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Snow is a critically important and rapidly changing feature of the Arctic. However, snow-cover and snowpack conditions change through time pose challenges for measuring and prediction of snow. Plausible scenarios of how Arctic snow cover will respond to changing Arctic climate are important for impact assessments and adaptation strategies. Although much progress has been made in understanding and predicting snow-cover changes and their multiple consequences, many uncertainties remain. In this paper, we review advances in snow monitoring and modelling, and the impact of snow changes on ecosystems and society in Arctic regions. Interdisciplinary activities are required to resolve the current limitations on measuring and modelling snow characteristics through the cold season and at different spatial scales to assure human well-being, economic stability, and improve the ability to predict manage and adapt to natural hazards in the Arctic region.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-016-0770-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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The water retention curve (WRC), which shows the relationship between the volumetric liquid water content,θv, and suction,h, is a fundamental part of the characterization of hydraulic properties. Therefore, the formulation of the WRC as a function of snow characteristics is essential for establishing a model of water movement through the snow cover. In this study, we measured the WRC of several snow samples, which had different characteristics (grain size, bulk dry density and grain type), using a gravity drainage column experiment and then analysed these data using the Van Genuchten soil physics model (VG model). The shape of the WRC depended strongly on both the sample grain size,d, and bulk dry density,ρ. Therefore, we introduced the parameterρ/dto model the WRC of snow. The relationships between the parametersαandnof the VG model andρ/dchange with grain type. For melt forms,α, which is related to the inverse value of the air-entry suction, increases quickly asρ/ddecreases, whereasn, which is related to the gradient ofθvvsh, increases withρ/d. Conversely, neither of these parameters of the VG model for rounded grains showed obvious dependence onρ/d. These results suggest that water movement through snow cover can be modelled using grain size, bulk dry density and grain type based on the soil physics model.