Phys.org December 16, 2024
Loose surface snow gets eroded and transported by wind, which influences the snow particles’ physical properties that determine the characteristics of the emerging wind-impacted snowpack layer. Researchers in Switzerland used cold-laboratory ring wind tunnel experiments to study the governing processes during airborne snow transport with stable water isotopes as tracers for these micro-scale processes. They documented the growing and rounding of snow particles with transport time, with a concurrent decrease in specific surface area and attributed this evolution to the process of airborne snow metamorphism. The changes showed a clear isotopic signature of metamorphic deposition, which requires particle–air temperature gradients questioning the validity of the thermal-equilibrium assumption between particles and air inside the saltation layer of wind-blown snow events. Within transport times of 3 h, they observed changes in the isotope signal of airborne snow. Thus, airborne snow metamorphism has the potential to influence the climate signal stored in snow and ice core stable water isotope records… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Wind tunnel set up… Credit: The Cryosphere, 18, 4493–4515, 26 Sep 2024