Snow disaster characteristics in Palongzangbu River Basin and mitigation countermeasures for road engineering

The Palongzangbu River Basin contains the highest number of maritime province glaciers in China.There are 130 glacial lakes,64 snow avalanche sites and 28 glacial debris flow gullies distributed within the basin.Snow disasters play a controlling role in the Sichuan-Tibet Highway construction,due to the terrain's special characteristics of high altitude and large height differential.Segmentation mitigation countermeasures for the Sichuan-Tibet Highway are presented based on snow disaster severity level and damage mode of the road.In the Ranwu to Midui section,snow avalanches are regional disasters, so the line should be placed in sunny slopes.In the Midui Gully to Yupu section,the line should be placed in shady slopes and at higher elevations to reduce the risk of glacial lake outburst.In the Yupu to Guxiang section,all three snow disasters are minimal.In the Guxiang to Tongmai section,glacier debris flows are the major threat,thus the road should be placed in shady slopes.     

IS THE EXTREME SNOW DEPTH RECORD FOR NORDLAND,NORWAY RELIABLE?

A snow depth of 370 cm at Dunderlandsdalen in winter 1919–20 is the largest recorded at stations in Nordland, Norway. During the period 1895–1924, the average maximum annual value there was 150.4 cm; at other stations it ranged from 38.5 to 190.1 cm. The ratio of maxima at other stations to that at Dunderlandsdalen was particularly low in 1919–20. In Nordland generally, that winter's recorded precipitation was slightly above the 30‐year average, but at Dunderlandsdalen it exceeded the average by 34%. At all stations except Dunderlandsdalen, 26 Jan.–1 Feb. was a dry period; at Dunderlandsdalen, 51.7 mm was recorded. Only one day without snowfall was recorded at Dunderlandsdalen between early January and early February, but elsewhere there were few days with snowfall. The difference in snowfall frequency and snow depth at Dunderlandsdalen in 1919–20 from values recorded elsewhere in Nordland contrasts with the relationships in other winters between 1895 and 1924. No observations were made at Dunderlandsdalen in winter 1917–18. Two of the householders there died in 1916. A change of personnel making the observations may have been responsible for the data gap and for the anomalous 1919 data. Changes made to buildings or the recording site in 1917 or 1918 may have resulted in increased snow depths as a result of drifting. Maintaining a record of climatic extremes and their environmental consequences is important. Data must be accurate. In view of this, it would be sensible to regard the validity of the 370 cm Dunderlandsdalen maximum as doubtful.     

FY-3 A/MERS I积雪制图中NDS I指标建立及积雪判识模型研究 ——以祁连山区为例

我国新型自主的极轨气象卫星风云3号A星（简称FY-3A）上搭载的中分辨率光谱成像仪（MERSI）为大面积雪监测提供了新的遥感数据源。以中国西北祁连山区为例,分析FY-3A/MERSI传感器积雪与其它地物的图谱特征差异,建立了适用于FY-3A/MERSI的归一化差分积雪指数（NDSI）,以此为基础,构建了综合利用多光谱判别指标及土地覆盖类型（LULC）定类辅助的积雪判识模型,生成250 m分辨率的日积雪制图产品。模型通过逐步逼近的树状判别结构,去除了易和积雪混淆的部分乔木林、云、云阴影、水体、湖冰、沙（盐）地等地物,并提出应考虑积雪下覆地表特性的影响,调整设定不同LULC类型的积雪判别阈值约束,实时结合区域LULC影像进行积雪的最终判定与优化。对祁连山区2010-2011年积雪季FY-3A/MERSI影像的积雪制图应用结果表明,该资料能够客观精细地反映积雪的空间分布与动态发展过程。同时利用气象台站积雪观测记录及Terra/MODIS积雪判识结果进行对比验证,结果表明基于FY-3A/MERSI建立的积雪判识模型具有较高的精度和稳定性,特别是提高了云雪区分的效能。     

2000-2014年西藏雅鲁藏布江流域积雪时空变化分析及对气候的响应研究

利用2000-2014年MODIS逐日无云积雪产品对雅鲁藏布江流域积雪特征的空间分布及变化、积雪随高程变化的规律进行了分析,并采用被动微波数据SMMR （1979-1987年）和SSM/I （1988-2008年）以及中国地面降水和气温0.5°×0.5°日值格点数据集,研究了雅鲁藏布江流域关键积雪参数对气候要素的响应等。结果表明：流域下游积雪日较大且变化剧烈;流域整体上呈显著减少的趋势;积雪日随高程的上升而增加;流域内降水呈不显著的增加趋势,而气温呈显著的增加趋势,最高气温对积雪变化影响最大;气温对积雪终日的影响明显高于积雪初日;在积雪消融期降水的增多促进了积雪的消融。     

高山区雪堆储雪的实验和模拟计算

随着全球气候变暖,滑雪运动呈现出对气候变化高度的敏感性和依赖性,各地滑雪季将不同程度地缩短。储雪作为一种应对气候变化的方法在雪务保障中逐渐得到研究和应用。在新疆阿勒泰地区吉木乃县开展储雪实验,应用谐波反应法研究了雪堆融化量与外界空气温度、太阳辐射和绝热保温结构热学性能之间的定量关系。实验中,覆盖两层绝热保温材料雪堆1的平均融化量为18.0 kg·d^-1（相当于初始质量的0.85%）,未覆盖绝热保温材料雪堆2的平均融化量为120.8 kg·d^-1（相当于初始质量的6.67%）。模拟期间观测到的雪堆1质量减少了1 438.0 kg,对应的模拟值为1 520.8 kg。谐波反应法可以为评价绝热保温结构的热学性能和提前确定储雪量提供重要的参考依据。由于许多物理过程都未考虑,导致模拟的雪堆融化量与实际融化量之间存在不确定性。雪堆所用绝热保温结构的性能可以用反射率、总传热系数、衰减度和延迟时间来衡量。     

积雪变化对中国森林凋落物分解影响研究进展

森林凋落物的分解对于维持生态系统物质循环和养分平衡具有重要意义,并受到不同积雪厚度下冻融格局的影响。冻融期（包括冻结过程期、完全冻结期、融化过程期）是冻土区凋落物分解的重要时期,该时期分解的凋落物量约占全年分解总量的一半。积雪减少通常会导致土壤温度降低、冻融循环次数增加,进而影响凋落物分解。通过综述近10年来积雪变化对我国森林凋落物分解影响的研究成果发现,积雪厚度减少在冻融期通常会抑制凋落物质量损失、碳元素释放和纤维素降解,生长季则起到促进作用,从全年来看多数表现为抑制作用。因此,冻融作用造成凋落物的物理破坏,对其分解的促进作用主要发生在后续生长季。积雪厚度减少在冻融期通常抑制氮元素释放,生长季和全年则无明显规律;磷元素和木质素目前研究还存在很大差异。最后,进一步阐述了积雪变化对凋落物分解影响研究存在的问题及未来研究发展方向。     

Polar WRF模式海冰密集度方案对北极海雾模拟效果的个例研究

全球变暖的背景下,北极航线的常规通航甚至商业运营有望实现,而海雾会严重影响航道上船只的航行安全。海冰的存在使海气之间相互作用变得更为复杂,是研究北极海雾不可忽略的因素。船载观测发现,与中纬度常见平流冷却雾形成时气温下降速度往往超过海水降温速度不同,北极海雾发生时海冰的存在还会使海水降温速度超过空气降温速度。然而目前海冰分布是否会影响模式模拟海雾的准确性还不得而知,因此本文利用Polar WRF（Polar Weather Research and Forecasting）模式模拟了中国第七次北极考察中观测到的一次海雾过程,并进行海冰密集度敏感性试验。通过与船载观测和欧洲中期天气预报中心再分析数据比对发现,在低浮冰区内（海冰密集度小于50%）考虑海冰分布时可以更加准确地刻画潜热通量与水汽通量,模拟出与观测事实相符的表层空气降温与增湿过程以及相对湿度的变化,因此能够更好地刻画海雾的三维结构及其生消演变。     

多因子和多尺度合成中国夏季降水预测模型及预报试验

根据青藏高原60个站平均的月积雪深度、热带太平洋Nino 3区月海温和中国160个站月降水量等资料,用小波变换和相关分析,分析了1958～1998年秋冬季青藏高原异常雪盖与El Nino-南方涛动(ENSO)的关系、多时间尺度变化的特征及其与中国夏季降水的相关型式.并取青藏高原积雪和Nino 3区海温的年际变化、年代际变化和线性趋势三种不同时间尺度的小波分量作为预报因子,对我国夏季降水距平作线性回归,建立了相应的预测模型.最后,利用1999～2002年的独立资料进行了预报试验,并在2003年和2004年应用于实际预报.研究表明,青藏高原雪盖与ENSO这两个物理因子彼此具有一定的独立性.它们都是多时间尺度现象,并与中国夏季降水有较好的关系.在不同时间尺度上不仅有不同的相关型式,而且相对贡献也有变化.回归预测模型的拟合情况和预报试验表明,综合考虑前期秋冬季青藏高原雪盖和ENSO这两个物理因子的年际变化、年代际变化和线性趋势作为预报因子建立的预测我国夏季降水距平分布的模型,有一定的预报能力.     

SOME ASPECTS OF THE INTERACTION OF BLOWING SNOW WITH THE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER

Several possible effects of blowing snow on the atmospheric boundary layer are investigated, mostly within the general framework of the Prairie Blowing Snow Model (PBSM). The processes of snow saltation and suspension are first described. Variations to the drift density profile are tested and the effects of stratification and density variation calculations are evaluated. Despite high density gradients of blowing snow, stratification effects on turbulence and the velocity profiles can generally be neglected. However, with saltating or suspended snow in a constant shear stress layer, part of the shear stress is carried by the particles. A highly simplified, single-phase approach, based on the density variation of the air–snow mixture coupled to a simple turbulent stress–strain relationship, is used to illustrate this. Sublimation rates in a column of blowing snow are calculated using the PBSM and results are compared with those obtained with a modified formulation which incorporates a spectrum of sublimating particles of varying sizes at each height in a steady-state surface boundary layer and different specifications of the ventilation velocity.     

SNOW WETNESS ESTIMATES OF VEGETATED TERRAIN FROM SATELLITE PASSIVE MICROWAVE DATA

The Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) radiometer is a useful tool for monitoring snow wetness on a large scale because water content has a significant effect on the microwave emissions at the snowpack surface. To date, SSM/I snow wetness algorithms, based on statistical regression analysis, have been developed only for specific regions. Inadequate ground-based snow wetness measurements and the non-linearity between SSM/I brightness temperatures (T_Bs) and snow wetness over varied vegetation covered terrain has impeded the development of a general model. In this study, we used a previously developed linear relationship between snowpack surface wetness (% by volume) and concurrent air temperature (°C) to estimate the snow wetness at ground weather stations. The snow condition (snow free, dry, wet or refrozen snow) of each SSM/I pixel (a 37 × 29 km area at 37.0 GHz) was determined from ground-measured weather data and the T_B signature. SSM/I T_Bs of wet snow were then linked with the snow wetness estimates as an input/output relationship. A single-hidden-layer back-propagation (backprop) artificial neural network (ANN) was designed to learn the relationships. After training, the snow wetness values estimated by the ANN were compared with those derived by regression models. Results show that the ANN performed better than the existing regression models in estimating snow wetness from SSM/I data over terrain with different amounts of vegetation cover.