Status: this preprint was under review for the journal ESSD. A final paper is not foreseen.
Snow cover variability across glaciers in Nordenskiöldland (Svalbard) from point measurements in 2014–2016
Marco Möllerand Rebecca Möller
Abstract. Snow depths and bulk densities of the annual snow layer were measured at 69 different locations on glaciers across Nordenskiöldland, Svalbard, during the spring seasons of the period 2014–2016. Sampling locations lie along nine transects extending over 17 individual glaciers. Several of the locations were visited repeatedly, leading to a total of 109 point measurements, on which we report in this study. Snow water equivalents were calculated for each point measurement. In the dataset, snow depth and density measurements are accompanied by appropriate uncertainties which are rigorously transferred to the calculated snow water equivalents using a straightforward Monte Carlo simulation-style procedure. The final dataset can be downloaded from the Pangaea data repository (https://www.pangaea.de; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.896581). Snow cover data indicate a general and statistically significant increase of snow depths and water equivalents with terrain elevation. A significant increase of both quantities with decreasing distance towards the east coast of Nordenskiöldland is also evident, but shows distinct interannual variability. Snow density does not show any characteristic spatial pattern.
This preprint has been withdrawn.
Received: 10 Dec 2018 – Discussion started: 02 Jan 2019
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Snow water equivalents (SWE) are useful for calibration and validation of different snow cover-related modeling efforts (e.g. glacier mass balance or snow drift). They form a measure of snow accumulation better than snow depth as they are independent of density differences and thus comparable. A dataset is presented which provides point data of snow depth and density measurements as well as of calculated SWE from 109 locations on glaciers in the central region of the Arctic archipelago Svalbard.
Snow water equivalents (SWE) are useful for calibration and validation of different snow...
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