Terrain coefficients for predicting energy costs of walking over snow
Open accessAbstract
Background Predicting the energy costs of human travel over snow can be of significant value to the military and other agencies planning work efforts when snow is present. The ability to quantify, and predict, those costs can help planners determine if snow will be a factor in the execution of dismounted tasks and operations. To adjust predictive models for the effect of terrain, and more specifically for surface conditions, on energy costs, terrain coefficients (ƞ) have been developed. The physiological demands of foot travel over snow have been studied previously, and there are well established methods of predicting metabolic costs of locomotion. By applying knowledge gained from prior studies of the effects of terrain and snow, and by leveraging those existing dismounted locomotion models, this paper seeks to outline the steps in developing an improved terrain coefficient (ƞ) for snow to be used in predictive modeling. Methods Using published data, methods, and a well-informed understanding of the physical elements of terrain, e.g., characterization of snow sinkage (z), this study made adjustments to ƞ-values specific to snow. Results This review of published metabolic cost methods suggest that an improved ƞ-value could be developed for use with the Pandolf equation, where z = depth (h)*(1 - (snow density (ρ0)/1.186)) and ƞ = 0.0005z3 + 0.0001z2 + 0.1072z + 1.2604. Conclusion While the complexity of variables related to characteristics of snow, speed of movement, and individuals confound efforts to develop a simple, predictive model, this paper provides data-driven improvements to models that are used to predict the energy costs of dismounted movements over snow.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Predicting energy expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly
PANDOLF, K. B., Givoni, B., & Goldman, R. F. (1977) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1977.43.4.577 · Cited by 471 · see citing works
Load carriage using packs: A review of physiological, biomechanical and medical aspects
Knapik, J. J., Harman, E. A., & REYNOLDS, K. L. (1996) · Applied Ergonomics · doi:10.1016/0003-6870(96)00013-0 · Cited by 426 · see citing works
Predicting metabolic energy cost
Givoni, B., & Goldman, R. F. (1971) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1971.30.3.429 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
The effects of protective clothing on energy consumption during different activities
Dorman, L. E., & Havenith, G. (2008) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00421-008-0924-2 · Cited by 240 · see citing works
Terrain coefficients for energy cost prediction.
Soule, R. G., & Goldman, R. F. (1972) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1972.32.5.706 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Metabolic Energy Expenditure and Terrain Coefficients for Walking on Snow
PANDOLF, K. B., HAISMAN, M. F., & Goldman, R. F. (1976) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140137608931583 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Increased energy cost with multiple clothing layers.
Teitlebaum, A., & Goldman, R. F. (1972) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1972.32.6.743 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Potter, A. W., Blanchard, L., Friedl, K. E., Cadarette, B. S., & Hoyt, R. W. (2017) · Journal of Thermal Biology · doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2017.01.003 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Self-citationEnergy expenditure while standing or walking slowly uphill or downhill with loads
Pimental, N. A., & PANDOLF, K. B. (1979) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140137908924670 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Welles, A. P., Xu, X., Santee, W. R., Looney, D. P., Buller, M. J., Potter, A. W., & Hoyt, R. W. (2018) · Computers in Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2018.05.021 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Self-citationThermoregulatory Modeling for Cold Stress
Xu, X., & Tikuisis, P. (2014) · Comprehensive physiology · doi:10.1002/cphy.c130047 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Walking economy is predictably determined by speed, grade, and gravitational load
Ludlow, L. W., & Weyand, P. G. (2017) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00504.2017 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
A macroscale model for low density snow subjected to rapid loading
Haehnel, R. B., & Shoop, S. (2004) · Cold Regions Science and Technology · doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2004.08.001 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Terrain Factors for Predicting Walking and Load Carriage Energy Costs: Review and Refinement
Richmond, P., Potter, A. W., & Santee, W. R. (2015) · Journal of Sport and Human Performance · doi:10.12922/jshp.v3i3.67 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Self-citationEstimating Resting Core Temperature Using Heart Rate
Looney, D. P., Buller, M. J., Gribok, A. V., Leger, J., Potter, A. W., Rumpler, W. V., Tharion, W. J., Welles, A. P., Friedl, K. E., & Hoyt, R. W. (2018) · Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour · doi:10.1123/jmpb.2017-0003 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Self-citationRichmond, P., Shoop, S., & Blaisdell, G. L. (1995) · US Army Corps of Engineers: Engineer Research and Development Center (Knowledge Core) · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Self-citationMetabolic Costs of Military Load Carriage over Complex Terrain
Looney, D. P., Santee, W. R., Karis, A. J., Blanchard, L., Rome, M. N., Carter, A. J., & Potter, A. W. (2018) · Military Medicine · doi:10.1093/milmed/usx099 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Self-citationMeasuring wildland fire fighter performance with wearable technology
Parker, R., Vitalis, A., Walker, R., Riley, D., & Pearce, H. G. (2016) · Applied Ergonomics · doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2016.08.018 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Load Carriage Model Development and Testing with Field Data
Santee, W. R., Blanchard, L., Speckman, K. L., González, J. A., & Wallace, R. F. (2003) · Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationBach, A. J. E., Costello, J. T., Borg, D. N., & Stewart, I. B. (2016) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140139.2016.1173233 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Cardiorespiratory strain during walking in snow with boots of differing weights
Smolander, J., Louhevaara, V., Hakola, T., Ahonen, E. A., & Klen, T. (1989) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140138908966063 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Real-Time Physiological Monitoring While Encapsulated in Personal Protective Equipment
Tharion, W. J., Potter, A. W., Duhamel, C. M., Karis, A. J., Buller, M. J., & Hoyt, R. W. (2013) · Journal of Sport and Human Performance · doi:10.12922/jshp.0030.2013 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Self-citationEffect of looseness of snow on energy expenditure in marching on snow-covered ground
Ramaswamy, S. S., Gl, D., Vk, R., et al. (1966) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1966.21.6.1747 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Motion resistance of wheeled vehicles in snow
Richmond, P. (1995) · US Army Corps of Engineers: Engineer Research and Development Center (Knowledge Core) · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationTHE ENERGY EXPENDITURE OF WALKING ON SNOW AT VARIOUS DEPTHS
HEINONEX, A. O., KARVONES, M. J., & Ruosteenoja, R. (1959) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140135908930455 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
New technologies in human factors and ergonomics research and practice
Lin, J., Kirlik, A., & Xu, X. (2017) · Applied Ergonomics · doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2017.08.012 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
The influence of clothing weight and bulk on metabolic rate when wearing protective clothing
Dorman, L. E., & Havenith, G. (2005) · Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Welles, A. P., Buller, M. J., Looney, D. P., Rumpler, W. V., Gribok, A. V., & Hoyt, R. W. (2017) · Journal of Thermal Biology · doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2017.12.007 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Self-citationOverview of Dietary Intakes During Military Exercises
Marriott, B. M. (1995) · Cited by 13 · see citing works
STUDIES ON THE ENERGY COST OF LEVEL CROSS-COUNTRY TRAVEL IN THE ARCTIC
Rogers, T. A., Buck, A. C., & Klopping, J. C. (1965) · Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · doi:10.21236/ad0475559 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Day, 2012, Chapter 6. Nutrition and military performance, 157
- Headquarters, Department of the Army, 1994, Planning and design of roads, airfields, and heliports in the theater of operations - road design, Field Man.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Páez, A., Anjum, Z., Dickson-Anderson, S. E., Schuster-Wallace, C. J., Martín Ramos, B., & Higgins, C. D. (2020) · Journal of Transport Geography · doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.102564 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
- Authors
- Richmond, P. W., Potter, A. W., Looney, D. P., & Santee, W. R.
- Affiliations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (US)
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Potter, Adam W.
- Venue
- Applied Ergonomics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-01
- Volume
- 74
- Pages
- 48-54
- ISSN
- 0003-6870 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2885503817
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 2.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Applied Ergonomics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Engineer Research and Development Center
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
- U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Pathologies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Keywords
- energy cost of walking, metabolic cost of locomotion, military operations planning
- MeSH terms
- Biobehavioral Sciences, Energy Metabolism, Forecasting, Humans, Locomotion, Snow, Walking
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
