Observations of snowdrift over Antarctic snow and blue-ice surfaces

Abstract

Vertical profiles of snowdrift density and concurrent meteorological data were measured over Antarctic snow and blue ice during a 1 month field experiment in austral summer 1997/98. It is found that drift densities and transport rates over blue ice are significantly smaller than over snow, which can be attributed mainly to the limited availability of snow particles at the blue-ice surface. Hence, over blue ice, near-surface drift densities and vertical gradients in drift density are relatively small. Over blue ice, snowdrift can occur in very weak winds, presumably because of the smoothness of the surface. Over snow, in contrast, drift occurs only in much stronger winds, such that the shear stress applied by the flow can overcome the cohesive interparticle bonds.