Airborne particles in snow

Abstract In a pilot experiment, airborne particles were shown to exist in snow. In newly deposited snow they could be traced down to 17 cm below the surface. With our particle sensor, the snow was ventilated on the level of expected natural ventilation velocities. We show with a simple deposition mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Authors: Heintzenberg, Jost, Rummukainen, Markku
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1993
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000015896
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000015896
Description
Summary:Abstract In a pilot experiment, airborne particles were shown to exist in snow. In newly deposited snow they could be traced down to 17 cm below the surface. With our particle sensor, the snow was ventilated on the level of expected natural ventilation velocities. We show with a simple deposition model that air/snow exchange of airborne particles must be considered in the interpretation of impurities in snow and glacier ice. However, the relative magnitude of ventilation velocity compared to dry-deposition velocities at the surface is of crucial importance for determining total deposition. In particular, in ice sheets with high ventilation velocities, seasonal variations in atmospheric concentrations can be dampened and age distributions of deposited particles need to be considered similarly to the occlusion of gases.