Bulk meltwater flow and liquid water content of snowpacks mapped using the electrical self-potential (SP) method

摘要: Abstract. Our ability to measure, quantify and assimilate hydrological properties processes of snow in operational models is disproportionally poor compared the significance seasonal snowmelt as a global water resource major risk factor flood avalanche forecasting. We show here that strong electrical self-potential fields are generated melting situ snowpacks at Rhone Glacier Jungfraujoch Glacier, Switzerland. In agreement with theory, diurnal evolution magnitudes ( ∼  60–250 mV) relates those bulk meltwater fluxes (0–1.2  ×  10−6 m3 s−1) principally through permeability content, conductivity pH liquid water. Previous work revealed when fresh melts, ions eluted sequence conductivity, data change diagnostically. had experienced earlier stages melt, complementary pit measurements ( ∼  1–5  ×  10−6 S m−1) ( ∼  6.5–6.7) well permeabilities (respectively  ∼  9.7  ×  10−5  ∼  4.3  ×  10−5 m2 Glacier) were invariant. This implies, first, preferential elution was complete and, second, our reflect daily changes contents. These calculated increase within pendular regime from  ∼  1 5  ∼  3 5.5 % respectively confirmed by ground truth measurements. conclude method promising firn hydrology sensor owing its suitability for (1) sensing lateral vertical flows directly minimally invasively, (2) complementing established observational programs multidimensional spatial mapping or content (3)  monitoring autonomously low cost. Future should focus on development arrays compatible existing weather technology programs, integration into analytical frameworks.