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 p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-04-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1293/2018/tc-12-1293-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | 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<sup>−3</sup>. 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. |
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| ISSN: | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |