An investigation of the thermal conductivity of snow

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Singh, A. K.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1999
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000001842; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000001842

Abstract Thermal conductivity of snow has been investigated experimentally using the thermal-probe method, which is a transient method of measurement. The measurements have been made over a wide range of snow density (for fresh and dense snow), for varying temperatures and for different conditions of water content, snow-grain type, etc., both in the field and in the laboratory. The results are presented along with detailed sample descriptions. Thermal conductivity of snow increases with density and water content. It also increases with temperature, and the effect is more pronounced for temperatures between –15° and 0°C.