SIMBA snow- and ice monitoring case studies

^{Discover where SIMBA has been used and how it has helped teams monitor changing snow and ice conditions in the field.}

High-Resolution Snow-Air Temperature Monitoring with SIMBA - the ICECAPS-ACE Project, Greenland

The ICECAPS-ACE project (Integrated Characterisation of Energy, Clouds, Atmospheric state, and Precipitation at Summit - Aerosol Cloud Experiment) is an international scientific research programme based at Summit Station, Greenland. Jointly funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the project supports integrated observations of the Greenland environment, including energy exchange, cloud processes, atmospheric conditions, precipitation and aerosols.

As part of this work, two Snow Ice Mass Balance Apparatus (SIMBA) units were deployed to provide high-resolution temperature measurements across the snow-air transition zone.

Read the ICECAPS-ACE case study

SIMBA monitoring equipment installed on the snow-covered Greenland Ice Sheet beneath a clear blue sky. A vertical white thermistor chain is secured beside a guyed support mast and connected by cables to a yellow protective equipment case on the snow. A red marker flag identifies the installation.

^{Photo credit: ICECAPS-ACE}

SIMBA Avalanche Forecast: Leveraging the data in storm force winds, Scotland

Storm-force winds made higher-altitude observations difficult in the Northern Cairngorms. SIMBA provided remotely accessible temperature profiles and heat maps, allowing forecasters to examine how the snowpack was changing between field observations

Read the Northern Cairngorms case study on the SAIS website ↗

SIMBA monitoring equipment installed on a snow-covered mountainside in the Cairngorms, with support poles and equipment visible against the surrounding hills.

^{Photo credit: SAIS Northern Cairngorms}

Monitoring River Ice on the Churchill River, Canada

The Churchill River Monitoring project was established after a flood in 2017 where an ice jam flood occurred at the outlet into Goose Bay, causing the evacuation of a nearby community. As such, it was recommended to increase the real-time environmental monitoring and, to help achieve this, SIMBA units were deployed to help study the river ice thickness and contribute to the wider River Flood Forecasting System.

Read the Churchill River case study

SIMBA monitoring unit installed on a raised platform on the snow-covered Churchill River in Canada, with a marker pole and field equipment nearby.

^{Photo credit: Churchill River Monitoring Project}

SIMBA On Sea Ice - The MOSAiC Expedition, Central Arctic

The MOSAiC Expedition, led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, was a year-round operation of the RV Polarstern, which drifted with the sea ice across the central Arctic from September 2019 to October 2020. A distributed regional network of observational sites was set up, and as part of this, 28 SIMBA units were deployed on the sea ice.

Read the MOSAiC Expedition case study

Research icebreaker ship anchored on a frozen sea with a yellow SIMBA snow-and ice monitoring device and a red-and-white measurement pole in the snow.

^{Photo credit: MOSAiC Expedition}