Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain
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 m...
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ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/38920 2023-08-20T04:09:15+02:00 Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain Gubler, Stefanie Fiddes, Joel Keller, Matthias Gruber, Stephan 2011 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/38920 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000038920 en eng Copernicus info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-5-431-2011 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000292242500010 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/38920 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000038920 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported The Cryosphere, 5 (2) info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2011 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/3892010.3929/ethz-b-00003892010.5194/tc-5-431-2011 2023-07-30T23:50:21Z 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 different scales ranging from few meters to some kilometers. On the coarser scale, the dependence of mean annual ground surface temperature on elevation, slope, aspect and ground cover type is modelled with a multiple linear regression model. Sampled mean annual ground surface temperatures vary from −4 °C to 5 °C within an area of approximately 16 km2 subject to elevational differences of approximately 1000 m. The measurements also indicate that mean annual ground surface temperatures vary up to 6 °C (i.e., from −2 °C to 4 °C) even within an elevational band of 300 m. Furthermore, fine-scale variations can be high (up to 2.5 °C) at distances of less than 14 m in homogeneous terrain. The effect of this high variability of an environmental variable on model validation and applications in alpine regions is discussed. ISSN:1994-0416 ISSN:1994-0424 Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost The Cryosphere ETH Zürich Research Collection |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
ETH Zürich Research Collection |
op_collection_id |
ftethz |
language |
English |
description |
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 different scales ranging from few meters to some kilometers. On the coarser scale, the dependence of mean annual ground surface temperature on elevation, slope, aspect and ground cover type is modelled with a multiple linear regression model. Sampled mean annual ground surface temperatures vary from −4 °C to 5 °C within an area of approximately 16 km2 subject to elevational differences of approximately 1000 m. The measurements also indicate that mean annual ground surface temperatures vary up to 6 °C (i.e., from −2 °C to 4 °C) even within an elevational band of 300 m. Furthermore, fine-scale variations can be high (up to 2.5 °C) at distances of less than 14 m in homogeneous terrain. The effect of this high variability of an environmental variable on model validation and applications in alpine regions is discussed. ISSN:1994-0416 ISSN:1994-0424 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gubler, Stefanie Fiddes, Joel Keller, Matthias Gruber, Stephan |
spellingShingle |
Gubler, Stefanie Fiddes, Joel Keller, Matthias Gruber, Stephan Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain |
author_facet |
Gubler, Stefanie Fiddes, Joel Keller, Matthias Gruber, Stephan |
author_sort |
Gubler, Stefanie |
title |
Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain |
title_short |
Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain |
title_full |
Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain |
title_fullStr |
Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain |
title_full_unstemmed |
Scale-dependent Measurement and Analysis of Ground Surface Temperature Variability in Alpine Terrain |
title_sort |
scale-dependent measurement and analysis of ground surface temperature variability in alpine terrain |
publisher |
Copernicus |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/38920 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000038920 |
genre |
permafrost The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
permafrost The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, 5 (2) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-5-431-2011 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000292242500010 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/38920 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000038920 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/3892010.3929/ethz-b-00003892010.5194/tc-5-431-2011 |
_version_ |
1774722063503720448 |