HR: 0800h
AN: C11B-0450    [Abstracts]
TI: Snow density from Bulk and Pit Samples during APLIS07 Ice Camp
AU: Harris, R
EM: harrisr@hartfordschools.net
AF: Hartford High School, 37 Highland Avenue, White River Junction, VT 05001, United States
AU: * Geiger, C
EM: cgeiger@udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Department of Geography 216 Pearson Hall, Newark, DE 19716, United States
AU: Turner, A
EM: akt@cpom.ucl.ac.uk
AF: Center for Polar Observing and Modeling, Pearson Building University College London Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
AU: Giles, K
EM: k.giles@cpom.ucl.ac.uk
AF: Center for Polar Observing and Modeling, Pearson Building University College London Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
AB: Snow density is a critical parameter for hydrostatic calculations and remote sensing calibration. A basic set of in situ snow measurements were incorporated into the APLIS07 surveys conducted in the Beaufort Sea from April 1- 15 at the start of IPY. The measurements were taken to ensure that bulk density, stratigraphy, and basic snow characteristics were recorded as part of an instrumental intercalibration study. Results show that the snow cover variability on sea ice ranged from a dusting to 1m drifts on the multiyear floes and an average of 20 cm on level ice surfaces. Depth hoar accounted for up to half of the snow pack depth and was half the density of the wind slab snow. Several of the depth hoar samples include very large cup crystals (1-2 cm) with broken capped bullet crystals in the wind slab and rime deposition on the fresh snow crystals. The largest depth hoar crystals were located over level refrozen leads where the ocean heat flux and moisture could still reach the bottom of the snow pack beneath the wind slab. Error analysis and an overview of these findings will be presented.
DE: 0736 Snow (1827, 1863)
DE: 0738 Ice (1863)
DE: 0750 Sea ice (4540)
DE: 0770 Properties
DE: 0772 Distribution
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting