Item: Tracking Changes in Buried Melt Freeze Crusts
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Title: Tracking Changes in Buried Melt Freeze Crusts
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop, Davos 2009, Proceedings
Authors:
- Michael Smith [ Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB ]
- Bruce Jamieson [ Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB ] [ Dept. of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB ]
Date: 2009
Abstract: Melt freeze crusts are a frequent occurrence in the mid-latitudes, often forming in the snowcover due to rain or wet snow in the fall and insolation in the spring. Such crusts are frequently found at the bed surface of deep slab avalanches. Although faceting and weakening at the boundaries and in the interior of crusts under low temperature gradients has been documented, few long term systematic observations exist. This omission is potentially important, as an understanding of these processes may improve forecasting the strength of deep crusts. For the past two winter seasons, the University of Calgary Applied Snow and Avalanche Research group (ASARC) has monitored naturally occurring crusts in the Columbia Mountains of Western Canada. Properties such as grain form and size, density, temperature and hardness were observed on a weekly basis. Starting in the 2008-09 field season, the specific surface area (SSA) of three crusts was measured weekly using near infrared digital photography, resulting in 23 observations over two months including the transition to near-isothermal snow, where substantial structural changes were observed. This paper details these and other results.
Language of Article: English
Presenters: Unknown
Keywords: specific surface area, crust evolution, near-infrared photography, snowpack stratigraphy
Page Number(s): 107-111
Subjects: buried melt freeze crusts snowpack
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Digital Abstract Not Available
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