A method of controlling snowmelt rate with use of gelatine-whipped foam on snowpack as an insulating cover has been applied to three field set-ups : natural snowcover, piled-up snowpack and snowpack stored in an underground tank.
Snowmelt rate of 10.0 cm/day obtained for the natural snowcover without any insulation is reduced to 1.3 cm/day for the underground tank set-up with foam cover. This reduced value of snowmelt rate, if maintained till the melting is completed, suggests the possibility of storing snowpack until summer. The possible problem in achieving such a long period of storage is foreseen in the observation that the melt rate increases rapidly when deformation of snowpack becomes excessive after 20 to 30 days of melt period.
This rapid increase in the melt rate is due to an interactive process of snowpack deformation and ablation of foamy material caused by warm draft.
As for the melting snowpack in an underground tank, the change of water and air content in the snowpack as it floats in the tank is analyzed on the basis of the balance of heat and mass.
View full abstract