Sublimation of intercepted snow as a global source of water vapour

Considering the vapor loss from grains on the snow surface produced a model to predict the sublimation rate of snow intercepted on conifer branches. Experiments to test this model showed that the controlling environmental factors, temperature, humidity, radiation, and wind speed, were properly accounted for. These results, combined with other experiments on the redistribution of snow by wind, show that most of the water increase associated with timber harvest in snow country may be attributed to reduced sublimation losses. If so, then up to a third of snowfall may return directly to the atmosphere from forest canopies. The paper compares the significance of timber harvest with climate change in influencing the magnitude of this component of the global water balance.