Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy)
We present and compare 11 years of snow data (snow depth and snow water equivalent, SWE) measured by an automatic weather station (AWS) and corroborated by data from field campaigns on the Forni Glacier in Italy. The aim of the analysis is to estimate the SWE of new snowfall and the annual SWE peak...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:8e724392e78d46049c9a0d66d88289a7 2023-05-15T18:32:29+02:00 Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy) A. Senese M. Maugeri E. Meraldi G. P. Verza R. S. Azzoni C. Compostella G. Diolaiuti 2018-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1293-2018 https://doaj.org/article/8e724392e78d46049c9a0d66d88289a7 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1293/2018/tc-12-1293-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-1293-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/8e724392e78d46049c9a0d66d88289a7 The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 1293-1306 (2018) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1293-2018 2022-12-31T03:59:00Z We present and compare 11 years of snow data (snow depth and snow water equivalent, SWE) measured by an automatic weather station (AWS) and corroborated by data from field campaigns on the Forni Glacier in Italy. The aim of the analysis is to estimate the SWE of new snowfall and the annual SWE peak based on the average density of the new snow at the site (corresponding to the snowfall during the standard observation period of 24 h) and automated snow depth measurements. The results indicate that the daily SR50 sonic ranger measurements and the available snow pit data can be used to estimate the mean new snow density value at the site, with an error of ±6 kg m −3 . Once the new snow density is known, the sonic ranger makes it possible to derive SWE values with an RMSE of 45 mm water equivalent (if compared with snow pillow measurements), which turns out to be about 8 % of the total SWE yearly average. Therefore, the methodology we present is interesting for remote locations such as glaciers or high alpine regions, as it makes it possible to estimate the total SWE using a relatively inexpensive, low-power, low-maintenance, and reliable instrument such as the sonic ranger. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 12 4 1293 1306 |
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 |
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Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 A. Senese M. Maugeri E. Meraldi G. P. Verza R. S. Azzoni C. Compostella G. Diolaiuti Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy) |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
We present and compare 11 years of snow data (snow depth and snow water equivalent, SWE) measured by an automatic weather station (AWS) and corroborated by data from field campaigns on the Forni Glacier in Italy. The aim of the analysis is to estimate the SWE of new snowfall and the annual SWE peak based on the average density of the new snow at the site (corresponding to the snowfall during the standard observation period of 24 h) and automated snow depth measurements. The results indicate that the daily SR50 sonic ranger measurements and the available snow pit data can be used to estimate the mean new snow density value at the site, with an error of ±6 kg m −3 . Once the new snow density is known, the sonic ranger makes it possible to derive SWE values with an RMSE of 45 mm water equivalent (if compared with snow pillow measurements), which turns out to be about 8 % of the total SWE yearly average. Therefore, the methodology we present is interesting for remote locations such as glaciers or high alpine regions, as it makes it possible to estimate the total SWE using a relatively inexpensive, low-power, low-maintenance, and reliable instrument such as the sonic ranger. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
A. Senese M. Maugeri E. Meraldi G. P. Verza R. S. Azzoni C. Compostella G. Diolaiuti |
author_facet |
A. Senese M. Maugeri E. Meraldi G. P. Verza R. S. Azzoni C. Compostella G. Diolaiuti |
author_sort |
A. Senese |
title |
Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy) |
title_short |
Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy) |
title_full |
Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy) |
title_fullStr |
Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (Forni Glacier, Italy) |
title_sort |
estimating the snow water equivalent on a glacierized high elevation site (forni glacier, italy) |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1293-2018 https://doaj.org/article/8e724392e78d46049c9a0d66d88289a7 |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 1293-1306 (2018) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1293/2018/tc-12-1293-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-1293-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/8e724392e78d46049c9a0d66d88289a7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1293-2018 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
1293 |
op_container_end_page |
1306 |
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