INTER-COMPARISON OF TWO SNOW MODELS WITH DIFFERENT COMPLEXITY USING DATA FROM AN ALPINE SITE

Modelization of the snow cover evolution with the two physically based snow models CROCUS and ESCIMO for the three subsequent seasons 1994 - 1997. CROCUS is a detailed, multi-layer snow model developed for the operational avalanche forecasting system of METEO France whereas ESCIMO is a one-layer energy and mass balance snow model for hydrological applications. Calibration and comparison of the models.