Orange snow and citizen science
- 1Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Université de Toulouse, Météo-France, CNRS, CNRM, Centre d’Études de la Neige, 38000 Grenoble, France
- 2CESBIO, Université de Toulouse, CNES/CNRS/INRA/IRD/UPS, Toulouse, France
- 6Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, G-INP, IGE, Grenoble, France
- *A full list of authors appears at the end of the abstract
In the beginning of February 2021, a large dust plume travelled from the Sahara across the Mediterranean Sea and deposited a colorful layer of particles on the snow-covered slopes of the Pyrenees and the Alps. The event was widely reported in the media due to the surprising color of the sky and of the snow cover.
To characterize the amount of dust deposited on the ground during this remarkable event, we organized a citizen science campaign. We collected 150 snow samples from which the deposited dust mass was measured over the Pyrenees, the French and the Swiss Alps. The analysis of all samples shows a robust deposition gradient from the Pyrenees to the Alps and enhanced deposition rates on south facing slopes in agreement with satellite data. The samples were used in combination with detailed snow modeling to evaluate the dramatic impact of the dust deposition on the melt and duration of the snow cover.
Marie Dumont 1, Simon Gascoin 2, Marion Réveillet 1, Didier Voisin 6, François Tuzet 1, Laurent Arnaud 6, Mylène Bonnefoy 8, Carlo Carmagnola 1, Alexandre Deguine 9,10, Lukas Dürr 7 , Olivier Evrard 3, Frédéric Flin 1, Firmin Fontaine 8, Laure Gandois 4, Pascal Hagenmuller 1, Hervé Herbin 9, Béatrice Josse 5, Bruno Jourdain 6, Matthieu Lafaysse 1, Irene Lefevre 3, Gaël Le Roux 4, Quentin Libois 5, Samuel Morin 5, Pierre Nabat 5, Denis Petitprez 10, Alvaro Robledano 6,1, Martin Schneebeli 7, Delphine Six 6 , Emmanuel Thibert 8 ,Jürg Trachsel 7, Matthieu Vernay 1, Léo Viallon-Galinier 1, Céline Voiron 6 -- 1: Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Université de Toulouse, Météo-France, CNRS, CNRM, Centre d’Études de la Neige, 38000 Grenoble, France 2: CESBIO, Université de Toulouse, CNES/CNRS/INRA/IRD/UPS, Toulouse, France 3: LSCE - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette] , CEA, CNRS, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, France 4: Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France 5: Université de Toulouse, Météo-France, CNRS, CNRM, Toulouse, France 6: Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, G-INP, IGE, Grenoble, France 7: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Flüelastr. 11, 7260 Davos, Switzerland 8: Université Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, UR ETGR, Grenoble, France 9: Université de. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8518 - LOA - Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique, F-59000 Lille, France 10 : Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8522 - PC2A - Physicochimie des Processus de Combustion et de l’Atmosphère, F-59000 Lille, France
How to cite: Dumont, M., Gascoin, S., Reveillet, M., and Voisin, D. and the Collectif neige orange: Orange snow and citizen science, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-3132, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-3132, 2022.
