Improved characterization of frozen soil processes in the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget model

Mohammed, Getachew Adem; Farrow, Christopher R.; Takano, Yasuhide

doi:10.4141/cjss2012-005

Cited by 27 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…The landscape is similar to BC, but mid-winter snowmelt often occurs (Mohammed et al, 2013). At the Calgary International Airport, located 20 km southeast of the site, 1981-2010 normal annual precipitation is 482 mm, and the monthly mean air temperatures in January and July are −7.1 and 16.5 • C, respectively (Hayashi and Farrow, 2014).…”

Section: Sites and Datamentioning

confidence: 96%

Bias corrections of precipitation measurements across experimental sites in different ecoclimatic regions of western Canada

Xiong

Yang

et al. 2016

The Cryosphere

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Abstract. This study assesses a filtering procedure on accumulating precipitation gauge measurements and quantifies the effects of bias corrections for wind-induced undercatch across four ecoclimatic regions in western Canada, including the permafrost regions of the subarctic, the Western Cordillera, the boreal forest, and the prairies. The bias corrections increased monthly precipitation by up to 163 % at windy sites with short vegetation and sometimes modified the seasonal precipitation regime, whereas the increases were less than 13 % at sites shielded by forest. On a yearly basis, the increase of total precipitation ranged from 8 to 20 mm (3-4 %) at sites shielded by vegetation and 60 to 384 mm (about 15-34 %) at open sites. In addition, the bias corrections altered the seasonal precipitation patterns at some windy sites with high snow percentage ( > 50 %). This study highlights the need for and importance of precipitation bias corrections at both research sites and operational networks for water balance assessment and the validation of global/regional climate-hydrology models.

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Section: Sites and Datamentioning

confidence: 96%

Bias corrections of precipitation measurements across experimental sites in different ecoclimatic regions of western Canada

Xiong

Yang

et al. 2016

The Cryosphere

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“…Snowmelt runoff was estimated from the volume of water collected in depressions (Mohammed et al, 2013). Pond water levels in depressions were converted to runoff volumes using depth-volume relationships derived from highresolution topographical surveys of the depressions.…”

Section: Meteorological and Land Surface Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of preferential flow on snowmelt partitioning and groundwater recharge in frozen soils

Mohammed

Pavlovskii

Cey

2019

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Snowmelt is a major source of groundwater recharge in cold regions. Throughout many landscapes snowmelt occurs when the ground is still frozen; thus frozen soil processes play an important role in snowmelt routing, and, by extension, the timing and magnitude of recharge. This study investigated the vadose zone dynamics governing snowmelt infiltration and groundwater recharge at three grassland sites in the Canadian Prairies over the winter and spring of 2017. The region is characterized by numerous topographic depressions where the ponding of snowmelt runoff results in focused infiltration and recharge. Water balance estimates showed infiltration was the dominant sink (35 %-85 %) of snowmelt under uplands (i.e. areas outside of depressions), even when the ground was frozen, with soil moisture responses indicating flow through the frozen layer. The refreezing of infiltrated meltwater during winter melt events enhanced runoff generation in subsequent melt events. At one site, time lags of up to 3 d between snow cover depletion on uplands and ponding in depressions demonstrated

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“…The IP3 (Improved Processes and Parameterizations for Prediction in Cold Regions) Research Network (http://www.usask.ca/ip3/) provided data from stations in a wet alpine environment (Opabin, OPB) [ Hood and Hayashi , ] and a subarctic bog in the zone of discontinuous permafrost (Scotty Bog, BOG) [ Williams et al ., ]. The University of Calgary provided data from a cold grassland prairie (Spy Hill, SPY) [ Mohammed et al ., ]. The Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies (http://www.snowstudies.org) provided data from paired sites in a dry continental climate, including a subalpine site (Swamp Angel Study Plot, SASP) and an alpine site (Senator Beck Study Plot, SBSP).…”

Section: Sites and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Approximating snow surface temperature from standard temperature and humidity data: New possibilities for snow model and remote sensing evaluation

et al. 2013

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[1] Snow surface temperature (T s ) is important to the snowmelt energy balance and landatmosphere interactions, but in situ measurements are rare, thus limiting evaluation of remote sensing data sets and distributed models. Here we test simple T s approximations with standard height (2-4 m) air temperature (T a ), wet-bulb temperature (T w ), and dew point temperature (T d ), which are more readily available than T s . We used hourly measurements from seven sites to understand which T s approximation is most robust and how T s representation varies with climate, time of day, and atmospheric conditions (stability and radiation). T d approximated T s with the lowest overall bias, ranging from 22.3 to 12.6 C across sites and from 22.8 to 1.5 C across the diurnal cycle. Prior studies have approximated T s with T a , which was the least robust predictor of T s at all sites. Approximation of T s with T d was most reliable at night, at sites with infrequent clear sky conditions, and at windier sites (i.e., more frequent turbulent instability). We illustrate how mean daily T d can help detect surface energy balance bias in a physically based snowmelt model. The results imply that spatial T d data sets may be useful for evaluating snow models and remote sensing products in data sparse regions, such as alpine, cold prairie, or Arctic regions. To realize this potential, more routine observations of humidity are needed. Improved understanding of T d variations will advance understanding of T s in space and time, providing a simple yet robust measure of snow surface feedback to the atmosphere.

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Improved characterization of frozen soil processes in the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget model

Cited by 27 publications

References 51 publications

Bias corrections of precipitation measurements across experimental sites in different ecoclimatic regions of western Canada

Bias corrections of precipitation measurements across experimental sites in different ecoclimatic regions of western Canada

Effects of preferential flow on snowmelt partitioning and groundwater recharge in frozen soils

Approximating snow surface temperature from standard temperature and humidity data: New possibilities for snow model and remote sensing evaluation

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