Wind-Tunnel Experiments on Blowing Snow

Abstract

Blowing snow was produced artificially in a cold wind-tunnel, and various measurements were conducted including particle diameters, concentrations, saltation lengths heat transport and electric charge. The mean diameter of blowing snow particles decreased only slightly with increasing height; in the saltation layer, standard deviation was large and velocities were scattered in a wide range, suggesting the complex dynamic process on taking-off. The mean saltation length ranged from a few cm to 40 cm increasing with wind velocity.When wind blew without snow drifting, the static air pressure on the snow surface was smaller at higher levels, the vertical pressure gradient being negative. The pressure gradient became positive when blowing snow was initiated eg +9.6 Pa/m at 11.2 m/s and -8.3 °C. The magnitude of à downward force acting on a saltating snow partice caused by the pressure gradient was not large enough to explain the downward acceleration found from photographic analyses of particle trajectories.Blowing snow particles were charged negatively the magnitude of charge increased with lowering temperature. Increase in vertical heat transfer was found in blowing snow by measuring the temperature of the air at various levels; the increase is reflected on that in the apparent turbulent diffusion coefficient.