Item: Wind Slab Formation: Will New Experiments Improve Implementations in Snow-Cover Models?
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Title: Wind Slab Formation: Will New Experiments Improve Implementations in Snow-Cover Models?
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2016 Proceedings, Breckenridge, CO, USA
Authors:
- Christian G. Sommer [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos Dorf, Switzerland ] [ CRYOS, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland ]
- Charles Fierz [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos Dorf, Switzerland ]
- Michael Lehning [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos Dorf, Switzerland ] [ CRYOS, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland ]
Date: 2016-10-02
Abstract: Wind slabs are widespread in snow environments but the physics of what is often called wind-packing is poorly understood. Yet, wind slabs are of significant importance. An obround wind tunnel that mimics an infinitely long snow surface was developed to study the process of wind slab formation. The surface hardness increases - if at all - only slowly when the wind speed is kept below the drifting snow threshold. On the contrary, surface hardness increases typically from about 0.1 N to around 0.3 N during drifting snow events with surface density increasing from 60 kg m-3 to about 170 kg m-3. This indicates that saltation is a necessary condition for wind-packing. Currently, the snow cover model SNOW-PACK is able to reproduce reasonably well the results from experiments without drifting snow but cannot replicate yet the observations during drifting snow events. A better representation of wind-packing in snow models is desirable because it will improve stability assessments. Understanding the formation of wind slabs is also required to comprehend snow deposition in polar regions and therefore contributes to the assessment of ice sheet and sea ice mass balances.
Language of Article: English
Presenters:
Keywords: wind tunnel, wind-packing, drifting and blowing snow
Page Number(s): 266-269
Subjects: wind tunnel experiments blowing snow drifting snow
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Digital Abstract Not Available
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