Short-Term Snow Melt and Ablation Derived from Heat- and Mass-Balance Measurements

Abstract

The daily snow melt calculated from meteorological observations is compared with detailed mass-balance measurements taking into account internal changes in density and free water content in the surface layers of a glacier snow-pack. The energy balance is calculated from measurements obtained by a meteorological station at the experimental site. In addition to the standard ablation measurements the run-off from the melting snow-pack was obtained for a few days. The snow-density profiles were measured with a portable gamma-transmission probe and the liquid-water content of snow was determined by a calorimetric method.Agreement between the melt calculated by the heat-balance method and the mass changes observed in the mass-balance measurements is fair for daily periods. It appears that about 20% of the daily snow melt takes place internally as a result of penetration of solar radiation.