Short-Term Snow Melt and Ablation Derived from Heat- and Mass-Balance Measurements
Abstract The daily snow melt calculated from meteorological observations is compared with detailed mass-balance measurements taking into account internal changes in density and free water content in the surface layers of a glacier snow-pack. The energy balance is calculated from measurements obtaine...
| Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1973
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000032093 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000032093 |
| Summary: | Abstract The daily snow melt calculated from meteorological observations is compared with detailed mass-balance measurements taking into account internal changes in density and free water content in the surface layers of a glacier snow-pack. The energy balance is calculated from measurements obtained by a meteorological station at the experimental site. In addition to the standard ablation measurements the run-off from the melting snow-pack was obtained for a few days. The snow-density profiles were measured with a portable gamma-transmission probe and the liquid-water content of snow was determined by a calorimetric method. Agreement between the melt calculated by the heat-balance method and the mass changes observed in the mass-balance measurements is fair for daily periods. It appears that about 20% of the daily snow melt takes place internally as a result of penetration of solar radiation. |
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