Snow Research Center – CEN

Snow Research Center – CEN

Center’s director : Marie Dumont

Operations Assistant : Delphine Charlieu

The Snow Research Center’s mission is to conduct upstream and finalised research in all areas related to snow science and mountain meteorology. This involves improving knowledge of snow as a material and the physical processes that occur within it at all scales, analysing and forecasting weather in mountain areas, remote sensing of snow cover and developing specific instrumentation for this environment. This work results in the development and transfer of tools to aid in avalanche risk forecasting and snow cover monitoring (in particular the chain SAFRAN – SURFEX/ISBA – Crocus-MEPRA, S2M), and specific methods for reanalysis and climate projection of surface weather conditions and snow cover in mountain areas.

Pursuant to the decree According to Météo-France, « monitoring snow cover, forecasting changes and disseminating the relevant information » is one of the organisation’s missions. To this end, the CNRM studies snow and snow cover in various applications : avalanche risk forecasting, the role of snow and the cryosphere in the climate system, the effects of snow on water resources in watersheds and mountain river flow. To do this, it relies on a dedicated unit : the Snow Research Center (Centre d’Etudes de la Neige CEN). The CEN has multiple resources at its disposal: dedicated digital models, field measurements (fixed measurement sites or dedicated campaigns), and cold chamber experiments. It is structured into five teams, including three research teams working on topics related to snow cover, covering a wide range of scales from the micrometric scale (for the study of the physical properties of snow at the snow grain scale) to the planetary scale (for the study of interactions between snow cover and climate variability). The other two teams are dedicated to supporting research activities (IT, administration, management, logistics).

The Resources

The resources available to CEN researchers include digital models, national databases, and field and laboratory measurement equipment.

The models

Le CEN utilise et développe deux modèles numériques pour représenter l’évolution du manteau neigeux :

  • Crocus is a one-dimensional numerical model based on thermodynamics that simulates the energy and material balance of the snowpack. It has been developed at CEN since the late 1980s and its main objective is to describe in detail the evolution of the internal properties of the snowpack, particularly its microstructure. It is used in particular in the chain SAFRAN-SURFEX/Crocus-MEPRA providing operational information on snowpack conditions to services responsible for avalanche risk forecasting. It is also used for hydrological, ecological, glaciological and climatic applications, as well as for monitoring snow cover in ski resorts.
  • Helmut is a next-generation search model developed as part of the research project IVORI. It will enable new physical processes to be represented and provide a better description of the variety of snow properties around the world, including in the Arctic. Ultimately, it could also be used as a benchmark to improve certain model parameterisations Crocus.

The equipment

Le CEN maintient plusieurs sites de mesures en Isère qui lui permettent de mener des campagnes expérimentales et de constituer des jeux d’observations nécessaires au perfectionnement et à la mise au point de nouveaux modèles :

The laboratory also has refrigeration facilities that enable samples to be collected in the field and experiments to be carried out under controlled conditions (air temperature and humidity), such as experiments on how snow changes over time.

Research teams

Observations du manteau neigeux et de ses interfaces

Matériau Neige

Équipe Modélisation nivo-météorologique

Equipes support

Research projects

Members of the CEN

Rechercher