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Estimating latent heat over a melting arctic snow cover

Semadeni Davies, Annette LU ; Marechal, D ; Bruland, O ; Kodama, Y and Sand, K (2004) In Nordic Hydrology 35(3). p.175-190
Abstract
The latent heat flux over snow near Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen, was investigated for the 1999 snowmelt season to assess different methods of modelling the flux. Snow evaporation had hitherto been estimated as the residual of plot water balance calculations and was subject to measurement errors: hence a modelling solution was sought to make use of existing data. Precipitation, snow depth and albedo we.-e measured daily. Runoff from the plots was recorded continuously. Wind speed, relative humidity and air temperature were measured at two levels (2 and 10 m) every 10 minutes; wind direction was noted hourly. Three models which simulate latent heat were assessed against evaporation and condensation measured by weighing several snow-filled... (More)
The latent heat flux over snow near Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen, was investigated for the 1999 snowmelt season to assess different methods of modelling the flux. Snow evaporation had hitherto been estimated as the residual of plot water balance calculations and was subject to measurement errors: hence a modelling solution was sought to make use of existing data. Precipitation, snow depth and albedo we.-e measured daily. Runoff from the plots was recorded continuously. Wind speed, relative humidity and air temperature were measured at two levels (2 and 10 m) every 10 minutes; wind direction was noted hourly. Three models which simulate latent heat were assessed against evaporation and condensation measured by weighing several snow-filled containers each day. Two employ the bulk profile method (within the SNTHERM and CROCUS snowmelt models), while the third is the aerodynamic profile method (APM). Each follows tie measured evaporation until snow-free patches develop after which the APM predicts evaporation whereas the snowmelt models predict condensation. The effect of wind is also noted. A major conclusion of this work is that the complexity of the land surface/atmosphere interactions, particularly when the snow cover breaks up, precludes the use of simple models for determining latent heat. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
SNTHERM, patches, wind direction, snow-free, CROCUS, aerodynamic profile method, bulk profile method
in
Nordic Hydrology
volume
35
issue
3
pages
175 - 190
external identifiers
  • wos:000223531300001
  • scopus:4243190108
ISSN
0029-1277
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
947cea7f-2007-4c95-ad6b-d3df58cb552e (old id 269207)
alternative location
http://www.iwaponline.com/nh/035/nh0350175.htm
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:53:44
date last changed
2023-06-27 11:07:49
@article{947cea7f-2007-4c95-ad6b-d3df58cb552e,
  abstract     = {{The latent heat flux over snow near Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen, was investigated for the 1999 snowmelt season to assess different methods of modelling the flux. Snow evaporation had hitherto been estimated as the residual of plot water balance calculations and was subject to measurement errors: hence a modelling solution was sought to make use of existing data. Precipitation, snow depth and albedo we.-e measured daily. Runoff from the plots was recorded continuously. Wind speed, relative humidity and air temperature were measured at two levels (2 and 10 m) every 10 minutes; wind direction was noted hourly. Three models which simulate latent heat were assessed against evaporation and condensation measured by weighing several snow-filled containers each day. Two employ the bulk profile method (within the SNTHERM and CROCUS snowmelt models), while the third is the aerodynamic profile method (APM). Each follows tie measured evaporation until snow-free patches develop after which the APM predicts evaporation whereas the snowmelt models predict condensation. The effect of wind is also noted. A major conclusion of this work is that the complexity of the land surface/atmosphere interactions, particularly when the snow cover breaks up, precludes the use of simple models for determining latent heat.}},
  author       = {{Semadeni Davies, Annette and Marechal, D and Bruland, O and Kodama, Y and Sand, K}},
  issn         = {{0029-1277}},
  keywords     = {{SNTHERM; patches; wind direction; snow-free; CROCUS; aerodynamic profile method; bulk profile method}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{175--190}},
  series       = {{Nordic Hydrology}},
  title        = {{Estimating latent heat over a melting arctic snow cover}},
  url          = {{http://www.iwaponline.com/nh/035/nh0350175.htm}},
  volume       = {{35}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}