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    A detailed assessment of snow accumulation in katabatic wind areas on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

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    Braaten_Detailed_Assessment_of_Snow_accumulation.pdf (1.111Mb)
    Issue Date
    1997-12-27
    Author
    Braaten, David A.
    Publisher
    Wiley
    Type
    Article
    Article Version
    Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
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    Abstract
    An investigation of time dependent snow accumulation and erosion dynamics in a wind-swept environment was undertaken at two automatic weather stations sites on the Ross Ice Shelf between January 1994 and November 1995 using newly developed instrumentation employing a technique which automatically disperses inert, colored (high albedo) glass microspheres onto the snow surface at fixed intervals throughout the year. The microspheres act as a time marker and tracer to allow the accumulation rate and wind erosion processes to be quantified with a high temporal resolution. Snow core and snow pit sampling was conducted twice during the study period to identify microsphere horizons in the annual snow accumulation profile, allowing the snow accumulation/erosion events to be reconstructed. The two sites chosen for this investigation have characteristically different mean wind speeds and therefore allow a comparative examination on the role of wind on ice sheet growth. Mass accumulation rate at the two sites for the 14-day integration periods available ranged from 0.0 to >2.0 kg m−2 d−1. The mean mass accumulation rate during the study period was greater at the site with stronger winds (0.69 kg m−2 d−1) than the site with lower mean wind speeds (0.61 kg m−2 d−1); however, the difference between the two means is not statistically significant. Accumulation rates derived from an ultrasonic snow depth gauge operated at one of the sites are compared to the actual tracer-derived accumulation rates and show the limitations of only having a measure of snow surface height with no instantaneous measurements of the snow density profile. Snow depth gauge derived accumulation rates were found to be greatly overestimated during high-accumulation periods and were greatly underestimated during low-accumulation periods.
    Description
    This is the published version, also available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/97JD02337.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/15754
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1029/97JD02337
    Collections
    • Geography & Atmospheric Science Scholarly Works [159]
    Citation
    Braaten, D. A. (1997), A detailed assessment of snow accumulation in katabatic wind areas on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 102(D25), 30047–30058, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/97JD02337.

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    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

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