On the suitability of the Thorpe–Mason model for calculating sublimation of saltating snow
<p>The Thorpe and Mason (TM) model for calculating the mass lost from a sublimating snow grain is the basis of all existing small- and large-scale estimates of drifting snow sublimation and the associated snow mass balance of polar and alpine regions. We revisit this model to test its valid...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-11-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/3499/2018/tc-12-3499-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>The Thorpe and Mason (TM) model for calculating the mass lost from a
sublimating snow grain is the basis of all existing small- and large-scale
estimates of drifting snow sublimation and the associated snow mass balance
of polar and alpine regions. We revisit this model to test its validity for
calculating sublimation from saltating snow grains. It is shown that
numerical solutions of the unsteady mass and heat balance equations of an
individual snow grain reconcile well with the steady-state solution of the TM
model, albeit after a transient regime. Using large-eddy simulations (LESs),
it is found that the residence time of a typical saltating particle is
shorter than the period of the transient regime, implying that using the
steady-state solution might be erroneous. For scenarios with equal initial
air and particle temperatures of 263.15 K, these errors range from 26 % for
low-wind, low-saturation-rate conditions to 38 % for high-wind, high-saturation-rate conditions. With a small temperature difference of 1 K
between the air and the snow particles, the errors due to the TM model are
already as high as 100 % with errors increasing for larger temperature
differences.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |