气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Simulating ice layer formation under the presence of preferential flow in layered snowpacks

CCPortal

DOI	10.5194/tc-10-2731-2016
	Simulating ice layer formation under the presence of preferential flow in layered snowpacks
	Wever N.; Würzer S.; Fierz C.; Lehning M.
发表日期	2016
ISSN	19940416
卷号	10 期号:6
英文摘要	For physics-based snow cover models, simulating the formation of dense ice layers inside the snowpack has been a long-time challenge. Their formation is considered to be tightly coupled to the presence of preferential flow, which is assumed to happen through flow fingering. Recent laboratory experiments and modelling techniques of liquid water flow in snow have advanced the understanding of conditions under which preferential flow paths or flow fingers form. We propose a modelling approach in the one-dimensional, multilayer snow cover model SNOWPACK for preferential flow that is based on a dual domain approach. The pore space is divided into a part that represents matrix flow and a part that represents preferential flow. Richards' equation is then solved for both domains and only water in matrix flow is subjected to phase changes. We found that preferential flow paths arriving at a layer transition in the snowpack may lead to ponding conditions, which we used to trigger a water flow from the preferential flow domain to the matrix domain. Subsequent refreezing then can form dense layers in the snowpack that regularly exceed 700 kg m-3. A comparison of simulated density profiles with biweekly snow profiles made at the Weissfluhjoch measurement site at 2536 m altitude in the Eastern Swiss Alps for 16 snow seasons showed that several ice layers that were observed in the field could be reproduced. However, many profiles remain challenging to simulate. The prediction of the early snowpack runoff also improved under the consideration of preferential flow. Our study suggests that a dual domain approach is able to describe the net effect of preferential flow on ice layer formation and liquid water flow in snow in one-dimensional, detailed, physics-based snowpack models, without the need for a full multidimensional model. © Author(s) 2016.
语种	英语
来源期刊	Cryosphere
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/119547
作者单位	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland; WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Wever N.,Würzer S.,Fierz C.,et al. Simulating ice layer formation under the presence of preferential flow in layered snowpacks[J],2016,10(6).
APA	Wever N.,Würzer S.,Fierz C.,&Lehning M..(2016).Simulating ice layer formation under the presence of preferential flow in layered snowpacks.Cryosphere,10(6).
MLA	Wever N.,et al."Simulating ice layer formation under the presence of preferential flow in layered snowpacks".Cryosphere 10.6(2016).