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SUMMARY:Snow-cover modelling – past\, present\, and future
DTSTART:20150310T161500
DTEND:20150310T171500
DTSTAMP:20260509T054114Z
UID:e9f8ab06857aa45595b1fbc59f39a02442a9124beb2733f9fa9a333c
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr Charles Fierz\, Research Group Snow Cover and Micrometeorol
 ogy\, SLF\, Davos Dorf\nAbstract:\nAnderson’s point energy and mass bala
 nce model of snow can be considered one of the first multi-layer\, physics
 -based snow-cover model. While some processes were considered from a physi
 cs point of view\, snow microstructure was not considered. Based on this w
 ork\, models emerged in the nineties that included snow properties like gr
 ain size or a full implementation of snow metamorphism. These models focus
 ed on applications like accurate prediction of snow surface temperature or
  avalanche warning. While these applications require a high level of sophi
 stication\, most processes are still parameterized. Moreover\, beside the 
 target applications\, the benefit of detailed snow-cover models for hydrol
 ogical\, meteorological\, and climatological applications was long a matte
 r of debate and is still today. Nonetheless\, these complex models are now
  indeed part of land surface schemes and their benefit can be shown. Next 
 generation models will be based on physical parameters describing microstr
 ucture\, such as density and specific surface area or include detailed pro
 cess descriptions like water percolation. Different from the past\, howeve
 r\, high-quality\, objective field measurements should then allow for quan
 titatively verifying model performance.Short biography:\nCharles Fierz got
  a Diploma in physics from the ETHZ and completed his PhD in experimental 
 condensed matter physics 1988 at the University of Geneva. He has been wor
 king at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF since 1992\,
  when he started studying wet snow and percolation of water in the snowpac
 k with regards to wet snow avalanche formation.  His interest then shifte
 d towards snow-cover modelling\, still focusing on aspects of avalanche fo
 rmation\, but also on snow-atmosphere interactions. Today he is leading th
 e research group “Snow cover and micrometeorology” at SLF and is invol
 ved in international associations and programs.
LOCATION:GR A3 31 http://plan.epfl.ch/?room=GR%20A3%2031
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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