A Digital Computer Simulation of the Annual Snow and Soil Thermal Regimes at Barrow, Alaska.
An annual snow-soil simulator for Arctic tundra was developed using coupled models of surface equilibrium temperature and substrate thermal diffusion. Snow ripening, melt and accumulation are modeled in the simulator which is forced with daily weather data. The simulator predicts that a snow fence a...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Other Authors: | |
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
1975
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA007734 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA007734 |
Summary: | An annual snow-soil simulator for Arctic tundra was developed using coupled models of surface equilibrium temperature and substrate thermal diffusion. Snow ripening, melt and accumulation are modeled in the simulator which is forced with daily weather data. The simulator predicts that a snow fence array capable of producing drift deeper than 4.2 meters will initiate a permanent snowfield at Barrow, AK. Such a man-induced snowfield could serve as a reliable source of fresh water for Barrow and similar villages in the North Slope region of Alaska. Further analysis indicated that albedo reduction due to dust fall, snow removal, etc., is dominant over aerodynamic effects in producing the early spring meltout observed at Barrow Village. |
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