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contributor authorWoo, Ming-Ko
contributor authorMarsh, Philip
date accessioned2017-06-09T17:39:43Z
date available2017-06-09T17:39:43Z
date copyright1978/10/01
date issued1978
identifier issn0021-8952
identifier otherams-9574.pdf
identifier urihttp://onlinelibrary.yabesh.ir/handle/yetl/4233077
description abstractWater balance studies in tundra regions require accurate snowfall data but weather station records often underestimate basin snow storage. However, snow storage can be determined by snow surveys conducted prior to the melt period because Arctic snowpacks do not melt during winter. Topography strongly controls snow distribution. A basin can be subdivided into various terrain types and the snow survey then establishes the snow characteristics of each terrain type so that basin snow storage is obtained as their areally weighted mean. Such a survey was carried out in small basins near Resolute, Northwest Territories, traversing different types of terrain. The results confirmed that weather station snowfall grossly underestimated basin snow storage. Since it is also desirable to simplify future snow surveys by reducing the number of transects, an error analysis was performed to determine the error resulting from a grouping of terrain types. It was found that both maximum and mean error increased as the number of terrain types was reduced, but the increase was not substantial when certain terrain types were combined. A mean error of 15% is expected when only four types of terrain (hilltops, flats, gullies-valleys and slopes) are recognized in the survey, but the error quickly increases when further simplification of the terrain is introduced.
publisherAmerican Meteorological Society
titleAnalysis of Error in the Determination of Snow Storage for Small High Arctic Basins
typeJournal Paper
journal volume17
journal issue10
journal titleJournal of Applied Meteorology
identifier doi10.1175/1520-0450(1978)017<1537:AOEITD>2.0.CO;2
journal fristpage1537
journal lastpage1541
treeJournal of Applied Meteorology:;1978:;volume( 017 ):;issue: 010
contenttypeFulltext


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