Abstract
AbstractWind-driven snow redistribution can increase the spatial heterogeneity of snow accumulation on ice caps and ice sheets, and may prove crucial for the initiation and survival of glaciers in areas of marginal glaciation. We present a snowdrift model (Snow_Blow), which extends and improves the model of Purves, Mackaness and Sugden (1999,Journal of Quaternary Science14, 313–321). The model calculates spatial variations in relative snow accumulation that result from variations in topography, using a digital elevation model (DEM) and wind direction as inputs. Improvements include snow redistribution using a flux routing algorithm, DEM resolution independence and the addition of a slope curvature component. This paper tests Snow_Blow in Antarctica (a modern environment) and reveals its potential for application in palaeoenvironmental settings, where input meteorological data are unavailable and difficult to estimate. Specifically, Snow_Blow is applied to the Ellsworth Mountains in West Antarctica where ablation is considered to be predominantly related to wind erosion processes. We find that Snow_Blow is able to replicate well the existing distribution of accumulating snow and snow erosion as recorded in and around Blue Ice Areas. Lastly, a variety of model parameters are tested, including depositional distance and erosion vs wind speed, to provide the most likely input parameters for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.
Highlights
The redistribution of snow by wind can play an important role in providing additional mass to the surface of ice masses
The choice of values of F, Smax and Cmax will have an impact on the absolute value of the snowdrift index for each site, and as there is no conclusive evidence to support particular values, we aim to demonstrate that the choice of parameters is not critical when considering the relative snowdrift index between different sites
This paper presents Snow_Blow, an improved and updated version of the Purves and others (1999) snow redistribution model, with the addition of a flux routing algorithm, digital elevation model (DEM) resolution independence and the addition of a slope curvature component
Summary
The redistribution of snow by wind can play an important role in providing additional mass to the surface of ice masses The effects of such snowdrift have been shown to be crucial in the distribution of snow on ice caps and ice sheets, where it can increase the heterogeneity of snow accumulation (Zwinger and others, 2015) and can have a significant impact on glacier mass balance (Sauter and others, 2013). This variation in snow accumulation as a function of snowdrift could potentially help in interpreting buckled radio-echo sounding layers in Antarctica (as described by Siegert and others, 2005), especially around the mountainous margins of the continent, as these are a function of accumulation rate, as well as ice flow and basal melting conditions. It is important to understand the role of these local effects, to adequately assess whether palaeoclimatic reconstructions from former glaciers are an accurate representation of past regional climatic conditions, or whether reconstructed ELAs are substantially altered due to local factors such as snowdrift, which would need to be accounted for in palaeoclimatic interpretations
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