Depth_hoar

Depth hoar

Depth hoar

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Depth hoar, also called sugar snow[1] or temperature gradient snow (or TG snow),[2] are large snow-crystals occurring at the base of a snowpack that form when uprising water vapor deposits, or desublimates, onto existing snow crystals. Depth hoar crystals are large, sparkly grains with facets that can be cup-shaped and that are up to 10 mm in diameter. Depth hoar crystals bond poorly to each other, increasing the risk for avalanches.

"Sugar snow" as a layer in a snowpack
Depth hoar crystals, imaged with light and with scanning electron microscopy
Sugar snow - panoramio

The formation of depth hoar in Arctic or Antarctic firn can cause isotopic changes in the accumulating ice. This can influence analysis of ice cores in scientific research.

References

  1. [1]
    "Be Aware of Depth Hoar". Powder Magazine. 15 April 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  2. [2]
    "Depth Hoar". Avalanche.org. American Avalanche Association. Retrieved 6 March 2019.

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Depth_hoar, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.