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Comparison of ERA5-Land reanalysis data with direct measurements of snow cover characteristics in the Magadan Region
https://doi.org/10.7868/S2412376525040089
Abstract
The article presents results of comparison of the ERA5-Land reanalysis data with results of direct (in situ) measurements of snow depth and the solid precipitation in the permafrost zone in the Magadan Region (Northeast Russia). The analysis was based on daily observations of 21 weather stations (9–850 m a.s.l., 2010–2024) and the authors’ data from 12 stationary snow measuring stakes installed at thermometric boreholes of the regional permafrost monitoring network (175–1182 m a.s.l., 2022–2024). The snow depth on the stakes was recorded at a given time interval using camera traps. The ERA5-Land grid nodes closest to the observation sites with a spatial resolution of 0.1° × 0.1° (~9 km) were used for the comparison with regard for differences in elevation between grid cells and observation sites. The results indicate that the ERA5-Land reanalysis systematically overestimates snow depth (on the average by 27 cm or 168%) and solid precipitation (on average by 6 mm or 113% for the period October–April) compared to in situ measurements. The average correlation coefficient between reanalysis data and observations is 0.73 for snow depth and 0.84 for solid precipitation. Divergence increases in mountainous areas and for stations located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. The dependence of the overestimation of snow depth on the elevation of the observation point was revealed. Thus, the overestimation of snow depth reproduced from the reanalysis data increases up to an absolute elevation of about 500 m, but on levels higher 500 m, this dependence changes to the opposite. ERA5-Land shows earlier snow cover formation and later melting in comparison with observations. In addition to the overestimation of solid precipitation, further sources of uncertainties are the low spatial resolution of the ERA5-Land data and the lack of consideration of sublimation and wind-driven snow transport in the model. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of using the ERA5-Land data in the mountainous permafrost regions.
About the Authors
O. R. ZhunusovaRussian Federation
Saint Petersburg
A. A. Zemlyanskova
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
O. M. Makarieva
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
A. N. Shikhov
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg; Perm
N. V. Nesterova
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
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Supplementary files
For citation: Zhunusova O.R., Zemlyanskova A.A., Makarieva O.M., Shikhov A.N., Nesterova N.V. Comparison of ERA5-Land reanalysis data with direct measurements of snow cover characteristics in the Magadan Region. Ice and Snow. 2025;65(4):628-642. https://doi.org/10.7868/S2412376525040089
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