Assessment of thermal resistance of snow cover in Spitsbergen

Snow cover is an important factor that largely determines the thermal regime of the ground in the cold season. Thermal protective properties of snow cover are conditioned by its thermal resistance, equal to the ratio of the snow thickness to its thermal conductivity coefficient. The thermal resistance of the snow cover is equal to the sum of thermal resistances of its layers. Therefore, to assess the thermal resistance of the whole snow cover, the thermophysical parameters of each layer should be known that is a problem. Previously, assessment of the thermal resistance of snow cover was derived on the basis of data on the ground temperature with small fluctuations in the air temperature. In this case, the desired quantity of the thermal resistance is obtained with regards for all features of the snow thickness development at the time of measurement. This method is implemented with a quasi-stationary temperature distribution wityin the snow cover and ground. Mathematical modeling was used to assess the effect of small air temperature fluctuations on the snow surface temperature and the temperature gradient within the snow cover. The results of calculation demonstrated that the average temperature of the snow surface can be used to estimate the temperature gradient in a snow cover when its thickness exceeds 50 cm. Based on measurements of ground and air temperatures in the area of the Barentsburg weather station, the thermal resistance of the snow cover and its thermal conductivity coefficient were estimated. For the period 23-26 of March, 2023, the average value of the thermal resistance of the snow cover was equal to 3.23 m2·K/W at a standard deviation of 0.17 m2 K/W, and the thermal conductivity coefficient – 0.27 W/(m·K) at a standard deviation of 0.015 W/(m·K).