Sublimation or Melting: Observations from the White Mountains, California and Nevada,U.S.A.
Study of the waning snow-pack along the crest of the White Mountains of California and Nevada in 1970 and 1974 indicates that a significant proportion of the high-altitude snow in the range sublimates and/or evaporates shortly after melting. Qualitative and limited quantitative evidence suggest that...
| Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1975
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000021766 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000021766 |
| Summary: | Study of the waning snow-pack along the crest of the White Mountains of California and Nevada in 1970 and 1974 indicates that a significant proportion of the high-altitude snow in the range sublimates and/or evaporates shortly after melting. Qualitative and limited quantitative evidence suggest that the amount of snow thus disposed of may be as much as 50-80% of the total springtime pack. Meteorological observations in the White Mountains demonstrate that atmospheric conditions particularly favorable for effective sublimation/evaporation are common in May and June, the main ablation period in the mountains. The general lack of evidence of surficial erosion on slopes above 3 500 m, often supposed to be wide-spread and caused by so-called "snow-melt" runoff, is therefore readily explained-there is little "snow-melt" erosion simply because there is only limited snow-melt. |
|---|