Intraseasonal variation in the thermoinsulation effect of snow cover on soil temperatures and energy balance

We present the results of an analysis of the observed variation in the energy balance of a soil surface at Barrow, Alaska, during 1993–1998. When combined with snow depth measurements, the data allow several stages to be distinguished in the intraseasonal variation of the snow cover effect on the temperature regime and energy balance of the underlying soil. Each stage corresponds to specific thermoinsulation effects of the snow cover in terms of the energy‐balance dependence of the soil‐surface on snow depth. Stages in the intraseasonal surface energy balance variation can be used as a basis for incorporating detailed snow physics in modeling of the soil freezing/thawing phenomenon and for consideration of the distributed energy balance of snow covered landscapes. Preliminary ideas are presented on applying the results obtained for nonpermafrost regions.