Influence of snow cover stratigraphy on its thermal resistance

Abstract

Effect of the snow thermal resistance on soil freezing is comparable to the influence of mean temperature in the cold period. Available values of the effective thermal conductivity of snow have been analyzed and compared with experimental data on snow cover with different structure collected in Moscow region. Effect of ice crusts and depth hoar layer on the thermal resistance of snow cove have been illustrated with West Spitsbergen and Moscow region examples. Neglect of snow cover stratigraphy in estimations of thermal conductivity was demonstrated to overrate is more than by half. As a result, the estimated rate of soil freezing might be higher than actual one, and therefore transition to the dangerous soil weakening and the beginning of permafrost degradation might past unnoticed.

Keywords

• глубинная изморозь
• коэффициент теплопроводности
• плотность
• термическое сопротивление снега.