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A theory for water flow through a layered snowpack
Author(s) -
Colbeck S. C.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr011i002p00261
Subject(s) - snowpack , permeability (electromagnetism) , isotropy , geology , snow , anisotropy , soil science , geotechnical engineering , mechanics , optics , physics , geomorphology , chemistry , biochemistry , membrane
A natural snowpack with ice layers is described in terms of an equivalent anisotropic porous medium. The anisotropic permeability is represented as a diagonalized matrix whose principal values can be calculated from a small amount of information about the prototype snowpack. Ice layers increase the transit time for water movement by a factor equal to the ratio of the principal values of permeability. The flow path, volume flux, and wave speed are determined by the slope of the snowpack and principal values of permeability. When a snowpack is assumed to be isotropic, the error in calculating transit time increases with the difference between the principal values of permeability. Usual variations in slope introduce a small change in the transit time.