Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation
The production of Machine Made (MM) snow is now generalized in ski resorts and represents the most common method of adaptation for mitigating the impact of a lack of snow on skiing. Most investigations of correlations between snow conditions and the ski industry's economy focus on the productio...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:dc1625a978b44a4faadff2a84c1863a6 2023-05-15T18:32:31+02:00 Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation P. Spandre H. François E. Thibert S. Morin E. George-Marcelpoil 2017-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-891-2017 https://doaj.org/article/dc1625a978b44a4faadff2a84c1863a6 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/11/891/2017/tc-11-891-2017.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-11-891-2017 https://doaj.org/article/dc1625a978b44a4faadff2a84c1863a6 The Cryosphere, Vol 11, Iss 2, Pp 891-909 (2017) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2017 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-891-2017 2022-12-31T14:44:48Z The production of Machine Made (MM) snow is now generalized in ski resorts and represents the most common method of adaptation for mitigating the impact of a lack of snow on skiing. Most investigations of correlations between snow conditions and the ski industry's economy focus on the production of MM snow though not one of these has taken into account the efficiency of the snowmaking process. The present study consists of observations of snow conditions (depth and mass) using a Differential GPS method and snow density coring, following snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation in Les Deux Alpes ski resort (French Alps). A detailed physically based snowpack model accounting for grooming and snowmaking was used to compute the seasonal evolution of the snowpack and compared to the observations. Our results show that approximately 30 % of the water mass can be recovered as MM snow within 10 m from the center of a MM snow pile after production and 50 % within 20 m. Observations and simulations on the ski slope were relatively consistent with 60 % (±10 %) of the water mass used for snowmaking within the limits of the ski slope. Losses due to thermodynamic effects were estimated in the current case example to be less than 10 % of the total water mass. These results suggest that even in ideal conditions for production a significant fraction of the water used for snowmaking can not be found as MM snow within the limits of the ski slope with most of the missing fraction of water. This is due to site dependent characteristics (e.g. meteorological conditions, topography). Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 11 2 891 909 |
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 P. Spandre H. François E. Thibert S. Morin E. George-Marcelpoil Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
The production of Machine Made (MM) snow is now generalized in ski resorts and represents the most common method of adaptation for mitigating the impact of a lack of snow on skiing. Most investigations of correlations between snow conditions and the ski industry's economy focus on the production of MM snow though not one of these has taken into account the efficiency of the snowmaking process. The present study consists of observations of snow conditions (depth and mass) using a Differential GPS method and snow density coring, following snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation in Les Deux Alpes ski resort (French Alps). A detailed physically based snowpack model accounting for grooming and snowmaking was used to compute the seasonal evolution of the snowpack and compared to the observations. Our results show that approximately 30 % of the water mass can be recovered as MM snow within 10 m from the center of a MM snow pile after production and 50 % within 20 m. Observations and simulations on the ski slope were relatively consistent with 60 % (±10 %) of the water mass used for snowmaking within the limits of the ski slope. Losses due to thermodynamic effects were estimated in the current case example to be less than 10 % of the total water mass. These results suggest that even in ideal conditions for production a significant fraction of the water used for snowmaking can not be found as MM snow within the limits of the ski slope with most of the missing fraction of water. This is due to site dependent characteristics (e.g. meteorological conditions, topography). |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
P. Spandre H. François E. Thibert S. Morin E. George-Marcelpoil |
author_facet |
P. Spandre H. François E. Thibert S. Morin E. George-Marcelpoil |
author_sort |
P. Spandre |
title |
Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation |
title_short |
Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation |
title_full |
Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation |
title_fullStr |
Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation |
title_sort |
determination of snowmaking efficiency on a ski slope from observations and modelling of snowmaking events and seasonal snow accumulation |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-891-2017 https://doaj.org/article/dc1625a978b44a4faadff2a84c1863a6 |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 11, Iss 2, Pp 891-909 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/11/891/2017/tc-11-891-2017.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-11-891-2017 https://doaj.org/article/dc1625a978b44a4faadff2a84c1863a6 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-891-2017 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
891 |
op_container_end_page |
909 |
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1766216635786461184 |