The importance of considering depth-resolved photochemistry in snow: A radiative-transfer study of NOâ and OH production in Ny-Ã lesund (Svalbard) snowpacks
Solar visible radiation can penetrate 2-30 cm (e-folding depth) into snowpacks and photolyse nitrate anions and hydrogen peroxide contained in the snow. Photolysis rate coefficients, J, for NOââ» and HâOâ photolysis are presented for a melting and a fresh snowpack at Ny-à lesund, Svalbard. Calculations of (a) transfer velocities, áµ¥, and molecular fluxes of gaseous NOâ from the snowpack and (b) depth-integrated production rates of OH radicals within the snowpack are presented. The results show the importance of considering the depth dependence, i.e. not just the snow surface, when modelling snowpack photochemistry. Neglecting photochemistry under the snow surface can result in an apparent larger molecular flux of NOâ from NOââ» photolysis than the melting snowpack. However, when the depth-resolved molecular fluxes of NOâ within the snowpack are calculated, a larger NOâ flux may be apparent in the melting snowpack than the fresh snowpack. For solar zenith angles of 60°, 70° and 80° the modelled molecular fluxes of NOâ from fresh snowpack are 11.6, 5.6 and 1.7 nmol mâ»Â²hâ»Â¹, respectively, and those for melting snowpack are 19.7, 9.1 and 2.9 nmol mâ»Â²hâ»Â¹, respectively.
document
https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d79k4bpd
eng
geoscientificInformation
Text
publication
2016-01-01T00:00:00Z
publication
2010-06-05T00:00:00Z
Copyright 2010 International Glaciological Society.
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