Wind-blown snow: sublimation, transport and changes to polar snow

blowing snow1 snow chemis'ql polar snow1 glaciersl wet deposition / nitratel sulphatel wind-blown snow1 sublimation / accumi~lation Accumulation of snow and ions in polar regions is a residual of the blowing snow phenomenon, including sublimation. Ion accumulation depends on the blowing snow regime and occurs in two modes of retention and resuspension. Ion deposition in polar snow is therefore inherently unstable. An understanding of wind speed regimes is required to predict ion concentration and annual retention in wind-blown snow. This adds considerable complexity to attempts to interpret the chemistry of recent ice cores and to calculate glacial mass balances. Institut national de la recherche scientifique- Ea