The Distribution and Properties and Role of Snow Cover in the Open Tundra
The spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of arctic and sub-arctic snow cover have a direct influence on regional and hemispheric energy balance, carbon cycling, hydrological storage and ecological dynamics. Snow cover information from both manual in-situ and gauge measurements have been gather...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.534.7108 http://www.easternsnow.org/proceedings/2007/rees_et_al.pdf |
| Summary: | The spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of arctic and sub-arctic snow cover have a direct influence on regional and hemispheric energy balance, carbon cycling, hydrological storage and ecological dynamics. Snow cover information from both manual in-situ and gauge measurements have been gathered in many regions throughout Northern Canada over a long time period, yet there is a general lack of both spatial and temporal continuity within these data sets. In Canada, daily snow depth observations are available from 1955 to present for most stations and from 1915 to present for some stations. Unfortunately, most, if not all, long term snow monitoring stations are located south of 55oN despite the abundance and dominance of a northern snow cover (Brown, 1997). The lack of northern snow data is directly a result of sparse human population combined with a lack of automated stations and the logistical difficulties associated with obtaining data in remote regions. The purpose of this research is to develop a more complete understanding of open tundra snow cover properties and distribution for application to hydrological modeling, evaluation of climate model simulations, and the development and validation of regional satellite passive microwave |
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