Ge et al. (2026) Energy balance effects of extreme snow events on shallow frozen and thawed surfaces in highland pastoral areas

Identification

• Journal: CATENA
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-29
• Authors: Zhenghu Ge, Hongchao Dun, Rezaali Pakzad, Guang Li, Ning Huang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2026.109810

Research Groups

• Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Disaster and Environment in Western China, The Ministry of Educational Department, Lanzhou, China
• School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
• College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
• College of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

Short Summary

This study quantifies the energy balance effects of extreme snowfall events on shallow frozen and thawed surfaces in alpine grasslands near Namtso Lake, revealing that extreme snow profoundly alters energy partitioning during soil freeze-thaw cycles and impacts energy closure rates in a complex, depth-dependent manner.

Objective

• To quantify the energy budget perturbations and their effects on shallow soil energy partitioning during freeze-thaw cycles under extreme snowfall events in alpine grasslands.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local-scale field observations near Namtso Lake, Tibetan Plateau, China.
• Temporal Scale: Period covering multiple freeze-thaw cycles and rare extreme snowfall events (specific duration not provided, but sufficient to capture these phenomena).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Novel computational approaches developed to quantify individual energy fluxes.
• Data sources: Field observations from established meteorological stations, monitoring air and soil temperature, soil moisture, radiation fluxes, and snow depth.

Main Results

• Individual energy fluxes maintain diurnal cyclicity regardless of snow cover presence.
• Energy closure is enhanced during snowfall phases compared to snowmelt phases.
• The Energy Closure Ratio (CR) during snowfall exhibits a concave relationship with snow depth (initially decreasing then increasing).
• The Energy Closure Ratio (CR) during snowmelt shows a monotonic decline with increasing snow depth.
• Extreme snowfall is the dominant control over energy partitioning during soil freeze-thaw cycles, significantly modifying surface energy fluxes, though its effect on the closure rate diminishes with increasing snow depth.

Contributions

• Provides pivotal observational data on rare extreme snowfall events and concurrent surface freeze-thaw processes in a high-elevation, mid-latitude region.
• Develops novel computational approaches for quantifying individual energy fluxes and assessing energy balance in complex snow-permafrost environments.
• Advances the understanding of snow-permafrost interactions and offers a mechanistic framework for analyzing extreme snow events.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Ge2026Energy,
  author = {Ge, Zhenghu and Dun, Hongchao and Pakzad, Rezaali and Li, Guang and Huang, Ning},
  title = {Energy balance effects of extreme snow events on shallow frozen and thawed surfaces in highland pastoral areas},
  journal = {CATENA},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.catena.2026.109810},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.109810}
}