Col du Lac Blanc, France

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Site Overview Observations Site Map Data

Basin / Site Name	Grandes-Rousses, Western Alps
Country; Province/State	France
Website
Operational Management

Abstract

The Col du Lac Blanc (CLB) experimental site is located at 2720 m a.s.l. in the Grandes Rousses mountain range (45.13∘ N, 6.12∘ E) in the central French Alps between 2700 and 2800 m a.s.l. and can be viewed as a natural wind tunnel due to its orientation and the specific configuration of the surrounding summits.

Oversight/Contacts

Name	Role	Contact Information
Isabelle Gouttevin
Florence Naaim

Basin / Site Location (Centroid Coordinates)

Coordinate Format	Latitude	Longitude
Degrees Minutes Seconds
Decimal Degrees	45.1276389	6.1115555

Location (Physiographic Region)	Grandes-Rousses, Western Alps
Area (km2)	cluster of point sites, no catchment
Elevation (m; Mean, Maximum, Minimum)	2700 - 2820 m.a.s.l.
Description (Physical–Ecological–Climatic Characteristics)
Drainage / River System
Site History or Historical Context
Years of Data

Glacierized Area (% and year(s) measured)	0%
Main Land Cover(s)	rocky bare ground, sparse grass
Lithology / Soils
	J F M A M J J A S O N D A
Mean Monthly and Annual Temperature (°C)	−6.1 ◦ C (mean over 2000-2016)
	J F M A M J J A S O N D A
Mean Total Monthly and Annual Precipitation (mm)	not quantified yet
Snow Characteristics	High-altitude alpine snow
Additional Noteworthy Characteristics of Basin/Site

Measurement	Instrumentation Description	Spatial / Temporal Resolution and Coverage	Notes / Details
terrestrial laser scanner	One or more laser scans per season between 2011 and 2020
UAV sensor	eolian forms studies by photogrammetry
time lapse photos	webcam images	hourly
snow depth	SR50	hourly	at each instrument/mast
soil temperature	THETAPROBE ML3		2 different levels in the ground (-15 cm and -35 cm)
surface temperature	inferred from Lout
eddy covariance	CSAT		treated for H flux since 2022

Digital Elevation Model	DEM of study area (1.5 km2 ) at 1 m resolution https://doi.osug.fr/public/CRYOBSCLIM_CLB/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.DEM.html
Landcover and Soils
Stream/River Network
Basin Delineation / Shapefile

Datasets and Real-time Data Feeds

Data Centre Postings

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		<name>Col du Lac Blanc site</name>
		<data>cryosphere, snow, blowing snow@~~@cryosphere, snow, NES@~~@|Col du Lac Blanc, Hourly blowing snow occurrence^^Hourly blowing snow occurrence as an integer (0: no blowing snow; 1: blowing snow with concurrent snowfall; 2: blowing snow without concurrent snowfall)||Static Dataset|From 2000-12-01 to 2016-03-31|WebLink{https://doi.osug.fr/public/CRYOBSCLIM_CLB/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.BSO.html;Blowing Snow Data}</data>
		<data>atmosphere, surface, wind, speed@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, direction@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, NES@~~@cryosphere, snow, snow depth@~~@cryosphere, snow, NES@~~@cryosphere, snow, blowing snow@~~@|Col, Automatic Weather Station^^snow depth, wind direction and speed (mean value) and horizontal blowing snow fluxes (g/m²/s) at 10-minute time step^||Static Dataset|From Jan-12 to Mar-31 every winter from 2009-01-12 to  2016-03-31|WebLink{https://doi.osug.fr/public/CRYOBSCLIM_CLB/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.COL.html;Meteorological and Snow Data}</data>
		<data>atmosphere, surface, wind, speed@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, NES@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, direction@~~@|Dome, Automatic Weather Station^^Wind speed and direction are measured at 8.5 m above the snow-free ground^^air temperarture is measured at 7.5 m above the snow-free ground in a ventilated shelter||Static Dataset|From Jan-12 to Mar-31 every winter from 2009-01-12 to  2016-03-31|WebLink{https://doi.osug.fr/public/CRYOBSCLIM_CLB/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.DOME.html ;Meteorological Data }</data>
		<data>atmosphere, surface, wind, NES@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, direction@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, speed@~~@atmosphere, surface, temperature@~~@cryosphere, snow, snow depth@~~@|Lac Blanc, Automatic Weather Station^^Wind speed and direction are measured at 7.5 m above the snow-free ground^air temperarture is measured at 6 m above the snow-free ground in a ventilated shelter||Static Dataset|From Jan-12 to Mar-31 every winter from 2000-01-12 to  2016-03-31|WebLink{https://doi.osug.fr/public/CRYOBSCLIM_CLB/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.LACBLANC.html;Meteorological Data}</data>
		<data>atmosphere, surface, wind, NES@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, direction@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, speed@~~@atmosphere, surface, temperature@~~@cryosphere, snow, snow depth@~~@|Muzelle, Automatic Weather Station^^Wind speed and direction are measured at 7 m above the snow-free ground and air temperarture is measured at 5.5 m above the snow-free ground in a ventilated shelter||Static Dataset|From Jan-12 to Mar-31 every winter from 2000-01-12 to  2016-03-31|WebLink{https://doi.osug.fr/public/CRYOBSCLIM_CLB/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.LACBLANC.html;Meteorological Data}</data>
		<data>atmosphere, surface, NES@~~@atmosphere, surface, precipitation@~~@atmosphere, surface, temperature@~~@atmosphere, surface, water vapour, air specific humidity@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, speed@~~@atmosphere, surface, wind, direction@~~@atmosphere, surface, radiation, downward long-wave irradiance@~~@atmosphere, surface, radiation, downward short-wave irradiance@~~@atmosphere, surface, radiation, net@~~@|||Static Dataset|From 2000-08-01 to 2016-08-01|WebLink{https://doi.osug.fr/public/CRYOBSCLIM_CLB/CRYOBSCLIM.CLB.SAFRAN.html;SAFRAN Meteorological Data}</data>
	</zone>
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>>>

Other Datasets and Real-time Data Feeds

see Guyomarc’h et al 2019:
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-57-2019

Variable	Station Name	Sensor(s)	Height / Depth (m)	Record Period	Measurement Frequency	Notes / Details
T		Vaisala HMP110
RH		Vaisala HMP110
Kin		Kipp and Zonen CMP6
Kout		Kipp and Zonen CMP6
Lin		Kipp & Zonen CGR4
Lout		Kipp & Zonen CGR4
wind speed		Vector instrument A100L2
precipitation		Geonor T200B