Articles | Volume 12, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1595-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1595-2018
Research article
 | 
03 May 2018
Research article |  | 03 May 2018

Observations and simulations of the seasonal evolution of snowpack cold content and its relation to snowmelt and the snowpack energy budget

Keith S. Jennings, Timothy G. F. Kittel, and Noah P. Molotch

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Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
AR by Keith Jennings on behalf of the Authors (08 Mar 2018)  Author's response   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (10 Mar 2018) by Chris Derksen
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (27 Mar 2018)
ED: Publish as is (28 Mar 2018) by Chris Derksen
AR by Keith Jennings on behalf of the Authors (30 Mar 2018)  Manuscript 
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Short summary
We show through observations and simulations that cold content, a key part of the snowpack energy budget, develops primarily through new snowfall. We also note that cold content damps snowmelt rate and timing at sub-seasonal timescales, while seasonal melt onset is controlled by the timing of peak cold content and total spring precipitation. This work has implications for how cold content is represented in snow models and improves our understanding of its effect on snowmelt processes.