Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China
Snow security plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of winter sports events and supporting the ski industry. One effective approach to enhancing snow reliability is through snow storage. Despite its potential benefits, investigations of snow storage in China have been limited. To address this...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:502d542f360e466ba5c6f24fb19bf3d4 2024-09-15T18:38:59+00:00 Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China X. Wang F. Wang J. Ren D. Qin H. Li 2024-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3017-2024 https://doaj.org/article/502d542f360e466ba5c6f24fb19bf3d4 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/3017/2024/tc-18-3017-2024.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-18-3017-2024 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/502d542f360e466ba5c6f24fb19bf3d4 The Cryosphere, Vol 18, Pp 3017-3031 (2024) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3017-2024 2024-08-05T17:49:01Z Snow security plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of winter sports events and supporting the ski industry. One effective approach to enhancing snow reliability is through snow storage. Despite its potential benefits, investigations of snow storage in China have been limited. To address this gap, we implemented snow storage covered with geotextiles at two venues, namely the Big Air Shougang (BAS) in Beijing for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the National Biathlon Center (NBC) in Chongli for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, in response to possible extreme meteorological conditions. To assess the key concerns associated with snow storage, ablation (the process of snow loss) and snow properties, we introduced a fine-snow-pile monitoring system and the SNOWPACK model. Our observations revealed that, by 18 February, the snow pile at BAS had lost 158.6 m 3 of snow (equivalent to 6.7 % of the initial volume). Subsequently, the accelerated ablation was influenced by meteorological conditions and a thin geotextile layer. Between 16 January and 15 April, the snow pile at BAS experienced a total loss of 1242.9 m 3 of snow (corresponding to 52.7 % of the original volume). Regarding snow properties, no significant variations were modeled at the study sites, except for the upper part of the snow piles. Notably, the evaporation of the geotextiles contributed to slowing the ablation process. Consequently, we discourage the use of impermeable coverage schemes for snow storage. Instead, the thickness of the cover played a vital role in preserving the snow pile. At Beijing and Chongli, the 0.7 and 0.4 m thick cover layers, respectively, were found to protect approximately half of the snow pile height over the summer season. Importantly, the evolution of snow properties was consistent across the different cover thicknesses. The findings of our study have implications for the ski industry in China, as they provide valuable insights into snow storage techniques and their impact on snow reliability. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 18 7 3017 3031 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 X. Wang F. Wang J. Ren D. Qin H. Li Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Snow security plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of winter sports events and supporting the ski industry. One effective approach to enhancing snow reliability is through snow storage. Despite its potential benefits, investigations of snow storage in China have been limited. To address this gap, we implemented snow storage covered with geotextiles at two venues, namely the Big Air Shougang (BAS) in Beijing for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the National Biathlon Center (NBC) in Chongli for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, in response to possible extreme meteorological conditions. To assess the key concerns associated with snow storage, ablation (the process of snow loss) and snow properties, we introduced a fine-snow-pile monitoring system and the SNOWPACK model. Our observations revealed that, by 18 February, the snow pile at BAS had lost 158.6 m 3 of snow (equivalent to 6.7 % of the initial volume). Subsequently, the accelerated ablation was influenced by meteorological conditions and a thin geotextile layer. Between 16 January and 15 April, the snow pile at BAS experienced a total loss of 1242.9 m 3 of snow (corresponding to 52.7 % of the original volume). Regarding snow properties, no significant variations were modeled at the study sites, except for the upper part of the snow piles. Notably, the evaporation of the geotextiles contributed to slowing the ablation process. Consequently, we discourage the use of impermeable coverage schemes for snow storage. Instead, the thickness of the cover played a vital role in preserving the snow pile. At Beijing and Chongli, the 0.7 and 0.4 m thick cover layers, respectively, were found to protect approximately half of the snow pile height over the summer season. Importantly, the evolution of snow properties was consistent across the different cover thicknesses. The findings of our study have implications for the ski industry in China, as they provide valuable insights into snow storage techniques and their impact on snow reliability. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
X. Wang F. Wang J. Ren D. Qin H. Li |
author_facet |
X. Wang F. Wang J. Ren D. Qin H. Li |
author_sort |
X. Wang |
title |
Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China |
title_short |
Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China |
title_full |
Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China |
title_fullStr |
Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China |
title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for China |
title_sort |
assessing the key concerns in snow storage: a case study for china |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3017-2024 https://doaj.org/article/502d542f360e466ba5c6f24fb19bf3d4 |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 18, Pp 3017-3031 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/3017/2024/tc-18-3017-2024.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-18-3017-2024 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/502d542f360e466ba5c6f24fb19bf3d4 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3017-2024 |
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The Cryosphere |
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18 |
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3017 |
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3031 |
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