Depth-hoar growth rates near a rocky outcrop

Abstract

Abstract Observations of slab-avalanche releases in alpine terrain have led to the hypothesis that rocky outcrops can influence the spatial distributions of temperature and heal flow in dry alpine snow covers and Unis control the local distribution of depth hoar. We investigate the effects of terrain on crystal growth by using a two-dimensional finite-clemcnl model of heal How coupled with a model of crystal growth from vapor. We used the model to examine the influence of snow properties, terrain geometry and snow depth on this phenomenon. The efleel is stronger in the early winter than in the late winter, because the rock has then had time to cool. In all cases, we found that depth-hoar growth occurs preferentially over the rock. This suggests that snow-pit investigations made over soil can he misleading if rocky outcrops are present.