HR: 0800h
AN: H31C-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Sublimation of snow in low arctic tundra
AU: * English, M C
EM: menglish@wlu.ca
AF: Department of Geography Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, On N2L1C5, Canada
AU: Rees, A
EM:
AF: Department of Geography Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, On N2L1C5, Canada
AU: Derksen, C
EM:
AF: Environment Canada Climate Research Division, 4905 Dufferin St, Toronto, On M3H5T4, Canada
AB: Sublimation is a difficult process to measure directly and modeling provides only a general quantification of the process over larger areas. Complicated topography provides a range of environments where snow can be eroded and deposited. In this study, located in the Coppermine River basin of the Northwest Territories, Canada, we were interested in quantifying the variability of sublimation loss in the tundra snowpack in a variety of depositional environments. At locations representing the range of depositional environments snowpits were excavated at the end of the snow accumulation period just prior to springmelt in April 2006,07 and 08. At each snowpit individual strata were sampled for water equivalent and chemical analysis. Through these winter periods individual snow events were sampled in Nipher gauges (located 50km southeast of our field site) by Ekati Diamond Mine staff. Water equivalent of each storm was recorded and samples for chemical analysis were shipped south. Weighted mean cation and anion concentrations for each snow season were calculated and compared to the weighted mean cation and anion concentration from each snowpit site. Sublimation will result in water loss but retention of ions thus enrichment of the snowpack samples relative to the 'Nipher' annual snowpack sample was assumed to represent sublimation of the snowpack. Depending on the depositional environment sublimation ranged between 17% and 35%.
DE: 0736 Snow (1827, 1863)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2009 Joint Assembly