Item: Mountain winds
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Title: Mountain winds
Proceedings: 1988 International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, October 12-15
Authors: J.H. Emslie
Date: 1988
Abstract: It has been known for many years that winds on mountain peaks are often stronger at night than they are during the daytime, but data on the frequency of occurrence of these winds, and there hourly durations, have not been extensively documented. A U.S. Forest Service study (Baughman, 1981) described cases of very strong mountain top winds and their effect on summertime forest fires, but the synoptic situations to which the paper attributes these low-level jet winds are not common. It is recognized (Perla, et al, 1976) that on mountain slopes "the volume of snow transported depends on the third power of the speed; that is, doubling the windspeed increases the horizontal transport by a factor of eight." If, in fact, overnight winds are generally stronger than those during the daytime when ski patrol personnel are on the mountain, scoured snow may build up on l~e slopes overnight to depths unrecognized by these personnel and, other factors being present, may pose a potential avalanche threat.
Presenters: Unknown
Keywords: wind, mountains peaks, forest fires
Subjects: mountain winds avalanche threat us forest service
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Digital Abstract Not Available
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