Title Buffering of sublimation loss of subsurface ice by percolating snowmelt; a theoretical analysis
Author Schorghofer, N.
Author Affil Schorghofer, N., University of Hawaii at Manoa, Institute for Astronomy, Honolulu, HI
Source Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 20(3), p.309-313, . Publisher: Wiley, Oxford, United Kingdom. ISSN: 1045- 6740
Publication Date Sept. 2009
Notes In English. 12 refs. GeoRef Acc. No: 297244. CRREL Acc. No: 64002197
Index Terms climatic change; degradation; global change; global warming; ground ice; ground water; hydrology; ice; mathematical models; meltwater; permafrost; permafrost hydrology; snowmelt; soils; sublimation; water vapor; Beacon Valley; Antarctica--McMurdo dry valleys; Antarctica; arid environment; climate change; McMurdo dry valleys; one- dimensional models; percolation; terrestrial environment; theoretical models; transport; Victoria Land
Abstract Subsurface ice in cold hyperarid conditions retreats by sublimation and diffusion through the overlying soil layer. Here, it is shown that percolating meltwater, if present, can counterbalance sublimation loss effectively and thus increase the persistence time of subsurface ice. Time averaging of transport equations is used to evaluate the significance of percolation in an otherwise complex dynamical system. The reduction in sublimation loss is approximately given by the amount of meltwater multiplied by the percolation depth and divided by the depth to the ice table. It is plausible that percolation is even more effective during a warmer, wetter climate. Abstract Copyright (2009), Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
URL http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/ppp.646
Publication Type journal article
Record ID 87487