Year: 1989
Type: article
Abstract: A numerical model has been developed to simulate energy and mass evolution of snow cover at a given location, as a function of meteorological conditions: precipitation, air temperature, humidity, wind velocity, and incoming short-wave and long-wave radiation. This model, named CROCUS, was first tested on a well-instrumented field during a whole winter, showing its ability to simulate the important phenomena affecting the evolution of the snow layers: high temperature gradients, wetting, compaction, and melting-freezing cycles. A second test was conducted at two locations in the French network used for operational avalanche forecasting. Though the weather observations are made there only twice daily, the snow profiles calculated by the model were very close to those obtained once a week by a pit observation. CROCUS proved itself sufficient to be considered now as a useful objective tool for operational avalanche forecasting.
Source: Journal of Glaciology
Authors: E. Brun, Ε. Martin, V. Simon, C. Gendre, C. Coleou
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1249345106