Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time
Snow on the ground impacts climate through its high albedo and affects atmospheric composition through its ability to adsorb chemical compounds. The quantification of these effects requires the knowledge of the specific surface area (SSA) of snow and its rate of change. All relevant studies indicate...
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:a27a4a3eac5047eabf0e589061b6a83f 2023-05-15T18:32:13+02:00 Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time F. Domine A.-S. Taillandier A. Cabanes T. A. Douglas M. Sturm 2009-03-01 http://www.the-cryosphere.net/3/31/2009/tc-3-31-2009.pdf https://doaj.org/article/a27a4a3eac5047eabf0e589061b6a83f en eng Copernicus Publications 1994-0416 1994-0424 http://www.the-cryosphere.net/3/31/2009/tc-3-31-2009.pdf https://doaj.org/article/a27a4a3eac5047eabf0e589061b6a83f undefined The Cryosphere, Vol 3, Iss 1, Pp 31-39 (2009) geo envir Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2009 fttriple 2023-01-22T17:50:13Z Snow on the ground impacts climate through its high albedo and affects atmospheric composition through its ability to adsorb chemical compounds. The quantification of these effects requires the knowledge of the specific surface area (SSA) of snow and its rate of change. All relevant studies indicate that snow SSA decreases over time. Here, we report for the first time three cases where the SSA of snow increased over time. These are (1) the transformation of a melt-freeze crust into depth hoar, producing an increase in SSA from 3.4 to 8.8 m2 kg−1. (2) The mobilization of surface snow by wind, which reduced the size of snow crystals by sublimation and fragmented them. This formed a surface snow layer with a SSA of 61 m2 kg−1 from layers whose SSAs were originally 42 and 50 m2 kg−1. (3) The sieving of blowing snow by a snow layer, which allowed the smallest crystals to penetrate into open spaces in the snow, leading to an SSA increase from 32 to 61 m2 kg−1. We discuss that other mechanisms for SSA increase are possible. Overall, SSA increases are probably not rare. They lead to enhanced uptake of chemical compounds and to increases in snow albedo, and their inclusion in relevant chemical and climate models deserves consideration. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Unknown |
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English |
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geo envir F. Domine A.-S. Taillandier A. Cabanes T. A. Douglas M. Sturm Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time |
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geo envir |
description |
Snow on the ground impacts climate through its high albedo and affects atmospheric composition through its ability to adsorb chemical compounds. The quantification of these effects requires the knowledge of the specific surface area (SSA) of snow and its rate of change. All relevant studies indicate that snow SSA decreases over time. Here, we report for the first time three cases where the SSA of snow increased over time. These are (1) the transformation of a melt-freeze crust into depth hoar, producing an increase in SSA from 3.4 to 8.8 m2 kg−1. (2) The mobilization of surface snow by wind, which reduced the size of snow crystals by sublimation and fragmented them. This formed a surface snow layer with a SSA of 61 m2 kg−1 from layers whose SSAs were originally 42 and 50 m2 kg−1. (3) The sieving of blowing snow by a snow layer, which allowed the smallest crystals to penetrate into open spaces in the snow, leading to an SSA increase from 32 to 61 m2 kg−1. We discuss that other mechanisms for SSA increase are possible. Overall, SSA increases are probably not rare. They lead to enhanced uptake of chemical compounds and to increases in snow albedo, and their inclusion in relevant chemical and climate models deserves consideration. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
F. Domine A.-S. Taillandier A. Cabanes T. A. Douglas M. Sturm |
author_facet |
F. Domine A.-S. Taillandier A. Cabanes T. A. Douglas M. Sturm |
author_sort |
F. Domine |
title |
Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time |
title_short |
Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time |
title_full |
Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time |
title_fullStr |
Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time |
title_full_unstemmed |
Three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time |
title_sort |
three examples where the specific surface area of snow increased over time |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/3/31/2009/tc-3-31-2009.pdf https://doaj.org/article/a27a4a3eac5047eabf0e589061b6a83f |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 3, Iss 1, Pp 31-39 (2009) |
op_relation |
1994-0416 1994-0424 http://www.the-cryosphere.net/3/31/2009/tc-3-31-2009.pdf https://doaj.org/article/a27a4a3eac5047eabf0e589061b6a83f |
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