UKH

Snow on Everest

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 NottsRich 09 Nov 2014
Idle pondering, but if it snows on high mountains like Everest, and never* gets above freezing, then why doesn't the snow pack on the summit keep getting deeper and deeper? Does the snow just form glaciers and flow down the mountain, rather than staying put and getting deeper?

*An assumption, but I guess it's right?
Bellie 09 Nov 2014
In reply to NottsRich:

At a guess... the jetstream just blows most of the stuff off?
abseil 09 Nov 2014
In reply to NottsRich:

Not much would settle on the actual summit, and it would be kept down by snow ablation, particularly considering the intense solar radiation there.
 malk 09 Nov 2014
In reply to abseil:

yes, the low vapor pressure + wind + solar rays will soon sublimate the stuff that sticks..
can be >1cm/day : http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/8/1076/2004/hess-8-1076-2004.pdf
 Billhook 09 Nov 2014
In reply to NottsRich:

Evaporation too.
 malk 09 Nov 2014
In reply to Dave Perry:

surely no liquid water at the summit?
 Nigel Modern 09 Nov 2014
In reply to NottsRich:

Sublimation - direct transfer from solid to gas, missing out the liquid stage
 Billhook 09 Nov 2014
In reply to Nigel Modern:

Thanks Nigel!
OP NottsRich 10 Nov 2014
In reply to Nigel Modern and malk:

I thought that would play a part, but I'm surprised it accounts for so much snow removal. I guess not much settling on the summit in the first place helps. Maybe a high flat area that's permanently below zero would have been a better question!
 RomTheBear 10 Nov 2014
In reply to NottsRich:

> I thought that would play a part, but I'm surprised it accounts for so much snow removal. I guess not much settling on the summit in the first place helps. Maybe a high flat area that's permanently below zero would have been a better question!

Yeah I'm no expert but it's probably more to do with the terrain, like on any high mountain. Anywhere where it's not blown by the wind you get huge glaciers.
 Nigel Modern 11 Nov 2014
In reply to NottsRich:
I'm no scientist but I read that low atmospheric pressure and high winds(?) cause molecules to go awol at a very high rate and bobs-your-uncle
...and the air up there, especially the jetstream(?) is very dry
Post edited at 12:59
New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...