The Impact of Soil Freezing/Thawing Processes on Water and Energy Balances

A frozen soil parameterization coupling of thermal and hydrologicalprocesses is used to investigate how frozen soil processes affect water andenergy balances in seasonal frozen soil. Simulation results of soil liquidwater content and temperature using soil model with and without theinclusion of freezing and thawing processes are evaluated againstobservations at the Rosemount field station. By comparing the simulatedwater and heat fluxes of the two cases, the role of phase change processesin the water and energy balances is analyzed. Soil freezing induces upwardwater flow towards the freezing front and increases soil water content inthe upper soil layer. In particular, soil ice obviously prevents and delaysthe infiltration during rain at Rosemount. In addition, soilfreezing/thawing processes alter the partitioning of surface energy fluxesand lead the soil to release more sensible heat into the atmosphere duringfreezing periods.