Physical Characteristics and Basic Climatic Features - The Arctic Climate System - page 48

Figure 2.19. Sastrugi on the North Slope of Alaska(courtesy of Matthew Sturm,
University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK). (See plate section for color version.)
Figure 2.20. Maximum snow depth (mm) over Eurasia, compiled from Russian sources
(courtesy of H. Ye, California State University, Los Angeles, CA).
over seven years in a small basin near Resolute Bay N.W.T. (Woo et al., 1983 ) show
that gullies and valleys have the largest accumulations, and exposed hilltops have
the smallest accumulations. This basic pattern tends to be maintained from year to
year. Amounts on slopes are variable according to exposure to the prevailing wind
and locally concave/convex surfaces. As just discussed, snow depth can be quite
variable in regions of sastrugi. The snowmelt season on the tundra is typically brief,
often lasting less than two weeks (Weller et al., 1972 ). When bare ground begins to
appear, local heat advection from the warmer exposed surface accelerates the melt
of the shrinking snow patches.