Articles | Volume 18, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3633-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3633-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Aug 2024
Research article |
| 16 Aug 2024
| 16 Aug 2024
Wind tunnel experiments to quantify the effect of aeolian snow transport on the surface snow microstructure
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
Hagen Weigel
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
Sonja Wahl
School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
Henning Löwe
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
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Short summary
The topmost layer of a snowpack forms the interface to the atmosphere and is critical for the reflectance of solar radiation and avalanche formation. The effect of wind on the surface snow microstructure during precipitation events is poorly understood and quantified. We performed controlled lab experiments in a ring wind tunnel to systematically quantify the snow microstructure for different wind speeds, temperatures and precipitation intensities and to identify the relevant processes.
The topmost layer of a snowpack forms the interface to the atmosphere and is critical for the...
