A novel framework to investigate wind-driven snow redistribution over an Alpine glacier: combination of high-resolution terrestrial laser scans and large-eddy simulations

Voordendag A, Goger B, Prinz R, Sauter T, Mölg T, Saigger M, Kaser G (2024)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

Cryosphere European Geosciences Union (EGU) / Copernicus Publications

Book Volume: 18

Pages Range: 849-868

Journal Issue: 2

DOI: 10.5194/tc-18-849-2024

Abstract

Wind-driven snow redistribution affects the glacier mass balance by eroding or depositing mass from or to different parts of the glacier's surface. High-resolution observations are used to test the ability of large-eddy simulations as a tool for distributed mass balance modeling. We present a case study of observed and simulated snow redistribution over Hintereisferner glacier (Ötztal Alps, Austria) between 6 and 9 February 2021. Observations consist of three high-resolution digital elevation models (ΔxCombining double low line1m) derived from terrestrial laser scans taken shortly before, directly after, and 15h after snowfall. The scans are complemented by datasets from three on-site weather stations. After the snowfall event, we observed a snowpack decrease of 0.08m on average over the glacier. The decrease in the snow depth can be attributed to post-snowfall compaction and the wind-driven redistribution of snow. Simulations were performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model at ΔxCombining double low line48m with a newly implemented snow drift module. The spatial patterns of the simulated snow redistribution agree well with the observed generalized patterns. Snow redistribution contributed -0.026m to the surface elevation decrease over the glacier surface on 8 February, resulting in a mass loss of -3.9kgm-2, which is on the same order of magnitude as the observations. With the single case study we cannot yet extrapolate the impact of post-snowfall events on the seasonal glacier mass balance, but the study shows that the snow drift module in WRF is a powerful tool to improve knowledge on wind-driven snow redistribution patterns over glaciers.

Authors with CRIS profile

Thomas Mölg Professur für Geographie Manuel Saigger Institut für Geographie

Involved external institutions

Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck / University of Innsbruck AT Austria (AT) Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Voordendag, A., Goger, B., Prinz, R., Sauter, T., Mölg, T., Saigger, M., & Kaser, G. (2024). A novel framework to investigate wind-driven snow redistribution over an Alpine glacier: combination of high-resolution terrestrial laser scans and large-eddy simulations. Cryosphere, 18(2), 849-868. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-849-2024

MLA:

Voordendag, Annelies, et al. "A novel framework to investigate wind-driven snow redistribution over an Alpine glacier: combination of high-resolution terrestrial laser scans and large-eddy simulations." Cryosphere 18.2 (2024): 849-868.

BibTeX: Download