Articles | Volume 10, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2069-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2069-2016
Research article
 | 
14 Sep 2016
Research article |  | 14 Sep 2016

Brief communication: Improved measurement of ice layer density in seasonal snowpacks

Tom Watts, Nick Rutter, Peter Toose, Chris Derksen, Melody Sandells, and John Woodward

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Cited articles

Albert, M. R. and Perron Jr., F. E.: Ice layer and surface crust permeability in a seasonal snowpack, Hydrol. Process., 14, 3207–3214, 2000.
Colbeck, S. C.: The layered character of snow covers, Rev. Geophys., 29, 81–96, 1991.
Colbeck, S. C. and Anderson, E. A.: The permeability of melting snow, Water Resour. Res., 18, 904–908, 1982.
Durand, M. T., Kim, E. J., and Margulis, S. A.: Quantifying uncertainty in modeling snow microwave radiance for a mountain snowpack at the point-scale, including stratigraphic effects, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 46, 1753–1767, 2008.
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Short summary
Ice layers in snowpacks introduce uncertainty in satellite-derived estimates of snow water equivalent, have ecological impacts on plants and animals, and change the thermal and vapour transport properties of the snowpack. Here we present a new field method for measuring the density of ice layers. The method was used in the Arctic and mid-latitudes; the mean measured ice layer density was significantly higher than values typically used in the literature.
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