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  4. Drifting snow sublimation: A high-resolution 3-D model with temperature and moisture feedbacks
 
research article

Drifting snow sublimation: A high-resolution 3-D model with temperature and moisture feedbacks

Zwaaftink, C. D. Groot
•
Loewe, H.
•
Mott, R.
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2011
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

The snow transport model of Alpine3D is augmented with a drifting snow sublimation routine. Contrary to other three-dimensional high-resolution snow transport models, Alpine3D now accounts for feedback mechanisms on the air temperature, humidity, and snow mass concentration in three dimensions. Results show that the negative feedbacks of sublimation on the snow mass concentration, temperature, and humidity are, in general, small but relevant on the slope scale. We analyzed the deposition on a leeward slope for simulations including sublimation and compared these to a reference simulation of the model without sublimation. Including sublimation, but neglecting sublimation feedbacks, leads to a reduction in deposition of approximately 12% on this slope. In a simulation including sublimation and its feedbacks, the reduction in snow deposition on the same slope was 10%. The feedbacks thus reduced the loss of snow due to sublimation by 2%. The sublimation process is therefore quite important for a leeward slope influenced by drifting snow. However, we also show that the spatial variability is large and that drifting snow sublimation will mainly affect small regions within a catchment. Averaged over our model domain (2.4 km(2)) in the Swiss Alps, drifting snow sublimation causes a reduction in deposition of 2.3% during a 43 h test period, which is comparable to the sublimation loss from the snow cover during the same time.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1029/2011JD015754
Author(s)
Zwaaftink, C. D. Groot
Loewe, H.
Mott, R.
Bavay, M.
Lehning, Michael  
Date Issued

2011

Published in
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume

116

Article Number

D16107

Subjects

Atmospheric Boundary-Layer

•

Blowing Snow

•

Ice Crystals

•

Validation

•

Transport

•

Improvement

•

Terrain

•

Balance

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

OTHER

EPFL units
CRYOS  
Available on Infoscience
January 12, 2012
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/76603
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