Scale-dependent measurement and analysis of ground surface temperature variability in alpine terrain

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: Gubler, S. (S.), Fiddes, J. (J.), Keller, M. (M.), Gruber, S. (Stephan)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: permafrost
• Online Access: https://ir.library.carleton.ca/pub/19173; https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-431-2011

Measurements of environmental variables are often used to validate and calibrate physically-based models. Depending on their application, the models are used at different scales, ranging from few meters to tens of kilometers. Environmental variables can vary strongly within the grid cells of these models. Validating a model with a single measurement is therefore delicate and susceptible to induce bias in further model applications. To address the question of uncertainty associated with scale in permafrost models, we present data of 390 spatially-distributed ground surface temperature measurements recorded in terrain of high topographic variability in the Swiss Alps. We illustrate a way to program, deploy and refind a large number of measurement devices efficiently, and present a strategy to reduce data loss reported in earlier studies. Data after the first year of deployment is presented. The measurements represent the variability of ground surface temperatures at two differ