Analysis of formulas for determination of snow cover density

When snow is used as a building material and to control the thermal regime of soils in the permafrost zone, it is important to be able to predict the snow density depending on the thickness (depth) of the snow cover. The paper compares the basic formulas used to calculate snow density depending on the depth of the snow cover and estimates the differences between the results obtained in a given interval (range) of calculation accuracy. The most popular formulas of Abe, Defant, Kotlyakov and other domestic and foreign scientists are included in the comparison. A comparative analysis of the results of theoretical calculations showed that the discrepancy between the results can be significant. At the same time, taking into account the large variability of the initial data determining the existing functions of snow density on its depth, the calculation results for almost all of the formulas considered fall within the range of acceptable accuracy of ± 25%. An assessment is also made of the possibility and expediency of replacing the defining power functions in the considered formulas with linear ones. It is shown that the linearization error, for example, for the classical Abe formula, does not exceed 5%. It is established that Kotlyakov’s linear formulas show the greatest degree of disagreement with other analyzed formulas. For example, the degree of disagreement between one of Kotlyakov’s formulas and Abe’s linear formula varies from 35 to 45%. The results of variant calculations using the formulas are presented in the form of graphs, which allows for a visual verification of the main quantitative patterns obtained as a result of the conducted research.