Publication Date:
1998-01-01
Description:
Determining the electrostatic force acting on saltating snow particles requires knowledge of the electric field in the saltation region and the charge on the particle. To date, measurements of average charge-to-mass ratios for blowing-snow samples have been made but Schmidt and Schmidt (1993) have indicated these may underestimate charge-to-mass ratios for individual particles due to a mixture of positive and negative charge in the samples. This paper reports on measurements of charge-to-mass ratio for individual blowing-snow particles during a moderate blowing-snow storm in southwestern Wyoming. We measured charge-to-mass ratios as large as -208 μC, kg-1, significantly higher than the -10μC kg -1 measured by Latham and Montagne (1970) and -50 μC kg-1 measured by Wishart (1970). This large charge-to-mass ratio was accompanied by a distribution of positive and negative charge on the particles, supporting the conclusions of Schmidt and Schmidt (1993).
Print ISSN:
0260-3055
Electronic ISSN:
1727-5644
Topics:
Geography
,
Geosciences
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