scholarly journals Spatial variability of micropenetration resistance in snow layers on a small slope

2004 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 202-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalle Kronholm ◽  
Martin Schneebeli ◽  
Jürg Schweizer
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Penetration Resistance ◽  
Snow Layer ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Layer Deposition ◽  
Buried Layer ◽  
Linear Trends

AbstractThe mechanisms leading to dry-snow slab release are influenced by the three-dimensional variability of the snow cover. We measured 113 profiles of penetration resistance with a snow micropenetrometer on an alpine snow slope. Seven distinct layers were visually identified in all snow micropenetrometer profiles. The penetration resistance of adjacent layers did not change abruptly, but gradually across layer boundaries that were typically 2 mm thick. In two layers, penetration resistance varied around 200% over the grid, possibly due to wind effects during or after layer deposition. Penetration resistance varied around 25%in five layers. Statistically significant slope-scale linear trends were found for all layers. The semivariogram was used to describe the spatial variation. Penetration resistance was autocorrelated, but the scale of variation was layer-specific. A buried layer of surface hoar was the most critical weak layer. It had little spatial variation. The layers in the slab above had higher spatial variation. The penetration resistance of each snow layer had distinct geostatistical properties, caused by the depositional processes.

scholarly journals Spatial Variability of Shortwave Irradiance for Snowmelt in Forests

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1482-1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Pomeroy ◽  
Chad Ellis ◽  
Aled Rowlands ◽  
Richard Essery ◽  
Janet Hardy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Snow Covered Area ◽  
Covered Area ◽  
Depletion Curve ◽  
Natural Snow

Abstract The spatial variation of melt energy can influence snow cover depletion rates and in turn be influenced by the spatial variability of shortwave irradiance to snow. The spatial variability of shortwave irradiance during melt under uniform and discontinuous evergreen canopies at a U.S. Rocky Mountains site was measured, analyzed, and then compared to observations from mountain and boreal forests in Canada. All observations used arrays of pyranometers randomly spaced under evergreen canopies of varying structure and latitude. The spatial variability of irradiance for both overcast and clear conditions declined dramatically, as the sample averaging interval increased from minutes to 1 day. At daily averaging intervals, there was little influence of cloudiness on the variability of subcanopy irradiance; instead, it was dominated by stand structure. The spatial variability of irradiance on daily intervals was higher for the discontinuous canopies, but it did not scale reliably with canopy sky view. The spatial variation in irradiance resulted in a coefficient of variation of melt energy of 0.23 for the set of U.S. and Canadian stands. This variability in melt energy smoothed the snow-covered area depletion curve in a distributed melt simulation, thereby lengthening the duration of melt by 20%. This is consistent with observed natural snow cover depletion curves and shows that variations in melt energy and snow accumulation can influence snow-covered area depletion under forest canopies.

scholarly journals Measurements of mid-winter spatial distribution of meltwater saturation

2010 ◽  
Vol 51 (54) ◽  
pp. 146-152
Author(s):  
J.C. Kapil ◽  
Anupam Kumar ◽  
P.S. Negi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dielectric Measurement ◽  
Snow Stratigraphy ◽  
Wet Snow ◽  
Water Contents ◽  
Saturation Profiles

AbstractUnder melt–freeze conditions crusts may evolve within a snowpack, which may favour avalanche initiation by forming a hard bed surface for weakly bonded faceted grains. We used a parallel-probe saturation profiler (PPSP) to record the distribution of water contents within the snowpack. Diurnal effects of melt–freeze action on the growth of crusts were monitored with the help of the PPSP device. Saturation profiles were collected from a partially wet snow cover. Snow stratigraphy was conducted manually in the morning, after overnight freezing, to identify the location and the granular compositions of the crusts that had evolved. A one-to-one correspondence between the saturation spikes collected using the PPSP and the actual positions of the crusts was established. The PPSP was also used to monitor three-dimensional variations in the maximum percolation depths within a south-facing snowpack. The operation of the PPSP is faster than existing dielectric measurement techniques, so it was applied to study the spatial variability of maximum percolation depths on the slopes of different aspects.

Preliminary Results of Research on Snow and Avalanches in Czechoslovakia

1957 ◽  
Vol 3 (21) ◽  
pp. 72-77
Author(s):  
Miloš Vrba ◽  
Bedřich Urbánek
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Penetration Resistance ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Avalanche Danger

AbstractThis paper gives a brief account of the results so far obtained in research in Czechoslovakia on the crystallographic, stratigraphical and thermal properties of snow cover, and the use of these data in avalanche investigations. Avalanche danger is predicted by comparing the penetration resistance of snow layers, measured with a rammsonde, with resistance graphs of typical avalanche situations.

Incorporation of spatial variability in modeling non-point source groundwater nitrate pollution

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 233-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. S. Goderya ◽  
M. F. Dahab ◽  
W. E. Woldt ◽  
I. Bogardi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Point Source ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Nitrate Contamination ◽  
Geostatistical Simulation ◽  
Chemical Measurements ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Zone Modeling ◽  
Physical And Chemical

A methodology for incorporation of spatial variability in modeling non-point source groundwater nitrate contamination is presented. The methodology combines geostatistical simulation and unsaturated zone modeling for estimating the amount of nitrate loading to groundwater. Three dimensional soil nitrogen variability and 2-dimensional crop yield variability are used in quantifying potential benefits of spatially distributed nitrogen input. This technique, in combination with physical and chemical measurements, is utilized as a means of illustrating how the spatial statistical properties of nitrate leaching can be obtained for different scenarios of fixed and variable rate nitrogen applications.

Three-dimensional stromatolites from Maastrichtian–Danian Yacoraite Formation, Argentina: modelling and assessing hydrodynamic controls on growth patterns

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Patricio Guillermo Villafañe ◽  
Carlos Cónsole-Gonella ◽  
Paolo Citton ◽  
Ignacio Díaz-Martínez ◽  
Silvina de Valais
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
External Morphology ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Internal Arrangement

Abstract Stromatolites are biogenic sedimentary structures formed by the interplay of biological (microbial composition) and environmental factors (local hydrodynamic conditions, clastic input and/or water chemistry). Well-preserved, three-dimensional (3D) fossil stromatolites are key to assessing the environmental factors controlling their growth and resulting morphology in space and time. Here, we report the detailed analysis of well-exposed, highly informative stromatolite build-ups from a single stratigraphic horizon within the Maastrichtian–Danian Yacoraite Formation (Argentina). This study focuses on the analysis of depositional processes driving intertidal to shallow subtidal stromatolites. Overall depositional architecture, external morphology and internal arrangement (mega, macro, meso and microstructures) of stromatolite build-ups were analysed and combined with 3D photogrammetric models, allowing us to decipher the links between stromatolite structure and tidal dynamics. Results suggest that external morphology and architecture of elongated and parallel clusters grew under the influence of run-off channels. The internal morphology exhibits columnar structures where the space between columns is interpreted as recharge or discharge channels. This work supports the theory that stromatolites can be used as a high-resolution tool in the assessment of water dynamics, and provides a new methodological approach and data for the dynamic reconstruction of intertidal stromatolite systems through the geological record.

scholarly journals Effect of snow microstructure variability on Ku-band radar snow water equivalent retrievals

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3045-3059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Rutter ◽  
Melody J. Sandells ◽  
Chris Derksen ◽  
Joshua King ◽  
Peter Toose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Layer Thickness ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Estimation Accuracy ◽  
Snow Layer ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Snow Water ◽  
Retrieval Errors ◽  
Snow Microstructure ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Spatial variability in snowpack properties negatively impacts our capacity to make direct measurements of snow water equivalent (SWE) using satellites. A comprehensive data set of snow microstructure (94 profiles at 36 sites) and snow layer thickness (9000 vertical profiles across nine trenches) collected over two winters at Trail Valley Creek, NWT, Canada, was applied in synthetic radiative transfer experiments. This allowed for robust assessment of the impact of estimation accuracy of unknown snow microstructural characteristics on the viability of SWE retrievals. Depth hoar layer thickness varied over the shortest horizontal distances, controlled by subnivean vegetation and topography, while variability in total snowpack thickness approximated that of wind slab layers. Mean horizontal correlation lengths of layer thickness were less than a metre for all layers. Depth hoar was consistently ∼30 % of total depth, and with increasing total depth the proportion of wind slab increased at the expense of the decreasing surface snow layer. Distinct differences were evident between distributions of layer properties; a single median value represented density and specific surface area (SSA) of each layer well. Spatial variability in microstructure of depth hoar layers dominated SWE retrieval errors. A depth hoar SSA estimate of around 7 % under the median value was needed to accurately retrieve SWE. In shallow snowpacks <0.6 m, depth hoar SSA estimates of ±5 %–10 % around the optimal retrieval SSA allowed SWE retrievals within a tolerance of ±30 mm. Where snowpacks were deeper than ∼30 cm, accurate values of representative SSA for depth hoar became critical as retrieval errors were exceeded if the median depth hoar SSA was applied.

Towards an Improved Parameter-Free Entrainment Model for Snow Avalanches

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Issler
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Shear Stresses ◽  
Entrainment Rate ◽  
Snow Layer ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Weak Layer ◽  
Model Combining ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The 1960S

&lt;p&gt;On physical grounds, the rate of bed entrainment in gravity mass flows should be determined by the properties of the bed material and the dynamical variables of the flow. Due to the complexity of the process, most entrainment formulas proposed in the literature contain some ad-hoc parameter not tied to measurable snow properties. Among the very few models without free parameters are the Eglit&amp;#8211;Grigorian&amp;#8211;Yakimov (EGY) model of frontal entrainment from the 1960s and two formulas for basal entrainment, one from the 1970s due to Grigorian and Ostroumov (GO) and one (IJ) implemented in NGI&amp;#8217;s flow code MoT-Voellmy. A common feature of these three approaches is their treating erosion as a shock and exploiting jump conditions for mass and momentum across the erosion front. The erosion or entrainment rate is determined by the difference between the avalanche-generated stress at the erosion front and the strength of the snow cover. The models differ with regard to how the shock is oriented and which momentum components are considered. The present contribution shows that each of the three models has some shortcomings: The EGY model is ambiguous if the avalanche pressure is too small to entrain the entire snow layer, the IJ model neglects normal stresses, and the GO model disregards shear stresses and acceleration of the eroded mass. As they stand, neither the GO nor the IJ model capture situations&amp;#8213;observed experimentally by means of profiling radar&amp;#8213;in which the snow cover is not eroded progressively but suddenly fails on a buried weak layer as the avalanche flows over it. We suggest a way to resolve the ambiguity in the EGY model and sketch a more comprehensive model combining all three approaches to capture gradual entrainment from the snow-cover surface together with erosion along a buried weak layer.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Inter-community variability in total particle number concentrations in the eastern Los Angeles air basin

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 11385-11399 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Hudda ◽  
K. Cheung ◽  
K. F. Moore ◽  
C. Sioutas
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Monitoring Station ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Central Monitoring ◽  
Seasonal And Diurnal Variations

Abstract. Ultrafine Particles (UFP) can display sharp gradients in their number concentrations in urban environment due to their transient nature and rapid atmospheric processing. The ability of using air pollution data generated at a central monitoring station to assess exposure relies on our understanding of the spatial variability of a specific pollutant associated with a region. High spatial variation in the concentrations of air pollutants has been reported at scales of 10s of km for areas affected by primary emissions. Spatial variability in particle number concentrations (PNC) and size distributions needs to be investigated, as the representativeness of a monitoring station in a region is premised on the assumption of homogeneity in both of these metrics. This study was conducted at six sites, one in downtown Los Angeles and five located about 40–115 km downwind in the receptor areas of Los Angeles air basin. PNC and size distribution were measured using Condensation Particle Counters (CPC) and Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). The seasonal and diurnal variations of PNC implied that PNC might vary significantly with meteorological conditions, even though the general patterns at the sites may remain generally similar across the year due to consistency of sources around them. Regionally transported particulate matter (PM) from upwind urban areas of Los Angeles lowered spatial variation by acting as a "homogenizing" factor during favorable meteorological conditions. Spatial variability also increased during hours of the day during which the effects of local sources predominate. The spatial variability associated with PNC (quantified using Coefficients of Divergence, CODs), averaged about 0.3, which was generally lower than that based on specific size ranges. Results showed an inverse relationship of COD with particles size, with fairly uniform values in the particle range which is associated with regional transport. Our results suggest that spatial variability, even in the receptor regions of Los Angeles Basin, should be assessed for both PNC and size distributions, and should be interpreted in context of seasonal and diurnal influences, and suitably factored if values for exposure are ascertained using a central monitoring station.

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