Snow

General objectives

Snow plays a major role in the climate system. This role is both direct (due to snow’s high albedo and low thermal conductivity) and indirect (notably through snow’s impact on atmospheric chemistry at high latitudes). In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding snow metamorphism and chemical processes at the air-snow interface. However, existing snow models (from “fine” models for specific applications to “coarse” models used in climate models) are generally still based on knowledge that is 20 years old. There is therefore a lack of a coherent framework for modeling the physical and physicochemical processes of snow, which would enable the transition to a new generation of snow models with multiple uses.

Funded in 2009, the cross-cutting "Neige" working group federates research staff of the OSUG working on snow; it is a place of scientific exchanges and discussion.

The Grenoble laboratories play a major role at the international scale for snow study in multiple scientific contexts such as the micro and macro-scale physical modeling, the mechanics of snow, the chemistry of snow, remote sensing of the snow-covered surfaces, the role of snow in the climate system, and snow on the surface of planetary bodies…

Workshop activities

The cross-disciplinary theme is a forum for scientific exchange and discussion focused on snow. Its activities are broken down as follows:

  • Semi-annual plenary meetings (spring / autumn) focused on a specific scientific theme
  • Technical meetings focused on particular points
  • Organization of scientific seminars with external speakers

Anyone interested in following the activities of the workshop can register freely on the list osug-atelier-neige univ-grenoble-alpes.fr by following this link.

Referents

Giulia Mazzotti (INRAE/IGE), Charles Amory (IGE) et Pascal Hagenmuller (CEN).

The members are spread across several laboratories in Grenoble (IGE, IPAG, CEN, 3S-R, INRAE) and a few external members closely associated with the research activities of OSUG members.