Open AccessCalculating scheme of ground freezing depth on the basis of data on seasonal snowfall deposition, snow cower accumulation and temperature variation
Author(s) -
Denis Frolov
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.179
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012033
Subject(s) - snow , thermal conductivity , thermal conduction , inflow , atmospheric sciences , snow cover , temperature gradient , outflow , deposition (geology) , environmental science , meteorology , geology , thermodynamics , geomorphology , physics , sediment
Soil thermal regime remains today an insufficiently studied field of environmental computing science. For the determination of the influence of air-temperature and snow cover thickness absolute values and dynamics on the ground freezing depth, and the development of root systems of trees and plants, a calculating scheme on the basis of data on seasonal snowfall deposition, snow cover accumulation, and temperature variation is considered. The calculating scheme is based on a three-layer media heat conduction problem (snow cover, frozen and thawed ground) with phase transition on the boundary between frozen and unfrozen grounds. The heat balance equation includes phase transition energy, inflow of heat from the unfrozen ground and outflow to the frozen ground, snow cover and the atmosphere. The heat flux is calculated on the basis of the Fourier law as the product of heat conductivity and temperature gradient. It is supposed that the temperature changes in each of the media linearly. An assumption is also made that snow cover consists of different layers deposited by different snowfalls and having different structure, density, and heat conductivity depending on its density. The density and heat conductivity of each layer and the whole thickness of snow cover are determined, a regional stratigraphic column for snow cover is compiled, and the ground freezing intensity and freezing depth are calculated. A comparison of the calculated and observed values of ground freezing depth for Narayan-Mar is performed, and a correlation of 0.76-0.77 is obtained.