Observations on the Seasonal Snow Cover 
and Radiation Climate 
at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska during 1972 
CARL BENSON, BJORN HOLMGREN*, ROBERT TIMMER**, and GUNTER WELLER 
Geophysical Institute 
University of Alaska 
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 
SCOTT PARRISH*** 
Tundra Biome Center 
University of Alaska 
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 
Introduction 
The snow structure on the Arctic Slope in 
general consists of a hard, high density, fine- 
grained, wind packed layer, overlying a coarse, 
low density, depth hoar layer; it resembles the 
top annual stratigraphic unit of the perennial 
dry snow facies of the Greenland or Antarctic 
ice sheets. It differs markedly from the snow of 
interior Alaska between the Brooks Range and 
Alaska Range. The latter is characterized by low 
density, steep temperature gradients, and a thick 
basal depth hoar layer which sometimes makes 
up two-thirds or more of the snow pack. 
Measurements on the 1971-1972 seasonal 
snow cover at Prudhoe Bay were made during 
September 1971 and, most extensively, in the 
spring of 1972. Some supplementary measure- 
ments were also made at Prudhoe Bay during the 
spring of 1973. The Prudhoe Bay observations 
were made in the context of long-term observa- 
tions on physical properties of Alaskan snow 
cover which began in 1961. However, they 
focused on specific problems in the Prudhoe Bay 
area which result from industrial activities. 
Fig. 1 shows the location of traverses and sample 
sites in the Prudhoe Bay area. 
An attempt was made to determine the 
amount of snow on the ground and to define the 
nature of the drift patterns caused by wind. The 
water equivalent of the snow was determined 
from measurements of its depth and density. 
Snow temperature and density profiles were 
measured together with characteristics such as 
hardness and grain size, a general stratigraphic 
description of the snowpack and the type of 
base (i.e., grass, ice, gravel, etc.) The amount of 
dust and coarser sediment contained in the snow 
was determined by melting and filtering snow 
samples. The electrical conductance of the melt 
water from these sarnples was also measured. 
The sources of the sediments were bare ground 
areas in and adjacent to the Sagavanirktok River 
channels and the road network. An attempt was 
made to determine the effect of dust on snow 
melt rate. 
The distribution of snow by wind drifting is 
an impressive feature about the Arctic Slope in 
general. The winds which cause the drifting are 
“Current address: Meteorologiska Institutionen, Observatone Parken, Uppsala, Sweden. 
**Current address: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131. 
*** Deceased. 
