Effects of wildfire on the water chemistry of the northeastern part of the Great Vasyugan Mire (Western Siberia)

In this study, we determined the effect of wildfire in 2016 on the water chemistry of the northeastern drained part of the Great Vasyugan Mire. The influence of the pyrogenic factor on the water chemistry of the Great Vasyugan Mire was marked by an increase in concentrations of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fetotal, SO4 2–, HCO3 –, NO– 3, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd. The maximum concentrations were observed in the spring (April) during the snow melting period, as well as during the rewetting period after the summer drought. In 2018–2019, there was a decrease in the concentration of the components in the waters after the fire in 2016 (SO4 2–, HCO3 –, NO– 3, Pb, Cd, Zn). An increase in the content of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH+ 4, and Cu was noted, which is associated with the intensification of the processes of mineralisation of plant residues in the upper burnt peat layers.

Modifications to Snow-Melting and Flooding Processes in the Hydrological Model—A Case Study in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

Streamflow impacts water supply and flood protection. Snowmelt floods occur frequently, especially in mountainous areas, and they pose serious threats to natural and socioeconomic systems. The current forecasting method relies on basic snowmelt accumulation and has geographic limitations that restrict the accuracy and timeliness of flood simulation and prediction. In this study, we clarified the precipitation types in two selected catchments by verifying accumulated and maximum temperatures’ influences on snow melting using a separation algorithm of rain and snow that incorporates with the temperatures. The new snow-melting process utilizing the algorithm in the soil and water assessment tool model (SWAT) was also developed by considering the temperatures. The SWAT model was used to simulate flooding and snowmelt in the catchments. We found that the contributions of snowmelt to the river flow were approximately 6% and 7% higher, according to our model compared to the original model, for catchments A and B, respectively. After the model improvement, the flood peaks increased by 49.42% and 43.87% in A and B, respectively. The contributions of snowmelt to stream flow increased by 24.26% and 31% for A and B, respectively. Generally, the modifications improved the model accuracy, the accuracy of snowmelt’s contributions to runoff, the accuracy of predicting flood peaks, the time precision, and the flood frequency simulations.

Avalanche danger forecast in little study territories using GIS

Methods for determining the zone of avalanche initiation using tools are proposed ArcGis 10.4.1. The process of creating a raster of the slope of heights and later on the territory itself for dividing them into existing gradations is described. Demonstrated the process of determining the area of avalanche foci and determining the boundaries of the avalanche collection. The areas of avalanche origination within the avalanche collection have been corrected. The method of creating a map of the exposure of slopes in order to identify the area of accumulation and drift of snow, its dynamics and characteristics of snow melting is shown. Based on this, it becomes possible to determine the maximum height of avalanche initiation and the range of the avalanche ejection.

Snow Melting Performance of Graphene Composite Conductive Concrete in Severe Cold Environment

The use of conductive concrete is an effective way to address snow and ice accretion on roads in cold regions because of its energy saving and high efficiency without interruption of traffic. Composite conductive concrete was prepared using graphene, carbon fiber, and steel fiber, and the optimum dosage of graphene was explored with resistivity as the criterion. Subsequently, under the conditions of an initial temperature of −15 °C and a wind speed of 20 km/h, the extremely severe snow event environment in cold regions was simulated. The effects of electrode spacing and electric voltage on snow melting performance of conductive concrete slab were explored. Results showed that graphene can significantly improve the conductivity of conductive concrete; the optimal content of graphene was 0.4% of cement mass in terms of resistivity. The snow-melting power of conductive concrete slab decreased with increase in electrode spacing and increased with increase in on-voltage. For an optimal input voltage of 156 V and an optimal electrode spacing of 10 cm, the time required to melt a 24 h snow thickness (21 cm), accumulated during a simulated severe snow event, was only 2 h, which provides an empirical basis for the application of graphene composite conductive concrete to pavement snow melting in cold regions.

Light-Absorbing Impurities on Urumqi Glacier No.1 in Eastern Tien Shan: Concentrations and Implications for Radiative Forcing Estimates During the Ablation Period

Light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) in surface snow and snow pits together with LAIs’ concentrations and their impacts on albedo reduction and sequent radiative forcing (RF) have been investigated in the past. Here, we focused on temporal–spatial distributions of LAIs, especially on the albedo reduction and radiative forcing caused by the LAIs in Urumqi Glacier No.1. Various snow samples, including fresh snow, aged snow, and granular ice were collected between 3,770 and 4,105 m a.s.l of Urumqi Glacier No.1 during the snowmelt season of 2015. For the surface snow samples, BC and OC concentrations were 582 and 1,590 ng g−1, respectively. Mineral dust (MD) concentrations were 110 μg g−1. Due to the different ablation status of the glacier surface, LAIs accumulate at the lower altitude of the glacier. The estimation by the Snow, Ice, and Aerosol Radiative (SNICAR) model indicated that BC and MD could reduce the albedo by 12.8 and 10.3% in fresh snow, aged snow by 23.3 and 5.9%, and granular ice by 22.4 and 26.7%, respectively. The RF of MD was higher than that of BC in fresh snow and granular ice, whereas the RF of BC exceeded MD in aged snow. These findings suggested that BC was the main forcing factor in snow melting and dust was the main forcing factor in accelerating glacier melt.