Item: UNRAVELING UNEXPECTED SNOWMELT CHANNELS: A CASE STUDY IN THE AUSTRIAN ALPS
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Title: UNRAVELING UNEXPECTED SNOWMELT CHANNELS: A CASE STUDY IN THE AUSTRIAN ALPS
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway
Authors:
- Veronika Hatvan [ GeoSphere Austria ]
- Andreas Gobiet [ GeoSphere Austria ]
- Andreas Riegler [ GeoSphere Austria ]
- Ingrid Reiweger [ BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Civil Engineering and Natural Hazards, Institute of Mountain Risk Engineering ]
Date: 2024-09-23
Abstract: Snowmelt channels on the snow surface are frequently observed and reported phenomena, typically associated with rain-on-snow events. Consequently, they often serve as indicators of the approximate elevation of the snow line—a critical factor in assessing wet-snow avalanche conditions and snow cover stability in general. Direct field observations and feedback obtained from field assessments constitute an invaluable component for operational avalanche forecasting, offering critical insights into snowpack conditions and associated avalanche hazards. Accurate interpretation of these observations, along with a detailed understanding of underlying processes, is imperative for developing a comprehensive overall understanding of snow cover conditions as a basis for precise avalanche warnings. Recent observations of the development of snowmelt channels without notable liquid precipitation challenged the assumption of rain-on-snow events being the sole formation process. We consequently performed a study aiming to comparatively quantify liquid water input into the snow cover from melt processes as well as rain in conditions when snowmelt channels form. Through a combination of observations, energy balance calculations and model simulations, our objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the processes involved to potentially challenge the common hypothesis, that snowmelt channels are a reliable indicator of preceding rain-on-snow.
Object ID: ISSW2024_P5.1.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Veronika Hatvan
Keywords: snowmelt channels, rain-on-snow, snowmelt, wet-snow
Page Number(s): 635 - 642
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