International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: Hysteresis in the Water Retention Curve of Snow Measured Using an MRI System

• • Title: Hysteresis in the Water Retention Curve of Snow Measured Using an MRI System

    Proceedings: Proceedings, 2012 International Snow Science Workshop, Anchorage, Alaska

    Authors:

    • Satoru Adachi  [ Snow and Ice Research Center, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), Nagaoka, Niigata, Jpapan ]
    • Satoru Yamaguchi  [ Snow and Ice Research Center, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), Nagaoka, Niigata, Jpapan ]
    • Toshihiro Ozeki  [ Hokkaido University of Education, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan ]
    • Katsumi Kose  [ Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba , Ibaraki, Japan ]

    Date: 2012

    Abstract: Recently, a compact magnetic resonance (MR) imager was developed for use in a cold-room. A new method for determining the distribution of water in snow is based on the contrast between the MR images of snow and water. This method was used to measure the water retention curves (WRC) of snow. A WRC can be classified as either a “primary wetting curve” (PWC) or a “primary drying curve” (PDC). In this study, both types of WRC were measured directly in the same snow sample at 0°C in a cold-room. The snow sample was placed in a sample case, and 0°C water was added to the case until the lowest few centimeters of the sample were submerged. When the water movement in the sample reached a steady state, the distribution of volumetric water content was measured, and the result was considered to represent a PWC. After measurement of the PWC, the same sample was fully submerged in the 0°C water in the sample case. After 30 min, water was drained from the sample case. The sample was then maintained at 0°C until it reached a steady state. The distribution of volumetric water content was then measured, and the result was considered to represent a PDC. Although the PWC and PDC were obtained for the same snow sample, the shapes of these two curves are strikingly different. This suggests the existence of hysteresis in the WRC of snow, which will be helpful in understanding the processes by which water moves in snow.

    Object ID: issw-2012-918-922.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s): unknown

    Keywords: compact mri, cold room, water retention curve

    Page Number(s): 918-922

    Subjects: snow samples water retention curve

  • Get Full Article

Back to Home page