Masaki Nemoto

Blowing snow at Mizuho station, Antarctica

Blowing snow observations were carried out at Mizuho station, Antarctica, from October to November 2000. A blowing snow observation system including snow particle counters, which can sense not only the number of snow particles, but also their diameters, was situated on a 30 m tower. All instruments worked correctly and the data obtained revealed profiles of mass flux and particle size distributions as a function of the friction velocity. Measurements were compared with a blowing snow model that accounted for most physical processes including aerodynamic entrainment, grain/bed collisions, wind modification, particle size distribution and turbulent fluctuations on the particle trajectories. Simulated and measured results showed close agreement, and the validity of the model was demonstrated. Vertical profiles of horizontal mass flux from saltation to suspension, as well as the particle size distributions were expressed precisely, which could not be achieved using the previous models.

The flow structure in the wake of a fractal fence and the absence of an "inertial regime"

Recent theoretical work has highlighted the importance of multi-scale forcing of the flow for altering the nature of turbulence energy transfer and dissipation. In particular, fractal types of forcing have been studied. This is potentially of real significance in environmental fluid mechanics where multi-scale forcing is perhaps more common than the excitation of a specific mode. In this paper we report the first results studying the detail of the wake structure behind fences in a boundary layer where, for a constant porosity, we vary the average spacing of the struts and also introduce fractal fences. As expected, to first order, and in the far-wake region, in particular, the response of the fences is governed by their porosity. However, we show that there are some significant differences in the detail of the turbulent structure between the fractal and non-fractal fences and that these override differences in porosity. In the near wake, the structure of the fence dominates porosity effects and a modified wake interaction length seems to have potential for collapsing the data. With regards to the intermittency of the velocities, the fractal fences behave more similarly to homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. In addition, there is a high amount of dissipation for the fractal fences over scales that, based on the energy spectrum, should be dominated by inter-scale transfers. This latter result is consistent with numerical simulations of flow forced at multiple scales and shows that what appears to be an “inertial regime” cannot be as production and dissipation are both high.

Snow particle speeds in drifting snow

Knowledge of snow particle speeds is necessary for deepening our understanding of the internal structures of drifting snow. In this study, we utilized a snow particle counter (SPC) developed to observe snow particle size distributions and snow mass flux. Using high-frequency signals from the SPC transducer, we obtained the sizes of individual particles and their durations in the sampling area. Measurements were first conducted in the field, with more precise measurements being obtained in a boundary layer established in a cold wind tunnel. The obtained results were compared with the results of a numerical analysis. Data on snow particle speeds, vertical velocity profiles, and their dependence on wind speed obtained in the field and in the wind tunnel experiments were in good agreement: both snow particle speed and wind speed increased with height, and the former was always 1 to 2 m s−1 less than the latter below a height of 1 m. Thus, we succeeded in obtaining snow particle speeds in drifting snow, as well as revealing the dependence of particle speed on both grain size and wind speed. The results were verified by similar trends observed using random flight simulations. However, the difference between the particle speed and the wind speed in the simulations was much greater than that observed under real conditions. Snow transport by wind is an aeolian process. Thus, the findings presented here should be also applicable to other geophysical processes relating to the aeolian transport of particles, such as blown sand and soil.

PIV measurements of saltating snow particle velocity in a boundary layer developed in a wind tunnel

Graphical Abstract

Numerical study of the time development of drifting snow and its relation to the spatial development

Abstract The time evolution of drifting snow under a steady wind is estimated using a new numerical model of drifting snow. In the model, Lagrangian stochastic theory is used to incorporate the effect of turbulence on the motion of drifting-snow particles. This method enables us to discuss both the saltation and the suspension process. Aerodynamic entrainment, grain/bed collision (splash process), wind modification and particle size distribution are also taken into account. The calculations show that the time needed by the total mass flux to reach a steady state appears to be 3–5 s. Vertical profiles of horizontal mass flux near the surface show a similar tendency. In contrast, it takes >50 s for the wind speed and the whole mass-flux profile to reach a steady state. This longer time depends on the time-scale of the turbulent diffusion, which is responsible for the mass flux extending to an order of a few meters in height. Applying Taylor’s hypothesis, the estimated length scale at which drifting snow reaches equilibrium is around 400 m. This result is comparable with previously reported field observations.

Effects of Snowfall on Drifting Snow and Wind Structure Near a Surface

Wind-tunnel and numerical experiments were performed to investigate the effects of snowfall on the wind profile and the development of drifting snow. Wind profiles and mass-flux profiles of drifting snow were measured with and without artificial snowfall over a snow surface within the tunnel. Wind and shear-stress profiles and the impact speeds of the snowflakes during snowfall were also investigated numerically. During snowfall, snowflakes transfer part of their horizontal momentum to the air, which increases the stress close to the snow surface; however, the resultant modifications of the wind profiles are small. Because snowflakes have large momentum, the decomposed snow crystals that result from their collision with a surface can form a saltation layer, even over a hard snow surface where entrainment of the grains from the surface does not occur. Additionally, during snowfall, the threshold friction velocity can be lower than the impact threshold because snowflake fragmentation facilitates snow drifting. The broken crystals contribute to the increase in the number of drifting snow grains, even below the impact threshold.