Application of a simple model for ice growth to the Lake St. Moritz, Switzerland
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Date
2023-08
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
We present a Simple Lake Ice Model to calculate the growth rate of lake ice in a cold and relatively dry climate. The focus is on Lake St. Moritz, Switzerland, which has an area of 0.78 km² and is about 45 m deep. In winter the lake is extensively used for recreational purposes, including horse racing with thousands of spectators. Safety on the ice cover is essential, and there is a great need to have a simple tool with which the growth rate of the ice layer can be calculated for given meteorological conditions. The approach is based on a simple formulation of the upper temperature of the ice layer, which depends on air temperature and snow cover. Input data are the date on which the lake freezes over, daily mean air temperatures and snow depth. For the winter 2021/22 calculated ice growth compares well with ice thickness measurements. We demonstrate that grooming of the snow has a significant positive effect on the ice thickening rate. We also evaluate the sensitivity of the simulated ice thickness to increasing mean temperature.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
69 (276)
Pages / Article No.
1085 - 1090
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
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Methods
Software
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Subject
Ice/atmosphere interactions; lake ice; snow/ice surface processes