Enrico Zorzetto

Enrico Zorzetto

Hydroclimatology

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Quantifying the Global Effects of Light-Absorbing Particles Deposition on Magnitude and Timing of Snow Melt in an Earth System Model

Published:

The deposition of light–absorbing particles (LAPs) over snow covered surfaces leads to a decrease in surface albedo. This effect, by increasing the energy absorbed by the snowpack, also enhances melt and accelerates snow aging, which in turn is responsible for a further decrease in snow albedo. Quantifying both direct and indirect effects of LAPs deposition on snowmelt is important in Earth System Models (ESMs), as these effects can modulate the timing of runoff and can produce relevant feedbacks in a coupled climate model. Here we investigate the magnitude of LAPs deposition effects on snow melt over a set of instrumented sites spanning a wide range of LAP deposition rates, terrain and climate conditions. To this end we employ GLASS, a newly developed snow scheme implemented in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) ESM. GLASS provides a detailed multi-layer description of snow processes, with prognostic prediction of snow optical diameter as well as snow grain shape. The mass balance of each LAP species is explicitly resolved within the multi-layer snowpack, so that their concentration determines snow optical properties together with grain size and shape. The snow model is forced by dry and wet deposition of black carbon, mineral dust and organic carbon obtained offline from a general circulation model (GFDL AM4.0). We evaluate the new model configuration over a set of instrumented sites in Europe and North America, finding that at most sites the effect of LAPs is quite relevant, with an average reduction in number of snow cover days between 5 and 20 days/year depending on the site. For sites in the Western US this effect is primarily due to dust deposition, while we find the role of black and organic carbon more relevant at study sites in the Alps. Finally, we provide a global quantification of the effects of LAPs on the magnitude and timing of snow melt in current climate conditions (1985-2015).

teaching

Hydraulic Structures / Hydrology for Engineers

Graduate level class, University of Padova and National School of Public Works of Camerun, 2020

I co-tought a graduate level class to about 200 Civil and Architectural Engineering Students in Younde’, Cameroon. The class was held remotely due to the ongoing Covid19 pandemic. Topics of the class included design of water distribution systems, drainage systems, and other hydraulic structures.

Global Climate Change - GEOL 3040

Undergraduate course, University 1, Earth and Environmental Science, 2024

Physical processes governing the evolution of the Earth system, impacts of climate change, solutions, intro climate modelling.

Statistical Methods in Environmental Science - HYDR 5089

Graduate course, New Mexico Tech, Earth and Environmental Science, 2024

Graduate-level class [currently in preparation] focusing on applications on Bayesian statistical methods to problems in hydrology and environmental sciences, including statistics of extreme events, turbulence and statistical fluid mechanics, and time series frequency analysis.