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Item: SNOWGRID – A New Operational Snow Cover Model in Austria

    • Title: SNOWGRID – A New Operational Snow Cover Model in Austria

      Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Grenoble – Chamonix Mont-Blanc - October 07-11, 2013

      Authors:

      • Marc Olefs  [ ZAMG – Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Vienna, Austria ]
      • Wolfgang Schöner  [ ZAMG – Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Vienna, Austria ]
      • Martin Suklitsch  [ ZAMG – Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Vienna, Austria ]
      • Christoph Wittmann  [ ZAMG – Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Vienna, Austria ]
      • Bernd Niedermoser  [ ZAMG – Regional office and Avalanche Warning Service of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria ]
      • Alfred Neururer  [ ZAMG – Regional office of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Innsbruck, Austria ]
      • Arnulf Wurzer  [ ZAMG – Regional office and Avalanche Warning Service of Styria, Graz, Austria ]

      Date: 2013-10-07

      Abstract: We present first results of the newly developed, physically-based and spatially distributed snow cover model SNOWGRID. The model is driven with gridded meteorological input data of the integrated nowcasting model INCA (8.1 – 17.7°E; 45.8 - 49.5°N) that uses remote sensing and radar data as well as ground observations and is operated by the Austrian weather service ZAMG. Additional data from remote sensing and ground measurements are used to validate and calibrate the model output consisting mainly of snow height and snow water equivalent maps in a spatial resolution of 100 m and a time resolution of 15 minutes in near real-time. Its energy balance mode contains partly newly developed schemes (e.g. radiation, cloudiness) based on high quality solar and terrestrial radiation data, satellite products and ground measurements. Snow physical properties and snow cover dynamics are currently incorporated in the model based on a simple 2-layer scheme, as the primary focus of the model are fast calculations on the large grid and to accurately represent the spatial distribution of the snow mass and depth (and not its detailed microstructural behavior), which is of great interest for authorities and the general public. Snow extent from SNOWGRID together with satellite data is also used to evaluate the effect of initializing a numerical weather prediction model such as AROME using a real snow distribution instead of climatological estimates as it is operationally done. As the model is still in development, the results and methods shown here are preliminary and not complete yet.

      Language of Article: English

      Presenters: Unknown

      Keywords: snow cover model, climate services, avalanche warning, inca, nowcasting, numerical weather prediction

      Page Number(s): 038-045

      Subjects: avalanche warning snow cover model numerical avalanche prediction

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