Effects of meteorology and soil moisture on the spatio-temporal evolution of the depth hoar layer in the polar desert snowpack

International audience In polar deserts, depth hoar (hereinafter: DH) growth is not systematic unlike on tundra and this is critical for snowpack properties. Here, we address the spatio-temporal variability of the DH layer in the polar desert at two sites in the Canadian High Arctic: Ward Hunt Islan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Authors: Davesne, Gautier, Domine, Florent, Fortier, Daniel
Other Authors: Takuvik Joint International Laboratory ULAVAL-CNRS, Université Laval Québec (ULaval)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2021
Subjects:
Arctic snowpack
depth hoar
polar desert
soil moisture
thermal conductivity
[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes
Arctic
Hunt Island
Resolute Bay
Ward Hunt Island
Journal of Glaciology
Tundra
Online Access:https://hal.science/hal-03427894
https://hal.science/hal-03427894/document
https://hal.science/hal-03427894/file/135-DavesneJG2021.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.105
Description
Summary:International audience In polar deserts, depth hoar (hereinafter: DH) growth is not systematic unlike on tundra and this is critical for snowpack properties. Here, we address the spatio-temporal variability of the DH layer in the polar desert at two sites in the Canadian High Arctic: Ward Hunt Island (83°N) and Resolute Bay (75°N). Our data show that, over humid areas, DH represented a larger fraction of the snowpack and was characterized by lower density and coarser crystals than over dry gravelly areas. Increased soil moisture extends the zero-curtain period during freeze-up, leading to stronger temperature gradients in the snowpack and greater kinetic metamorphism. Our results also demonstrate that the large inter-annual variability in DH is primarily driven by wind conditions in the fall since this key variable controls the initial snow density and snow onset date. These strong controls exerted by soil moisture and meteorological conditions on DH growth in polar deserts highlight the possibility of major changes in polar snowpacks physical properties in response to the rapid climate and environmental changes currently affecting these regions.

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