Abstract
Abstract. A meteorological and blowing snow data set from the high-elevation experimental site of Col du Lac Blanc (2720 m a.s.l., Grandes Rousses mountain range, French Alps) is presented and detailed in this paper. Emphasis is placed on data relevant to the observations and modelling of wind-induced snow transport in alpine terrain. This process strongly influences the spatial distribution of snow cover in mountainous terrain with consequences for snowpack, hydrological and avalanche hazard forecasting. In situ data consist of wind (speed and direction), snow depth and air temperature measurements (recorded at four automatic weather stations), a database of blowing snow occurrence and measurements of blowing snow fluxes obtained from a vertical profile of snow particle counters (2010–2016). Observations span the period from 1 December to 31 March for each winter season from 2000–2001 to 2015–2016. The time resolution has varied from 15 min until 2014 to 10 min for the last years. Atmospheric data from the meteorological reanalysis are also provided from 1 August 2000 to 1 August 2016. A digital elevation model (DEM) of the study area (1.5 km2) at 1 m resolution is also provided in RGF 93 Lambert 93 coordinates. This data set has been used in the past to develop and evaluate physical parameterizations and numerical models of blowing and drifting snow in alpine terrain. Col du Lac Blanc is also a target site to evaluate meteorological and climate models in alpine terrain. It belongs to the CRYOBS-CLIM observatory (the CRYosphere, an OBServatory of the CLIMate), which is a part of the national research infrastructure OZCAR (Critical Zone Observatories – Application and Research) and have been a Global Cryospheric Watch Cryonet site since 2017. The data are available from the repository of the OSUG data centre https://doi.org/10.17178/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.all.
Highlights
Wind-induced snow transport strongly influences the temporal and spatial distributions of the snow cover in mountainous areas (e.g. Mott et al, 2010; Vionnet et al, 2014)
Col du Lac Blanc, as well as Col de Porte, another experimental site located in the French Alps and dedicated to observation and modelling of the seasonal snowpack (Morin et al, 2012; Lejeune et al, 2019), belongs to the CRYOBS-CLIM observatory, which is a part of the national research infrastructure OZCAR (Critical Zone Observatories – Application and Research) (Gaillardet et al, 2018)
Three automatic weather stations (AWSs) situated around the pass measure snow depth using ultrasonic sensors and a laser sensor. They are available between 1 December and 31 March of each winter. This period has been selected since it corresponds to the main period during which most of blowing snow events occur at Col du Lac Blanc (CLB) (Vionnet et al, 2013)
Summary
Wind-induced snow transport strongly influences the temporal and spatial distributions of the snow cover in mountainous areas (e.g. Mott et al, 2010; Vionnet et al, 2014). Filhol and Sturm, 2015) This spatial variability has consequences on the snowpack stability and influences the danger of avalanches as cornices and wind slabs are formed during blowing snow events (Schweizer et al, 2003). Col du Lac Blanc, as well as Col de Porte, another experimental site located in the French Alps and dedicated to observation and modelling of the seasonal snowpack (Morin et al, 2012; Lejeune et al, 2019), belongs to the CRYOBS-CLIM observatory (the CRYosphere, an OBServatory of the CLIMate), which is a part of the national research infrastructure OZCAR (Critical Zone Observatories – Application and Research) (Gaillardet et al, 2018) It has been a Global Cryosphere Watch Cryonet site since 2017 and belongs to the International Network for Alpine Research Catchment Hydrology (INARCH).
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