Measurements at drifting snow at Mizuho Camp, East Antarctica , 1974-1975

Abstract

Measurements were carried out simultaneously of drifting snow and wind speed over the surface from 1974 to 1975 at Mizuho Camp using an improved drawer-type drift collector which had a collection efficiency of about 0.55. From the obtained profile of spatial distribution of drift mass flux, it is considered that a layer from the surface to a height of about 25 cm is the one in which the saltation of snow particles prevails and a layer on top of it is the one in which snow particles are suspended by turbulent diffusion. A significant correlation was found between the total drift transport and the wind speed at the height of 10 m above the surface. The total drift transport at Mizuho Camp evaluated from this correlation was about 0.64×10^6 ton・km^・year^.