| Title | Estimating the snow water equivalent from snow depth measurements in the Italian Alps |
| Abstract | The Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), combining the information of snow depth (Hs) and snow bulk density (?b) is a necessary variable for snow-hydrological studies and applications, as well as, for ecological function or avalanche forecasting. The SWE direct measurement is challenging, and estimating the SWE from the single Hs measurements presents many advantages compared to the direct SWE measurement or the implementation of complex model needing to be fed by local meteorological data. In this study we propose a spatial and temporal variability description of the SWE, Hs and ?b and compare existing approaches over the Italian Alps. Finally, we propose a simple parametrization, introducing non-linearity in the snow bulk density variability. The resulting overall uncertainty on SWE is 15.6%. The proposed model has the potential to be a valuable tool to estimate the SWE from the only HS measurement in the Italian Alps, presenting even better performances during the late season (13.9%, 12.9% and 14.3% in March, April and May, respectively) that makes it particularly suitable for snow-hydrology studies. |
| Source | Cold regions science and technology 167 |
| Keywords | Snow Water EquivalentSWE estimationItalian AlpsSnow DepthSnow bulk density |
| Journal | Cold regions science and technology |
| Editor | Elsevier, Tokyo, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2019 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102859 |
| Authors | Nicolas Guyennon, Mauro Valt, Franco Salerno, Anna Bruna Petrangeli, Emanuele Romano |
| Text | 406191 2019 10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102859 Scopus 2 s2.0 85071029153 ISI Web of Science WOS WOS 000489691800013 Snow Water Equivalent SWE estimation Italian Alps Snow Depth Snow bulk density Estimating the snow water equivalent from snow depth measurements in the Italian Alps Nicolas Guyennon, Mauro Valt, Franco Salerno, Anna Bruna Petrangeli, Emanuele Romano National Research Council, Water Research Institute, IRSA CNR, Roma, Italy ARPA Veneto, DRST Centro Valanghe di Arabba, Arabba, Italy National Research Council, Water Research Institute, IRSA CNR, Brugherio, Italy National Research Council, Water Research Institute, IRSA CNR, Roma, Italy National Research Council, Water Research Institute, IRSA CNR, Roma, Italy The Snow Water Equivalent SWE , combining the information of snow depth Hs and snow bulk density b is a necessary variable for snow hydrological studies and applications, as well as, for ecological function or avalanche forecasting. The SWE direct measurement is challenging, and estimating the SWE from the single Hs measurements presents many advantages compared to the direct SWE measurement or the implementation of complex model needing to be fed by local meteorological data. In this study we propose a spatial and temporal variability description of the SWE, Hs and b and compare existing approaches over the Italian Alps. Finally, we propose a simple parametrization, introducing non linearity in the snow bulk density variability. The resulting overall uncertainty on SWE is 15.6%. The proposed model has the potential to be a valuable tool to estimate the SWE from the only HS measurement in the Italian Alps, presenting even better performances during the late season 13.9%, 12.9% and 14.3% in March, April and May, respectively that makes it particularly suitable for snow hydrology studies. 167 Published version Articolo in rivista Elsevier 0165 232X Cold regions science and technology Cold regions science and technology Cold reg. sci. technol. Cold regions science and technology. annabruna.petrangeli PETRANGELI ANNA BRUNA franco.salerno SALERNO FRANCO emanuele.romano ROMANO EMANUELE nicolasdominique.guyennon GUYENNON NICOLAS DOMINIQUE |
