Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2731-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2731-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Nov 2016
Research article |
| 16 Nov 2016
Simulating ice layer formation under the presence of preferential flow in layered snowpacks
Nander Wever
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
Sebastian Würzer
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
Charles Fierz
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
Michael Lehning
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Cited
62 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Simulation and Assimilation of Passive Microwave Data Using a Snowpack Model Coupled to a Calibrated Radiative Transfer Model Over Northeastern Canada F. Larue et al. 10.1029/2017WR022132
- Development of physically based liquid water schemes for Greenland firn-densification models V. Verjans et al. 10.5194/tc-13-1819-2019
- A Thermodynamic Nonequilibrium Model for Preferential Infiltration and Refreezing of Melt in Snow A. Moure et al. 10.1029/2022WR034035
- Physically Based Summer Temperature Reconstruction From Melt Layers in Ice Cores K. Fujita et al. 10.1029/2020EA001590
- Rain-on-snow roof surcharge load: A review of recent collapses, design standards, current research, and challenges D. Bajracharya & Q. Zhang 10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104432
- Liquid water infiltration into a layered snowpack: evaluation of a 3-D water transport model with laboratory experiments H. Hirashima et al. 10.5194/hess-21-5503-2017
- Simulation of Preferential Flow in Snow With a 2‐D Non‐Equilibrium Richards Model and Evaluation Against Laboratory Data N. Leroux et al. 10.1029/2020WR027466
- Quantifying Antarctic‐Wide Ice‐Shelf Surface Melt Volume Using Microwave and Firn Model Data: 1980 to 2021 A. Banwell et al. 10.1029/2023GL102744
- Meltwater percolation, impermeable layer formation and runoff buffering on Devon Ice Cap, Canada D. Ashmore et al. 10.1017/jog.2019.80
- Meltwater Penetration Through Temperate Ice Layers in the Percolation Zone at DYE‐2, Greenland Ice Sheet S. Samimi et al. 10.1029/2020GL089211
- The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet B. Vandecrux et al. 10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020
- Finger flow modeling in snow porous media based on lagrangian mechanics N. Ohara 10.1016/j.advwatres.2024.104634
- Spatially distributed simulations of the effect of snow on mass balance and flooding of Antarctic sea ice N. Wever et al. 10.1017/jog.2021.54
- On forecasting wet-snow avalanche activity using simulated snow cover data S. Bellaire et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.09.013
- Forecasting and modelling ice layer formation on the snowpack due to freezing precipitation in the Pyrenees L. Quéno et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.11.007
- Deep ice layer formation in an alpine snowpack: monitoring and modeling L. Quéno et al. 10.5194/tc-14-3449-2020
- Relations between the year-to-year variation of snow cover structures and winter weather pattern in the Sugadaira Highland Y. Namima & K. Ueno 10.5331/seppyo.86.2_97
- Coupled Snow Cover and Avalanche Dynamics Simulations to Evaluate Wet Snow Avalanche Activity N. Wever et al. 10.1029/2017JF004515
- Centimetric Accuracy in Snow Depth Using Unmanned Aerial System Photogrammetry and a MultiStation F. Avanzi et al. 10.3390/rs10050765
- A local thermal non-equilibrium model for rain-on-snow events T. Heinze 10.5194/hess-29-2059-2025
- Greenland's firn responds more to warming than to cooling M. Thompson-Munson et al. 10.5194/tc-18-3333-2024
- Introducing CRYOWRF v1.0: multiscale atmospheric flow simulations with advanced snow cover modelling V. Sharma et al. 10.5194/gmd-16-719-2023
- Nondestructive three-dimensional observations of flow finger and lateral flow development in dry snow using magnetic resonance imaging T. Katsushima et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102956
- The modelled liquid water balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet C. Steger et al. 10.5194/tc-11-2507-2017
- Drivers of Firn Density on the Greenland Ice Sheet Revealed by Weather Station Observations and Modeling B. Vandecrux et al. 10.1029/2017JF004597
- Analysis of snowpack dynamics during the spring melt season for a sub‐alpine site using point measurements and numerical modeling M. Pleasants et al. 10.1002/hyp.11379
- Modelling liquid water transport in snow under rain-on-snow conditions – considering preferential flow S. Würzer et al. 10.5194/hess-21-1741-2017
- Year-to-year changes in preferential flow development in a seasonal snowpack and their dependence on snowpack conditions S. Yamaguchi et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2018.02.009
- Version 1 of a sea ice module for the physics-based, detailed, multi-layer SNOWPACK model N. Wever et al. 10.5194/gmd-13-99-2020
- Changes in rain-on-snow events in mountain catchments in the rain–snow transition zone O. Hotovy et al. 10.1080/02626667.2023.2177544
- Exploring the decision-making process in model development: focus on the Arctic snowpack C. Menard et al. 10.5194/tc-18-4671-2024
- The Presence of Hydraulic Barriers in Layered Snowpacks: TOUGH2 Simulations and Estimated Diversion Lengths R. Webb et al. 10.1007/s11242-018-1079-1
- Firn Core Evidence of Two‐Way Feedback Mechanisms Between Meltwater Infiltration and Firn Microstructure From the Western Percolation Zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet I. McDowell et al. 10.1029/2022JF006752
- Hydrological behaviour of an ice‐layered snowpack in a non‐mountainous environment A. Paquotte & M. Baraer 10.1002/hyp.14433
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- Hydrologic modeling of a perennial firn aquifer in southeast Greenland O. Miller et al. 10.1017/jog.2022.88
- Leveraging a radar-based disdrometer network to develop a probabilistic precipitation phase model in eastern Canada A. Bédard-Therrien et al. 10.5194/hess-29-1135-2025
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- The European mountain cryosphere: a review of its current state, trends, and future challenges M. Beniston et al. 10.5194/tc-12-759-2018
- Firn on ice sheets C. Amory et al. 10.1038/s43017-023-00507-9
- Parameterizing Deep Water Percolation Improves Subsurface Temperature Simulations by a Multilayer Firn Model S. Marchenko et al. 10.3389/feart.2017.00016
- Testing Model Representations of Snowpack Liquid Water Percolation Across Multiple Climates J. Pflug et al. 10.1029/2018WR024632
- Modelling capillary hysteresis effects on preferential flow through melting and cold layered snowpacks N. Leroux & J. Pomeroy 10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.06.024
- An exploratory modelling study of perennial firn aquifers in the Antarctic Peninsula for the period 1979–2016 J. van Wessem et al. 10.5194/tc-15-695-2021
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- Firn Meltwater Retention on the Greenland Ice Sheet: A Model Comparison C. Steger et al. 10.3389/feart.2017.00003
- Rainwater propagation through snowpack during rain-on-snow sprinkling experiments under different snow conditions R. Juras et al. 10.5194/hess-21-4973-2017
- Investigation into percolation and liquid water content in a multi-layered snow model for wet snow instabilities in Glacier National Park, Canada J. Madore et al. 10.3389/feart.2022.898980
- Early formation of preferential flow in a homogeneous snowpack observed by micro‐CT F. Avanzi et al. 10.1002/2016WR019502
- Implementation of a physically based water percolation routine in the Crocus/SURFEX (V7.3) snowpack model C. D'Amboise et al. 10.5194/gmd-10-3547-2017
- From snow accumulation to snow depth distributions by quantifying meteoric ice fractions in the Weddell Sea S. Arndt et al. 10.5194/tc-18-2001-2024
- Insights Into Preferential Flow Snowpack Runoff Using Random Forest F. Avanzi et al. 10.1029/2019WR024828
- Review of Modelingfor Liquid Water Movement in the Snowpack H. HIRASHIMA & T. KATUSHIMA 10.5331/seppyo.79.6_483
- Hourly estimation of water reaching the ground surface in snow-covered regions of Japan using mesoscale meteorological data with the heat balance method T. Matsunaga & S. Katsura 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131898
- A Review of the Hydrologic Response Mechanisms During Mountain Rain-on-Snow W. Brandt et al. 10.3389/feart.2022.791760
- Pattern formation of freezing infiltration in porous media N. Jones et al. 10.1103/PhysRevFluids.9.123802
- Wet‐Snow Metamorphism Drives the Transition From Preferential to Matrix Flow in Snow H. Hirashima et al. 10.1029/2019GL084152
- Watershed memory amplified the Oroville rain-on-snow flood of February 2017 K. Haleakala et al. 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac295
- Snow liquid water content measurement using an open-ended coaxial probe (OECP) A. Mavrovic et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102958
- Rain, Snow and Frozen Soil: Open Questions from a Porescale Perspective with Implications for Geohazards I. Baselt & T. Heinze 10.3390/geosciences11090375
- CRYOWRF—Model Evaluation and the Effect of Blowing Snow on the Antarctic Surface Mass Balance F. Gerber et al. 10.1029/2022JD037744
- Editorial: Melt Water Retention Processes in Snow and Firn on Ice Sheets and Glaciers: Observations and Modeling H. Machguth et al. 10.3389/feart.2018.00105
61 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Simulation and Assimilation of Passive Microwave Data Using a Snowpack Model Coupled to a Calibrated Radiative Transfer Model Over Northeastern Canada F. Larue et al. 10.1029/2017WR022132
- Development of physically based liquid water schemes for Greenland firn-densification models V. Verjans et al. 10.5194/tc-13-1819-2019
- A Thermodynamic Nonequilibrium Model for Preferential Infiltration and Refreezing of Melt in Snow A. Moure et al. 10.1029/2022WR034035
- Physically Based Summer Temperature Reconstruction From Melt Layers in Ice Cores K. Fujita et al. 10.1029/2020EA001590
- Rain-on-snow roof surcharge load: A review of recent collapses, design standards, current research, and challenges D. Bajracharya & Q. Zhang 10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104432
- Liquid water infiltration into a layered snowpack: evaluation of a 3-D water transport model with laboratory experiments H. Hirashima et al. 10.5194/hess-21-5503-2017
- Simulation of Preferential Flow in Snow With a 2‐D Non‐Equilibrium Richards Model and Evaluation Against Laboratory Data N. Leroux et al. 10.1029/2020WR027466
- Quantifying Antarctic‐Wide Ice‐Shelf Surface Melt Volume Using Microwave and Firn Model Data: 1980 to 2021 A. Banwell et al. 10.1029/2023GL102744
- Meltwater percolation, impermeable layer formation and runoff buffering on Devon Ice Cap, Canada D. Ashmore et al. 10.1017/jog.2019.80
- Meltwater Penetration Through Temperate Ice Layers in the Percolation Zone at DYE‐2, Greenland Ice Sheet S. Samimi et al. 10.1029/2020GL089211
- The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet B. Vandecrux et al. 10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020
- Finger flow modeling in snow porous media based on lagrangian mechanics N. Ohara 10.1016/j.advwatres.2024.104634
- Spatially distributed simulations of the effect of snow on mass balance and flooding of Antarctic sea ice N. Wever et al. 10.1017/jog.2021.54
- On forecasting wet-snow avalanche activity using simulated snow cover data S. Bellaire et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.09.013
- Forecasting and modelling ice layer formation on the snowpack due to freezing precipitation in the Pyrenees L. Quéno et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.11.007
- Deep ice layer formation in an alpine snowpack: monitoring and modeling L. Quéno et al. 10.5194/tc-14-3449-2020
- Relations between the year-to-year variation of snow cover structures and winter weather pattern in the Sugadaira Highland Y. Namima & K. Ueno 10.5331/seppyo.86.2_97
- Coupled Snow Cover and Avalanche Dynamics Simulations to Evaluate Wet Snow Avalanche Activity N. Wever et al. 10.1029/2017JF004515
- Centimetric Accuracy in Snow Depth Using Unmanned Aerial System Photogrammetry and a MultiStation F. Avanzi et al. 10.3390/rs10050765
- A local thermal non-equilibrium model for rain-on-snow events T. Heinze 10.5194/hess-29-2059-2025
- Greenland's firn responds more to warming than to cooling M. Thompson-Munson et al. 10.5194/tc-18-3333-2024
- Introducing CRYOWRF v1.0: multiscale atmospheric flow simulations with advanced snow cover modelling V. Sharma et al. 10.5194/gmd-16-719-2023
- Nondestructive three-dimensional observations of flow finger and lateral flow development in dry snow using magnetic resonance imaging T. Katsushima et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102956
- The modelled liquid water balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet C. Steger et al. 10.5194/tc-11-2507-2017
- Drivers of Firn Density on the Greenland Ice Sheet Revealed by Weather Station Observations and Modeling B. Vandecrux et al. 10.1029/2017JF004597
- Analysis of snowpack dynamics during the spring melt season for a sub‐alpine site using point measurements and numerical modeling M. Pleasants et al. 10.1002/hyp.11379
- Modelling liquid water transport in snow under rain-on-snow conditions – considering preferential flow S. Würzer et al. 10.5194/hess-21-1741-2017
- Year-to-year changes in preferential flow development in a seasonal snowpack and their dependence on snowpack conditions S. Yamaguchi et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2018.02.009
- Version 1 of a sea ice module for the physics-based, detailed, multi-layer SNOWPACK model N. Wever et al. 10.5194/gmd-13-99-2020
- Changes in rain-on-snow events in mountain catchments in the rain–snow transition zone O. Hotovy et al. 10.1080/02626667.2023.2177544
- Exploring the decision-making process in model development: focus on the Arctic snowpack C. Menard et al. 10.5194/tc-18-4671-2024
- The Presence of Hydraulic Barriers in Layered Snowpacks: TOUGH2 Simulations and Estimated Diversion Lengths R. Webb et al. 10.1007/s11242-018-1079-1
- Firn Core Evidence of Two‐Way Feedback Mechanisms Between Meltwater Infiltration and Firn Microstructure From the Western Percolation Zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet I. McDowell et al. 10.1029/2022JF006752
- Hydrological behaviour of an ice‐layered snowpack in a non‐mountainous environment A. Paquotte & M. Baraer 10.1002/hyp.14433
- Hansbreen Snowpit Dataset – over 30-year of detailed snow research on an Arctic glacier M. Laska et al. 10.1038/s41597-022-01767-8
- Hydrologic modeling of a perennial firn aquifer in southeast Greenland O. Miller et al. 10.1017/jog.2022.88
- Leveraging a radar-based disdrometer network to develop a probabilistic precipitation phase model in eastern Canada A. Bédard-Therrien et al. 10.5194/hess-29-1135-2025
- Two-dimensional liquid water flow through snow at the plot scale in continental snowpacks: simulations and field data comparisons R. Webb et al. 10.5194/tc-15-1423-2021
- The European mountain cryosphere: a review of its current state, trends, and future challenges M. Beniston et al. 10.5194/tc-12-759-2018
- Firn on ice sheets C. Amory et al. 10.1038/s43017-023-00507-9
- Parameterizing Deep Water Percolation Improves Subsurface Temperature Simulations by a Multilayer Firn Model S. Marchenko et al. 10.3389/feart.2017.00016
- Testing Model Representations of Snowpack Liquid Water Percolation Across Multiple Climates J. Pflug et al. 10.1029/2018WR024632
- Modelling capillary hysteresis effects on preferential flow through melting and cold layered snowpacks N. Leroux & J. Pomeroy 10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.06.024
- An exploratory modelling study of perennial firn aquifers in the Antarctic Peninsula for the period 1979–2016 J. van Wessem et al. 10.5194/tc-15-695-2021
- Impact of intercepted and sub-canopy snow microstructure on snowpack response to rain-on-snow events under a boreal canopy B. Bouchard et al. 10.5194/tc-18-2783-2024
- Firn Meltwater Retention on the Greenland Ice Sheet: A Model Comparison C. Steger et al. 10.3389/feart.2017.00003
- Rainwater propagation through snowpack during rain-on-snow sprinkling experiments under different snow conditions R. Juras et al. 10.5194/hess-21-4973-2017
- Investigation into percolation and liquid water content in a multi-layered snow model for wet snow instabilities in Glacier National Park, Canada J. Madore et al. 10.3389/feart.2022.898980
- Early formation of preferential flow in a homogeneous snowpack observed by micro‐CT F. Avanzi et al. 10.1002/2016WR019502
- Implementation of a physically based water percolation routine in the Crocus/SURFEX (V7.3) snowpack model C. D'Amboise et al. 10.5194/gmd-10-3547-2017
- From snow accumulation to snow depth distributions by quantifying meteoric ice fractions in the Weddell Sea S. Arndt et al. 10.5194/tc-18-2001-2024
- Insights Into Preferential Flow Snowpack Runoff Using Random Forest F. Avanzi et al. 10.1029/2019WR024828
- Review of Modelingfor Liquid Water Movement in the Snowpack H. HIRASHIMA & T. KATUSHIMA 10.5331/seppyo.79.6_483
- Hourly estimation of water reaching the ground surface in snow-covered regions of Japan using mesoscale meteorological data with the heat balance method T. Matsunaga & S. Katsura 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131898
- A Review of the Hydrologic Response Mechanisms During Mountain Rain-on-Snow W. Brandt et al. 10.3389/feart.2022.791760
- Pattern formation of freezing infiltration in porous media N. Jones et al. 10.1103/PhysRevFluids.9.123802
- Wet‐Snow Metamorphism Drives the Transition From Preferential to Matrix Flow in Snow H. Hirashima et al. 10.1029/2019GL084152
- Watershed memory amplified the Oroville rain-on-snow flood of February 2017 K. Haleakala et al. 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac295
- Snow liquid water content measurement using an open-ended coaxial probe (OECP) A. Mavrovic et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102958
- Rain, Snow and Frozen Soil: Open Questions from a Porescale Perspective with Implications for Geohazards I. Baselt & T. Heinze 10.3390/geosciences11090375
- CRYOWRF—Model Evaluation and the Effect of Blowing Snow on the Antarctic Surface Mass Balance F. Gerber et al. 10.1029/2022JD037744
Latest update: 31 May 2025
Short summary
The study presents a dual domain approach to simulate liquid water flow in snow using the 1-D physics based snow cover model SNOWPACK. In this approach, the pore space is separated into a part for matrix flow and a part that represents preferential flow. Using this approach, water can percolate sub-freezing snow and form dense (ice) layers. A comparison with snow pits shows that some of the observed ice layers were reproduced by the model while others remain challenging to simulate.
The study presents a dual domain approach to simulate liquid water flow in snow using the 1-D...
