Ablation rates of snow fence drifts at 2300-meters elevation in Wyoming

Submitted by Armida on Mon, 02/11/2013 - 13:36
TitleAblation rates of snow fence drifts at 2300-meters elevation in Wyoming
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference1985
AuthorsTabler, R.
Conference Name53rd Annual Western Snow Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the 53rd Annual Western Snow Conference
Date PublishedApril 1985
PublisherWestern Snow Conference
Conference LocationBoulder, Colorado
KeywordsSnow ablation, Snow density, Snow fences, Snowdrifts, Snowmelt
Abstract

From April 10 to June 14, ablation rates of lee drifts behind 3.8-m-tall snow fences, having moderate bottom-gaps on level terrain, averaged about 1.0 cm/deg/day. Mean ablation rate was 11% greater for a fence having a 90-cm bottom-gap. Ablation rate averaged aboaut 5% more over the windward half of the lee drift as compared to the downwind half. This uniformity allows drift length, cross-sectional area, and potential melt rate to be predicted over the melt season.The Federal snow sampler overmeasured the density of melting drifts by about 10%. Although desity of drifted snow before melt varies with depth, melting snowdrifts have a uniform desity of about 600 kg/m3.
URLsites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/1985Tabler.pdf