Linking the effective thermal conductivity of snow to its shear strength and density

Dominé, Florent; Bock, Josué; Morin, Samuel; Giraud, G.

doi:10.1029/2011jf002000

Cited by 37 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(118 reference statements)

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“…In our modeling study, the thermal conductivity was computed as a function of density following Yen's parameterization (1981). Although the parameterization has proven to be adequate for numerous snowpack conditions, density is not a perfect predictor of snow thermal conductivity, and snow mechanical properties also come into play, with harder snows being more conductive for a given density (Domine et al, 2011a). Here the surface snow at Dome C was very soft, likely implying a lower thermal conductivity than predicted by Yen (1981).…”

Section: Simulated Surface Mass and Energy Balancementioning

confidence: 93%

The growth of sublimation crystals and surface hoar on the Antarctic plateau

et al. 2014

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Abstract. On the Antarctic plateau, precipitation quantities are so low that the surface mass budget is for an important part determined by exchanges of water vapor between the snow surface and the atmosphere surface. At Dome C (75 • S, 123 • E), we have frequently observed the growth of crystals on the snow surface under calm sunny weather. Here we present the time variations of specific surface area (SSA) and density of these crystals. Using the detailed snow model Crocus, we conclude that the formation of these crystals was very likely due to the nighttime formation of surface hoar crystals and to the daytime formation of sublimation crystals. These latter crystals form by processes similar to those involved in the formation of frost flowers on young sea ice. The formation of these crystals impacts the albedo, mass and energy budget of the Antarctic plateau. In particular, the SSA variations of the surface layer can induce an instantaneous forcing at the snow surface up to −10 W m −2 at noon, resulting in a surface temperature drop of 0.45 K. This result confirms that snow SSA is a crucial variable to consider in the energy budget and climate of snow-covered surfaces.

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Section: Simulated Surface Mass and Energy Balancementioning

confidence: 93%

The growth of sublimation crystals and surface hoar on the Antarctic plateau

et al. 2014

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“…This became evident in temperature gradientsnow metamorphism experiments at a constant density: heat conductivity increased as much as twice its initial value in response to changes in structure and texture (Scheebeli and Sokratov, 2004), showing strong anisotropic behaviour (Shertzer and Adams, 2011). Moreover, Dominé et al (2011) observed that the thermal conductivity of snow can be expressed as a function of snow density and shear strength alone.…”

Section: Heat Conductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Advances in understanding and parameterization of small-scale physical processes in the marine Arctic climate system: a review

et al. 2014

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Abstract. The Arctic climate system includes numerous highly interactive small-scale physical processes in the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean. During and since the International Polar Year 2007-2009, significant advances have been made in understanding these processes. Here, these recent advances are reviewed, synthesized, and discussed. In atmospheric physics, the primary advances have been in cloud physics, radiative transfer, mesoscale cyclones, coastal, and fjordic processes as well as in boundary layer processes and surface fluxes. In sea ice and its snow cover, advances have been made in understanding of the surface albedo and its relationships with snow properties, the internal structure of sea ice, the heat and salt transfer in ice, the formation of superimposed ice and snow ice, and the small-scale dynamics of sea ice. For the ocean, significant advances have been related to exchange processes at the ice-ocean interface, diapycnal mixing, double-diffusive convection, tidal currents and diurnal resonance. Despite this recent progress, some of these small-scale physical processes are still not sufficiently understood: these include wave-turbulence interactions in the atmosphere and ocean, the exchange of heat and salt at the ice-ocean interface, and the mechanical weakening of sea ice. Many other processes are reasonably well understood as stand-alone processes but the challenge is to understand their interactions with and impacts and feedbacks on other processes. Uncertainty in the parameterization of small-scale processes continues to be among the greatest challenges facing climate modelling, particularly in high latitudes. Further improvements in parameterization require new year-round field campaigns on the Arctic sea ice, closely combined with satellite remote sensing studies and numerical model experiments.

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“…To convert the snow reservoir s snow from water equivalents to thickness of snow cover snow in metres, s snow is multiplied by the fraction of density of water and density of snow (Domine et al, 2011):…”

Section: B45 Snow Layermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the sake of simplicity, no ranges are specified for these parameters; only average values of the corresponding variables are used. The density of snow, for instance, varies typically from 100-500 kg m −3 (Domine et al, 2011), depending on many factors, such as…”

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confidence: 99%

Estimating global carbon uptake by lichens and bryophytes with a process-based model

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Lichens and bryophytes are abundant globally and they may even form the dominant autotrophs in (sub)polar ecosystems, in deserts and at high altitudes. Moreover, they can be found in large amounts as epiphytes in old-growth forests. Here, we present the first process-based model which estimates the net carbon uptake by these organisms at the global scale, thus assessing their significance for biogeochemical cycles. The model uses gridded climate data and key properties of the habitat (e.g. disturbance intervals) to predict processes which control net carbon uptake, namely photosynthesis, respiration, water uptake and evaporation. It relies on equations used in many dynamical vegetation models, which are combined with concepts specific to lichens and bryophytes, such as poikilohydry or the effect of water content on CO 2 diffusivity. To incorporate the great functional variation of lichens and bryophytes at the global scale, the model parameters are characterised by broad ranges of possible values instead of a single, globally uniform value. The predicted terrestrial net uptake of 0.34 to 3.3 Gt yr −1 of carbon and global patterns of productivity are in accordance with empirically-derived estimates. Considering that the assimilated carbon can be invested in processes such as weathering or nitrogen fixation, lichens and bryophytes may play a significant role in biogeochemical cycles.

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Linking the effective thermal conductivity of snow to its shear strength and density

Cited by 37 publications

References 29 publications

The growth of sublimation crystals and surface hoar on the Antarctic plateau

The growth of sublimation crystals and surface hoar on the Antarctic plateau

Advances in understanding and parameterization of small-scale physical processes in the marine Arctic climate system: a review

Estimating global carbon uptake by lichens and bryophytes with a process-based model

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