Snow Energy Balance: Principles and Mechanisms

This lecture covers the principles and mechanisms of snow energy balance, focusing on the importance of precise knowledge of snow thermodynamics, energy transfer, heat fluxes, and the effects of topography and vegetation. It explains the snowpack energy and mass balance during accumulation and ablation periods, the energy balance principle, mechanisms of energy transfer including radiation, and the electromagnetic spectrum. The lecture also discusses thermal radiation, black and gray body radiation, Kirchhoff's law, radiation terminology, and the main factors in terrestrial energy exchange. It concludes with the energy balance equation, detailing the different fluxes involved in the snowpack's energy balance.