scholarly journals Effect of snow cover on soil frost penetration

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Rožnovský ◽  
Jáchym Brzezina

AbstractSnow cover occurrence affects wintering and lives of organisms because it has a significant effect on soil frost penetration. An analysis of the dependence of soil frost penetration and snow depth between November and March was performed using data from 12 automated climatological stations located in Southern Moravia, with a minimum period of measurement of 5 years since 2001, which belong to the Czech Hydrometeorological institute. The soil temperatures at 5 cm depth fluctuate much less in the presence of snow cover. In contrast, the effect of snow cover on the air temperature at 2 m height is only very small. During clear sky conditions and no snow cover, soil can warm up substantially and the soil temperature range can be even higher than the range of air temperature at 2 m height. The actual height of snow is also important – increased snow depth means lower soil temperature range. However, even just 1 cm snow depth substantially lowers the soil temperature range and it can therefore be clearly seen that snow acts as an insulator and has a major effect on soil frost penetration and soil temperature range.

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 857-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Tan ◽  
R. E. C. Layne

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of two irrigation (trickle vs. no irrigation) and two ground cover treatments (temporary cover vs. permanent sod) on soil temperature in a mature peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] orchard on Fox sand. The soil temperatures at the surface, 5, 10 and 20 cm depths were monitored continuously all-year during 1987 and 1988. Irrigation reduced the fluctuations in soil temperature during summer and winter. The average daily soil temperature in nonirrigated plots during the summer was as high as 34 °C at the soil surface and 28 °C at the 20-cm depth, while corresponding temperatures in irrigated plots were 28 and 26 °C, respectively. The average daily soil temperature in nonirrigated plots without snow cover during the winter was −12 °C at the soil surface and −5 °C at the 20-cm depth, while corresponding temperatures in irrigated plots were −6 and −1 °C, respectively. The effect of irrigation on soil temperature was greatly diminished by snow cover. The soil temperatures at all depths remained around 0 to −2 °C for both nonirrigated and irrigated plots under snow cover, even when the minimum air temperature dropped to −15 °C. The permanent sod cover provided some protection against cold although this effect was masked by snow cover. In the summer, the permanent sod cover reduced average daily soil temperature by 1.5 and 1 °C at the 10 and 20 cm depths. Key words: Prunus persica, snow cover, Fox sand


1985 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 727-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Lamb ◽  
W.J. Turnock ◽  
H.N. Hayhoe

AbstractThe winter survival of artificial and natural infestations of pupae of the bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata Walker, are assessed in relation to soil temperature and snow depth. The results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that winter mortality affects the spatial distribution and timing of outbreaks of this pest. Pupae did not survive a Manitoba winter in snow-free field plots, but 55% survived in plots with 5 or 10 cm of snow. Pupal survival in the plots was estimated accurately from daily soil temperatures using a computer simulation model, confirming that natural soil-temperature regimes can affect pupal survival. Based on the model, an equation was derived to relate pupal survival to the number of winter days with soil temperatures of −10°C or less. For natural populations in canola fields, the model, in conjunction with a model that estimated soil temperatures from standard meteorological data, could estimate the observed survivals. However, the estimates were sensitive to estimated snow cover and the measurements of snow cover in the fields were incomplete. There was a significant negative relationship between mortality and snow depth measured at the end of January up to about 20 cm. The sensitivity of soil temperature and therefore pupal survival to small changes in snow depth makes it difficult to predict pupal survival for large areas. Although the distribution of outbreaks of bertha armyworm coincided with the areas of the canola-growing region where winter soil temperatures were highest, the summers when outbreaks occurred were not preceded by winters with high soil temperatures, nor were summers without outbreaks associated with low soil temperatures during the preceding winters. Winter soil temperatures apparently affected the spatial distribution of outbreaks, but variation in pupal survival due to winter soil temperatures did not, by itself, initiate or terminate bertha-army worm outbreaks.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 4465-4479 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Hanis ◽  
M. Tenuta ◽  
B. D. Amiro ◽  
T. N. Papakyriakou

Abstract. Ecosystem-scale methane (CH4) flux (FCH4) over a subarctic fen at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada was measured to understand the magnitude of emissions during spring and fall shoulder seasons, and the growing season in relation to physical and biological conditions. FCH4 was measured using eddy covariance with a closed-path analyser in four years (2008–2011). Cumulative measured annual FCH4 (shoulder plus growing seasons) ranged from 3.0 to 9.6 g CH4 m−2 yr−1 among the four study years, with a mean of 6.5 to 7.1 g CH4 m−2 yr−1 depending upon gap-filling method. Soil temperatures to depths of 50 cm and air temperature were highly correlated with FCH4, with near-surface soil temperature at 5 cm most correlated across spring, fall, and the shoulder and growing seasons. The response of FCH4 to soil temperature at the 5 cm depth and air temperature was more than double in spring to that of fall. Emission episodes were generally not observed during spring thaw. Growing season emissions also depended upon soil and air temperatures but the water table also exerted influence, with FCH4 highest when water was 2–13 cm below and lowest when it was at or above the mean peat surface.


2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Anctil ◽  
A. Pratte ◽  
L. E. Parent ◽  
M. A. Bolinder

Abstract. The objective of this work was to compare time and frequency fluctuations of air and soil temperatures (2-, 5-, 10-, 20- and 50-cm below the soil surface) using the continuous wavelet transform, with a particular emphasis on the daily cycle. The analysis of wavelet power spectra and cross power spectra provided detailed non-stationary accounts with respect to frequencies (or periods) and to time of the structure of the data and also of the relationships that exist between time series. For this particular application to the temperature profile of a soil exposed to frost, both the air temperature and the 2-cm depth soil temperature time series exhibited a dominant power peak at 1-d periodicity, prominent from spring to autumn. This feature was gradually damped as it propagated deeper into the soil and was weak for the 20-cm depth. Influence of the incoming solar radiation was also revealed in the wavelet power spectra analysis by a weaker intensity of the 1-d peak. The principal divergence between air and soil temperatures, besides damping, occurred in winter from the latent heat release associated to the freezing of the soil water and the insulation effect of snowpack that cease the dependence of the soil temperature to the air temperature. Attenuation and phase-shifting of the 1-d periodicity could be quantified through scale-averaged power spectra and time-lag estimations. Air temperature variance was only partly transferred to the 2-cm soil temperature time series and much less so to the 20-cm soil depth.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 064026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hotaek Park ◽  
Artem B Sherstiukov ◽  
Alexander N Fedorov ◽  
Igor V Polyakov ◽  
John E Walsh

1952 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
ES West

Soil temperatures recorded at Griffith over an 8 year period at a depth ranging from 1 in. to 8 ft. have been examined and compared with air temperatures. The observed fluctuations m the soil temperatures fit closely the theoretical equation for the propagation of a simple harmonic temperature wave into the so11. The diffusivity of the sol1 has been deduced and compared with values found by other workers in other localities. The annual wave of the daily mean temperature at the surface of the soil has been deduced and compared with the annual wave of the dally mean air temperature and the differences in the means, amplitudes, and phase displacements have been discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 204-209
Author(s):  
Jade Dessent ◽  
Susan Lawler ◽  
Daryl Nielsen

AbstractFuture climate change predictions indicate that there will be an increase in ambient air temperature. Increases in ambient air temperature will result in a corresponding increase in soil temperature. The consequences of further increases in soil temperature will potentially be detrimental for the soil seed bank of plants in terms of length of dormancy and viability of seeds. This experiment investigated the effect of different exposure temperatures and duration of exposure on the germination of semi-aquatic plant species. Seeds of four species (Alternanthera denticulata, Juncus usitatus, Persicaria lapathifolia and Persicaria prostrata) were exposed to temperatures ranging from 25 to 100°C for durations between 1 and 14 days, before being germinated in an incubator for 6 weeks. Germination occurred in all four species after exposure to temperatures ranging from 25 to 60°C. These temperatures appeared to promote germination as the temperature and duration of exposure increased. However, in P. lapathifolia and P. prostrata, the number of seeds germinating declined when exposed to 70°C and there was no germination for temperatures exceeding this. In contrast, A. denticulata and J. usitatus only began to decline when exposed to 80°C, with no germination at higher temperatures. These results suggest that soil temperatures exceeding potential threshold temperatures of 70 and 80°C will result in a decline in the number of seeds germinating and may potentially see a change in species distributions. As such soil temperatures are already being experienced throughout Australia, some species may already be close to their thermal threshold.


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