| Title | A snow sensor experiment in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica |
| Author | Granberg, H.B.; Cliche, P.; Mattila, O.; Kanto, E.; Lepparanta, M. |
| Author Affil | Granberg, H.B., Université de Sherbrooke, Centre d'Applications et de Recherche en Télédétection and Département de Géomatique Appliquée, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. Other: University of Helsinki, Finland |
| Source | Journal of Glaciology, 55(194), p.1041- 1051, . Publisher: International Glaciological Society, Cambridge, United Kingdom. ISSN: 0022-1430 |
| Publication Date | 2009 |
| Notes | In English. 26 refs. Ant. Acc. No: 88386. GeoRef Acc. No: 299914 |
| Index Terms | ablation; experimentation; mass balance; sensors; snow; snow accumulation; statistical analysis; temperature; Antarctica- -Antarctic ice sheet; Antarctica--Queen Maud Land; Antarctic ice sheet; Antarctica; experimental studies; field studies; monitoring; Queen Maud Land; spatial variations; time series analysis |
| Abstract | In January 2000 nine snow sensors were deployed in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, along a 355 km transect from Kvitkuven near the shelf edge via the Finnish research station, Aboa, to the Amundsenisen plateau. The purpose was to test a sensor system for spatio-temporal variations in temperature across the snow-air interface and snow accumulation/ablation, which includes atmospheric net balance and migrating snow dunes. In the dry snow conditions, environmental static electricity interfered with data transfer; several sensors were disabled early, while the longest record reached 6 months. Along the main transect, the year 2000 mass balance ranged from 52 to 221mmw.e., largely following spatial patterns seen by other researchers. The level increased toward the edge of the ice sheet; unloading of drifting snow as the slope flattens, rather than increased snowfall as previously thought, may be responsible for this. At the Hogisen ice dome site the mass balance was 897mmw.e., possibly due to unloading of wind-blown snow, as katabatic winds are locally forced uphill. This mechanism is important to maintain such topographic features along the Antarctic ice sheet margin. Major precipitation events occurred at 3-5 week intervals and much of the precipitation fell before mid- June. The daily signal in temperature disappeared after the autumn equinox, then the spectrum displayed a broad peak at synoptic frequencies. Potential temperature decreased towards the shelf edge, displaying a pattern consistent with strong inversions and suggesting that strong evaporative cooling is associated with the katabatic winds. |
| URL | http://www.igsoc.org/journal/55/194/j08j114.pdf |
| Publication Type | journal article |
| Record ID | 64004574 |