A Bare Ice Field in East Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, Caused By Horizontal Divergence of Drifting Snow

作者：Shuhei Takahashi, Renji Naruse, Masayoshi Nakawo, Shinji Mae · 发表于：Annals of Glaciology · 年份：1988 · DOI：10.3189/s0260305500006479 · 被引用次数：31 · 研究领域：Cryospheric studies and observations、Winter Sports Injuries and Performance、Polar Research and Ecology

The horizontal divergence of drifting snow was estimated from the ice-sheet topography on Mizuho Plateau, East Antarctica. The calculation was made by using a relationship between the snow-drift transport rate and wind speed estimated from the surface slope. The divergence thus estimated for Mizuho Station (70°42′S, 44°20′E) was consistent with observations of surface net mass balance, precipitation and sublimation. Around the southern region of the Yamato Mountains, a large divergence was predicted and this is believed to be the principal cause of the bare ice field. Other factors in the formation and preservation of the bare-ice area are discussed.