes equipped with snow makers. The energy requirement for snowmakin...