About this Research Topic
The cryosphere is a key component of the Earth system. The distribution of regional snow/ice cover is affected mainly by factors such as wind, topography, snowfall, and temperature. As global warming continues, extreme weather and climate events frequently occur, including snow/ice disasters. There are several types of snow/ice disasters on different spatial scales, such as snow and ice avalanche, drifting and blowing snow, snowstorm, flood, building collapse, traffic hazards, snow and ice accretion, etc., which cause great damages to human lives and the social economy. Thus, studies on the physical processes and formation mechanism of snow/ice disasters, prediction and early warning systems, as well as control engineering are of great significance to preventing snow/ice disasters from damaging the society.
This research topic focuses on 1) blowing/snowing processes influenced by the coupling effect of multiple factors, such as topography, turbulence, solar radiation, temperature, humidity and precipitation. These processes involve gas-solid two-phase flow, particle-bed interaction, physical phase change, etc., and are typically complex, nonlinear and multiscale. The understanding of the mechanisms governing such processes and development of numerical models have both scientific importance and practical applications; 2) Evolution of snow/ice distribution at different scales, from microscale physical mechanism of snow cover variation to feedbacks between snow/ice distribution and climate change on global scale, a topic coupling mechanics, atmospheric sciences, earth sciences, and other disciplines; 3) Topics in areas of snow/ice disaster formation mechanism and control engineering, which provide the foundation and references for future scientific research in prediction and prevention of snow/ice disasters.
We welcome submissions in the following themes:
• Experimental and numerical studies on snow/ice distribution and wind-blown snow;
• Dynamics of blowing snow;
• Snow hydrological modeling;
• Formation mechanism, modelling and forecast of snow/ice avalanche in mountainous areas;
• Snow/ice loads and codification in structural engineering;
• Transportation problems caused by snowdrift;
• Snow/ice accretion on structures;
• Structural destruction and optimization design under snow load;
• Prevention and control engineering of snow/ice disasters on transportation;
• Formation mechanism of snow/ice patterns;
• Construction of snow/ice landscapes and facilities; and
• Interaction between snow/ice and climate change.
This research topic focuses on 1) blowing/snowing processes influenced by the coupling effect of multiple factors, such as topography, turbulence, solar radiation, temperature, humidity and precipitation. These processes involve gas-solid two-phase flow, particle-bed interaction, physical phase change, etc., and are typically complex, nonlinear and multiscale. The understanding of the mechanisms governing such processes and development of numerical models have both scientific importance and practical applications; 2) Evolution of snow/ice distribution at different scales, from microscale physical mechanism of snow cover variation to feedbacks between snow/ice distribution and climate change on global scale, a topic coupling mechanics, atmospheric sciences, earth sciences, and other disciplines; 3) Topics in areas of snow/ice disaster formation mechanism and control engineering, which provide the foundation and references for future scientific research in prediction and prevention of snow/ice disasters.
We welcome submissions in the following themes:
• Experimental and numerical studies on snow/ice distribution and wind-blown snow;
• Dynamics of blowing snow;
• Snow hydrological modeling;
• Formation mechanism, modelling and forecast of snow/ice avalanche in mountainous areas;
• Snow/ice loads and codification in structural engineering;
• Transportation problems caused by snowdrift;
• Snow/ice accretion on structures;
• Structural destruction and optimization design under snow load;
• Prevention and control engineering of snow/ice disasters on transportation;
• Formation mechanism of snow/ice patterns;
• Construction of snow/ice landscapes and facilities; and
• Interaction between snow/ice and climate change.
Keywords: Snow, Ice, Natural Disaster, Formation Mechanism, Control Engineering
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
