Saturday, February 16, 2013

A Question for You


There are many things I love about ski touring.  Yeah, there's the powder and the endless possibilities for adventuring, but then there are all the weird things you see because of the viscoelastic properties of snow.  It helps stimulate the synapses.  On today's tour, we noticed that the snow was much deeper on the south side of these aspens than on the north side.  The slope wasn't very steep, perhaps 10 degrees.  So, my question for you snow types out there is how does this happen.  Is the tree preventing settlement on the uphill side?  Was there wind transport during the storm with snow collecting on the south side?  Inquiring minds want to know.
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 16, 2013 at 6:54 PM

    Perhaps some snow creep? With a touch of a double fall line?

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2013 at 7:28 AM

    I would think it would be independent of aspect...though would think a steeper slope angle would have been in order here..looks like this would have been last weekend's storm with densities just under 5%...with deformation more pronounced in the lower density smoke. Good series of articles in the most recent Avalanche Review on warming/solar rad effects on snow....

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2013 at 7:30 AM

    Comment re: aspect deserves some clarification though....

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  4. Peter J.February 17, 2013 at 8:12 AM

    Was the tree bent by snow, and is it now standing straighter?

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  5. DavidFebruary 17, 2013 at 11:37 AM

    I have a bit of a slope (5 to 10 degrees) in front of my house. I can tell, via a wooden stake in the ground that came with a tree I bought, that the snow I shoveled off the driveway has moved downhill at least a few inches over the past month or so.

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  6. WillFebruary 18, 2013 at 8:44 AM

    I would guess it was either some sort of wind loading if the aspens were thick enough to have the wind calm down on the other side of them. Was it only the fresh snow that was deeper or the entire snowpack? If it was that the entire snowpack was deeper I would check to see if there is brush at the bottom. If there is you might find some cool depth hoar.

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  7. AnonymousFebruary 19, 2013 at 10:06 AM

    Nothing to do with wind, settlement from solar warming and aspect lead to this photo. As the snow pack warms and settles it moves away from the heat source (sun) and naturally down slope.

    Deven

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