Located just south of the Swiss Alps, in the southern part of Switzerland, Ticino has a beautiful landscape. It is heavily forested and holds two large lakes, Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano. In the north of Ticino, there are two major Swiss valleys that near the Ticino River and the Maggia River and extend from Lake Maggiore, these are called Ticino Valley and Maggia Valley.
In the south of Ticino lies the city of Locarno, which is located northwest of Lake Maggiore, right on the coast. The altitude here is about 656 feet above sea level, so it is relatively low in elevation compared to the northern part of Ticino. This significant drop in elevation from the Swiss Alps is the reason for heavy precipitation patterns and cooler weather.
Locarno has a fairly standard seasonal weather pattern, with the warmest month in July and the coldest month in January. July's maximum average is about 65 F, with a minimum of about 49 F. January's maximum average is about 31 F, with a minimum of about 21 F. As you can see in this graph, temperatures remain fairly cool year-round.
Locarno receives a heavy amount of precipitation in the fall, around August. The least precipitation is seen during late winter/ early spring, around February. By looking at this graph, it can be noted that Locarno's constant precipitation may be correlated with the lush forestation that surrounds it.
My estimated Bowen Ratio for Locarno, Ticino is 0.55 because it is a fairly moist region due to the maritime westerly winds, and is a little in-between a maritime and a continental site.
Using data from the mini-GEEBITT Version B3, the real average global surface temperature of Earth is 58.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Here are some other approximations:
A.
When the Earth's albedo changes from the standard .306 to .206, while keeping the greenhouse factor at 1.0, the average global surface temperature increases up to 76.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the Earth's albedo changes from the standard .306 to .406, while keeping the greenhouse factor at 1.0, the average global surface temperature decreases down to 39.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
B.
When the Earth's greenhouse factor changes from the standard 1.0 to 0.9, while maintaining the albedo at .306, the average global surface temperature decreases only slightly to 53.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the Earth's greenhouse factor changes from the standard 1.0 to 1.1, while maintaining the albedo at .306, the average global surface temperature increases only slightly to 63.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now let's see what happens when both the albedo and the greenhouse factor changes...
Albedo .206 / Greenhouse factor 0.9 : Avg. global surface temp. = 71.3 degrees F
Albedo .406/ Greenhouse factor 0.9: Avg. global surface temp. = 34.2 degrees F
Albedo .206/ Greenhouse factor 1.1: Avg. global surface temp. = 81.9 degrees F (not good!)
Albedo .406/ Greenhouse factor 1.1: Avg. global surface temp. = 44 degrees F
C.
In terms of the city of Locarno, if some of the above changes were actually made, the area would see some small changes as well. For example, since the greatest greenhouse gas in our atmosphere is water vapor, Locarno's relative location towards the ocean and its humidity would mean warmer average temperatures if the greenhouse factor rose to 1.1.
References Cited:
Jud G., Markus. Swiss Climate and Weather. Web. 2010. http://swiss-climate-weather.all-about-switzerland.info/
Web. 2011. http://www.weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,locarno,Switzerland
Sale, Richard. Italian Lakes. EBSCO host. Web. Landmark Visitor's Guide. 1999.
Suggested further reading:
Durr, Bruno. The Greenhouse Effect in the Alps- By Models and Observations. Print. 2004.
