Review of the field studies on lateral flow in slope snow

Abstract

Lateral flow refers to the flow of water moving parallel to the slope in a snowpack. This process causes nonuniform infiltration and local concentration of water from the snow base into the ground. Consequently, this affects the occurrence of snowmelt disasters and the timing of river runoffs. Studies of lateral flow in snowpacks have been performed through observations and experiments in the field. Recently, there has also been progress in the numerical modeling of water infiltration in slope snow. In this paper, the knowledge of field experiments, observations, and measurement technics for the process of water infiltration in slope snow are summarized to understand the relationship of their process to the modeling.