Journal of the Japanese Society of Snow and Ice

Show abstractHide abstract

Drifting snow is a phenomenon in which snow is transported by wind, and it fluctuates temporally and spatially due to turbulent fluctuations. Therefore, it is important to understand the average characteristics and unsteady characteristics of drifting snow such as the variability associated with turbulent fluctuations. In this study, we conducted field measurements of drifting snow in the snowfield of Teshikaga in Hokkaido to reveal the temporal and spatial fluctuations of drifting snow. We obtained time-series data of wind velocity and snow-drift flux at four heights: 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, and 7.0 m. Furthermore, we extracted the events of drifting snow at 10-min intervals and analyzed the 10-min mean and instantaneous values of snow-drift flux for each event. The 99 and 99.5 percentile values of snow-drift flux were 10 and 15 times, respectively, that of the 10-min mean value. Additionally, the maximum value of 3-sec mean values for snow-drift flux during the 10-min interval approximately corresponded to the 99.5 percentile value of the snow-drift flux. Thus, under the conditions of continuous drifting snow, the instantaneous snow-drift flux at the eye level of pedestrians and drivers was approximately 15 times that of 10-min mean value.

View full abstract

Download PDF (3130K)

Register with J-STAGE for free!