ABSTRACT
Ground thermal regime in cold regions is influenced by seasonal snow cover, which acts as an insulating layer influencing the heat transfer between the atmosphere and the underlying soil. The thermal properties of the snow change with different environmental conditions, playing a crucial role to determine the thermal state of the sub-surface soil. Previous research in this field have faced challenges to accurately characterize thermal properties of seasonal snowpacks under varying spatial and meteorological conditions. To address this issue, two experimental field setups were constructed in Luleå, Sweden, to observe the temperature distribution of the snowpack and the ground sub-surface soil. The first experiment studied a naturally accumulated, undisturbed snowpack. The second experiment was conducted on a roadside ditch where the snowpack consists of a combination of natural accumulated snow and plowed snow from the adjacent road. In this research, heat transfer processes at both field sites were monitored over a winter season each to better understand the complex relationship between snow cover properties and sub-surface thermal regime. Furthermore, thermal conductivity of a basal layer in each snowpack was calculated over a time period, based on the field measurements. The results showed that the history of snow deposition, meteorological conditions, and changes in soil moisture impact the metamorphism process within the snowpack, thereby altering the structure of the layers of snowpack and its influence on the thermal regime of the sub-surface soil. The findings of this research have important applications in various sectors, from mining to road maintenance and agriculture.
