Effects of snow and firm ventilation on sublimation rates

Abstract

Vapor transport in snow and firn plays a key role in post-depositional changes of many reactive species, in mass and energy balance of large snow-covered areas, and in metamorphic changes of the crystal structure of the snow itself. While conventional estimates of vapor transport and sublimation rate are based on diffusion of water vapor from the snow surface to the atmosphere, ventilation (airflow through interstitial pore spaces) in snow and firn can affect the top several meters of firn, yet the effects of ventilation on sublimation rates in firn have not been previously investigated. In this paper we present the first calculations of sublimation rates due to advective/diffusive airflow and vapor transport in the snow and firn. Airflow velocities, vapor transport and sublimation rates are calculated using a two-dimensional finite-element model. The airflow patterns induce regions of sublimation and regions of condensation within the snow and firn. Because small surface sastrugi move in time as the snow surface profile changes due to wind redeposition, the subsurface flow and regions of condensation and sublimation will also likely change on a time-scale of days to weeks. However, if the roughness features are such that they move very little over time, it is likely that the regions of condensation and sublimation will have a noticeable effect on the microstructure of the firn. While the highest mass-transfer rates occur near the surface, the depth of vapor transport and phase change depends on firn properties, wavelength of the snow surface roughness, and temperature.