Disappearance of a snowpatch in the hollow of the northeastern slope of Mt. Koizumidake, the Daisetsu Mountains, Central Hokkaido.

  • MIYAMOTO Masayuki
    Laboratory of Geoecology, Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University

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Other Title
  • 大雪山小泉岳北東の残雪凹地における雪田消失過程
  • ダイセツザン コイズミダケ ホクトウ ノ ザンセツ オウチ ニ オケル セツデン ショウシツ カテイ

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Abstract

Retreats of snowpatch margins were investigated in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, and snow surface lowering were measured in 1996 and 1997 at a snow accumulation hollow in the Daisetsu Mountains. Discussions on ablation were made in relation to air temperature and distribution of vegetation cover and bare ground. In the area where snow disappeared in May or June, alpine wind-blown dwarf scrub or wind-beaten bare ground are dominant. In the area where snow disappeared by late July in 1994, 1996, 1997, and middle August in 1995, alpine snowpatch vegetation was dominant. In the area where snow disappeared after these dates, development of vegetation cover was not observed. This snowpatch finally disappeared by late August in 1994, 1996, 1997, while it turned into a perennial one in 1995. The lowering rates of snow surface were the greatest (15cm/day) in a period from middle July to early August. As variation of the lowering rate and that of the air temperature corresponds well, it may be said that the lowering rate is to be controlled by the air temperature. Snow-margin retreat rate on the western margin of this snowpatch was constant about 0.5m/day in 1994 and 1995. However, as far as 1996 and 1997, the rate increased near the end of August in 1996 and 1997. On the other hand, the rate fluctuated widly at the eastern margin. The rate was the fastest (1.5m/day) from middle July through to early August. During these periods, air temperature were also the highest of all the measurement period. Air temperature during the observed period in 1994 was the highest (18°C) of the four years, and the rate during the period at the eastern margin is also the fastest (1.8m/day). These results show that the retreat rates on the eastern margin are greatly controlled by air temperature, but that the rates on the western margin were not because of topographical influence.

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