Detection and Chracteristics of Blowing Snow during the AWARE Field Campaign

Description

Blowing snow is common in many high-latitude areas, having a significant impact on the region’s climate. Blowing snow plumes can alter the surface radiation budget, acting as an insulating layer and potentially warming surface temperatures. The region’s hydrologic cycle is also affected by the redistribution and sublimation of lofted snow. Although the effects of blowing snow are vital to understanding the climate of these regions, this phenomenon is still poorly understood and not included in most weather and climate models. In this poster, human and remotely-sensed observations of blowing snow are investigated during the AWARE field campaign. Taking place in 2016, this campaign deployed Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) instrumentation to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). To determine the presence and characteristics of blowing snow plumes, an algorithm is applied to ceilometer backscatter profiles. In brief, background noise is removed to detect ground-based peaks in backscatter associated with blowing snow. This algorithm will be compared to human observations made at McMurdo Station. These blowing snow plumes will also be investigated with surface observations and other vertically-pointing radar and lidar instruments deployed at McMurdo Station.