Recent Progress in Snow and Ice Research

Richter-Menge, J.; Colbeck, S. C.; Jezek, Kenneth C.

doi:10.1002/rog.1991.29.s1.218

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 173 publications

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“…It remains challenging, however, to evaluate and calibrate fundamental snow hydrological properties, such as the Darcy velocity characterizing meltwater flux, at spatial scales that bridge the gap between such snow pit measurements and typical footprints of a few hundred meters achieved by satellite‐based passive microwave sensing of snow hydrological and textural properties [ Domine et al , 2008; Nolin , 2010]. Our ability to quantify and assimilate spatially and temporally evolving hydrological properties and processes in snow models thus remains disproportionally poor compared with its anticipated significance in a range of applied snow hydrological problems [ Richter‐Menge et al , 1991; Williams et al , 1999]. These include, for instance, hydrological forecasting of snowmelt runoff that feeds rivers in many parts of the world [ Caine , 1992; Arnold et al , 1998; Campbell et al , 2006], and the role of snowmelt in land‐surface biogeochemical and geomorphological processes [ Caine , 1995; Williams et al , 2009].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theory and numerical modeling of electrical self‐potential signatures of unsaturated flow in melting snow

Kulessa

Chandler

Revil

et al. 2012

Water Resources Research

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[1] We have developed a new theory and numerical model of electrical self-potential (SP) signals associated with unsaturated flow in melting snow. The model is applicable to continuous natural melt as well as transient flow phenomena such as meltwater pulses and is tested using laboratory column experiments. SP signals fundamentally depend on the temporal evolution of snow porosity and meltwater flux, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH. We infer a reversal of the sign of the zeta potential (a fundamental electrical property of grain surfaces in porous media) consistent with well-known elution sequences of ions that cause progressive increases and decreases in meltwater pH and EC, respectively. Injection of fully melted snow samples, containing the entire natural range of ions, into melting snow columns caused additional temporary reversals of the sign of the zeta potential. Widely used empirical relationships between effective saturation, meltwater fraction, EC, and pH, as well as snow porosity, grain size, and permeability, are found to be robust for modeling purposes. Thus nonintrusive SP measurements can serve as proxies for snow meltwater fluxes and the temporal evolution of fundamental snow textural, hydraulic, or water quality parameters. Adaptation of automated multisensor SP acquisition technology from other environmental applications thus promises to bridge the widely acknowledged gap in spatial scales between satellite remote sensing and point measurements of snow properties. SP measurements and modeling may therefore contribute to solving a wide range of problems related to the assessment of water resource availability, avalanche or flood risk, or the amplification of climatic forcing of ice shelf, ice sheet, or glacier dynamics.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theory and numerical modeling of electrical self‐potential signatures of unsaturated flow in melting snow

Kulessa

Chandler

Revil

et al. 2012

Water Resources Research

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“…Movement of liquid water through snowpacks is one of the least understood aspects of snow hydrology (Richter-Menge et al, 1991). It has an important influence on the timing and magnitude of snowmelt hydrographs (Caine, 1992) and on biogeochemical and geomorphological processes (Caine, 1995;Williams et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualizing meltwater flow through snow at the centimetre‐to‐metre scale using a snow guillotine

Williams¹,

Erickson²,

Petrzelka³

2010

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Movement of liquid water through snowpacks remains one of the least understood aspects of snow hydrology. Liquid water movement through snowpacks is generally recognized to occur in distinct flow paths rather than as uniform flow through a homogeneous porous medium. Dye tracer experiments have been used in studies of meltwater flow through snow since the 1930s. Although dye tracer experiments have provided valuable qualitative information about meltwater pathways, quantitative descriptions of their spacing and location are not commonly available because of the difficulty in precisely excavating and measuring pathways. Here we provide a new proof-of-concept instrument we term a 'snow guillotine' that provides more quantitative information from dye tracer experiments conducted on melting snowpacks. Photographs are taken of each crosssection over a 1-m distance. Application of image processing and geostatistical analysis allows collection of high-resolution (1 cm 3 ), three-dimensional data on meltwater flow through a snowpack. The results show preferential flowpaths, with the majority of vertical flow occurring in the upper 20-55 cm of the snowpack, while fewer preferential flowpaths are apparent below 100 cm. The number of vertical flowpaths in the upper half of the snowpack averaged almost 100 per m 2 , with the highest number of flowpaths reaching almost 300 per m 2 . Layer interfaces were found to significantly increase the volume of dye, indicating dominance by lateral flow at these boundaries. At each stratigraphic interface, the number of individual clusters decreased and it was more likely for a dyed pixel to be part of a large cluster. Geostatistical analyses showed that there were large increases in correlation lengths and the connectivity function at stratigraphic layers in contrast to low values between layers. For example, the buried ice layer in Experiment A at 169-170 cm showed separation distances of 20 cm. In contrast, two rows above this layer the separation distance was only 2 cm. Implementation of the snow guillotine provides the ability to conduct geostatistical analyses on field measurements of meltwater flow while providing three-dimensional, quantitative data of unprecedented spatial resolution.

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“…46], including recent reviews focused on regional climate modeling of the GrIS surface mass balance [21,60]. Other reviews have focused on satellite altimetry and gravimetry of the combined Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet mass balance [36,61,62], the global land ice contribution to SLR during the satellite era [10], polar science applications of spaceborne wind scatterometers [63], satellite remote sensing of polar climate change [64], principles and theory of remote sensing methods for glaciology [65], remote sensing of Andean mountain glacier mass balance [66], optical remote sensing of Himalayan glaciers [67], glaciological applications of unmanned aerial vehicles [59], and many more specialized reviews of snow and ice optical or hydrologic properties with relevance to glaciological research [68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81]. To the authors' knowledge no review has focused specifically on satellite remote sensing the GrIS ablation zone, a small but critically important area of the ice sheet with unique physical processes and strong potential to expand in coming years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite Remote Sensing of the Greenland Ice Sheet Ablation Zone: A Review

Cooper¹,

Smith²

2019

Preprint

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The Greenland Ice Sheet is now the largest land ice contributor to global sea level rise, largely driven by increased surface meltwater runoff from the ablation zone, i.e. areas of the ice sheet where annual mass losses exceed gains. This small but critically important area of the ice sheet has expanded in size by ~50% since the early 1960s, and satellite remote sensing is a powerful tool for monitoring the physical processes that influence its surface mass balance. This review synthesizes key remote sensing methods and scientific findings from satellite remote sensing of the Greenland Ice Sheet ablation zone, covering progress in 1) radar altimetry, 2) laser (lidar) altimetry, 3) gravimetry, 4) multispectral optical imagery and, 5) microwave and thermal imagery. Physical characteristics and quantities examined include surface elevation change, gravimetric mass balance, reflectance, albedo, and mapping of surface melt extent and glaciological facies and zones. The review concludes that future progress will benefit most from methods that combine multi-sensor, multi-wavelength, and cross-platform datasets designed to discriminate the widely varying surface processes in the ablation zone. Specific examples include fusing laser altimetry, radar altimetry, and optical stereophotogrammetry to enhance spatial measurement density, cross-validate surface elevation change, and diagnose radar elevation bias; fusing optical imagery, radar imagery, and microwave scatterometry to discriminate between snow, liquid water, refrozen meltwater, and bare ice near the equilibrium line altitude; combining optical reflectance with laser altimetry to map supraglacial lake, stream, and crevasse bathymetry; and monitoring the inland migration of snowlines, surface melt extent, and supraglacial hydrologic features.

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Recent Progress in Snow and Ice Research

Cited by 9 publications

References 173 publications

Theory and numerical modeling of electrical self‐potential signatures of unsaturated flow in melting snow

Theory and numerical modeling of electrical self‐potential signatures of unsaturated flow in melting snow

Visualizing meltwater flow through snow at the centimetre‐to‐metre scale using a snow guillotine

Satellite Remote Sensing of the Greenland Ice Sheet Ablation Zone: A Review

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