Numerical simulation of snow transport deposition, and redistribution

The Snow Accumulation and Numerical Transport Algorithms (SANTA) model consists of a Mountain Windfield Model (MWM), a sophisticated Transport and Diffusion Model (TDM), and a bulk Cloud Microphysics Model (CMM). The model is formulated to treat atmospheric transport, cloud microphysics, snow deposition and resuspension at comparable levels of sophistication. In its general formulation, SANTA is a three-dimensional, time-dependent, multispecies hydrometeorological model. It simulates the time evolution of solid, liquid, and vapor water fields within fields within cold orographic storms over complex mountain topography, and may be applied for both local scale and regional scale analyses. Comparison of hourly and daily average snow accumulation and water equivalent precipitation predictions for the 30 March 1982 Sierra storm shows that the SANTA model predictions of total daily precipitation match observations closely. Based on preliminary verification exercises, the SANTA Model has potential as a tool in regional and local avalanche hazard forcasting.