Back to Search Start Over

Spatiotemporal Variations in Snow and Soil Frost—A Review of Measurement Techniques

Authors :
Angela Lundberg
David Gustafsson
Christine Stumpp
Bjørn Kløve
James Feiccabrino
Source :
Hydrology, Vol 3, Iss 3, p 28 (2016)
Publication Year :
2016
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2016.

Abstract

Large parts of the northern hemisphere are covered by snow and seasonal frost. Climate warming is affecting spatiotemporal variations of snow and frost, hence influencing snowmelt infiltration, aquifer recharge and river runoff patterns. Measurement difficulties have hampered progress in properly assessing how variations in snow and frost impact snowmelt infiltration. This has led to contradicting findings. Some studies indicate that groundwater recharge response is scale dependent. It is thus important to measure snow and soil frost properties with temporal and spatial scales appropriate to improve infiltration process knowledge. The main aim with this paper is therefore to review ground based methods to measure snow properties (depth, density, water equivalent, wetness, and layering) and soil frost properties (depth, water and ice content, permeability, and distance to groundwater) and to make recommendations for process studies aiming to improve knowledge regarding infiltration in regions with seasonal frost. Ground-based radar (GBR) comes in many different combinations and can, depending on design, be used to assess both spatial and temporal variations in snow and frost so combinations of GBR and tracer techniques can be recommended and new promising methods (auocostics and self potential) are evolving, but the study design must be adapted to the scales, the aims and the resources of the study.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23065338
Volume :
3
Issue :
3
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Hydrology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.0b64b3a350e463aace3c0b54e01a746
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology3030028