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  4. On the suitability of the Thorpe-Mason model for calculating sublimation of saltating snow
 
research article

On the suitability of the Thorpe-Mason model for calculating sublimation of saltating snow

Sharma, Varun  
•
Comola, Francesco  
•
Lehning, Michael  
November 9, 2018
Cryosphere

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 1K 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.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.5194/tc-12-3499-2018
Web of Science ID

WOS:000449659000001

Author(s)
Sharma, Varun  
Comola, Francesco  
Lehning, Michael  
Date Issued

2018-11-09

Publisher

COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH

Published in
Cryosphere
Volume

12

Issue

11

Start page

3499

End page

3509

Subjects

Geography, Physical

•

Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

•

Physical Geography

•

Geology

•

atmospheric boundary-layer

•

large-eddy simulation

•

drifting snow

•

blowing snow

•

surface

•

flow

•

ice

•

entrainment

•

evaporation

•

antarctica

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
CRYOS  
Available on Infoscience
December 13, 2018
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/152178
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