subnivium
English
editEtymology
editFrom sub- (“under”) + Latin nix (“snow”) + -ium.
Noun
editsubnivium (plural subnivia)
- (ecology) The seasonal microenvironment beneath the snow.
- 2019, Colin Rees, Nature's Calendar, Johns Hopkins University Press, page 231:
- Voles and shrews thriving in networks of tunnels in the subnivium would experience a loss of their snowy refuge and face greater metabolic demands to cope with more-frequent and harsher exposure to the elements.
- 2021, Porter Fox, The Last Winter, Hachette Book Group, unnumbered page:
- Scientists have long studied the subnivium, a stratum of life that exists within and below the snowpack. The subnivium enjoys a microclimate created by heat and moisture escaping the ground.
- 2022, Jeffrey L. Walck, Siti N. Hidayati, “10: Plant regeneration from seeds in a the temperate deciduous forest zone under a changing climate”, in Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, editors, Plant Regeneration from Seeds, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 131:
- Without a snow cover, the duration of frozen soil will increase, causing winter cooling for subnivium-dependent organisms (Zhu et al., 2019).
Related terms
editTranslations
editmicroenvironment beneath the snow
References
edit- Subnivean climate on Wikipedia.Wikipedia