Assigned Session: #AGM28: Generic Meeting Session
Foehn winds on McCall Glacier, Alaska: Identification and impacts
Abstract ID: 28.7449 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | 2025-02-28 09:15 - 09:30 | Ágnes‐Heller‐Haus/Small Lecture Room
Leo Schlagbauer (0)
Leo Schlagbauer ((0) University of Innsbruck, Waldstraße 3, 6020, Innsbruck, Tyrol, AT)
(0) University of Innsbruck, Waldstraße 3, 6020, Innsbruck, Tyrol, AT
Exceptionally strong, gusty and warm winds were observed at the McCall glacier in the Brooks Range in North Alaska by local scientist Matt Nolan. He reported that these winds often caused substantial amounts of snow scour during winter. These winds were identified as Foehn with a statistical mixture model using automatic weather station data of McCall glacier as well as reanalysis data of the ERA5 dataset. For one main target station in the ablation area of McCall glacier, a Foehn frequency of 5% was found in the period 2008 – 2014. For further investigation one winter and one summer case study was conducted for the same location, both presenting an event where Foehn had a significant impact on the glacier. During the winter case study strong winds up to 15 m s−1 caused erosion of a snow cover with a depth of 0.3 m. In general strong winds, most of them being Foehn, are estimated to erode a snow mass of 100 mm SWE per winter. This equals 50 % of the annually received snowfall which can thus not contribute to winter accumulation. In the summer case study Foehn led to air temperatures above 10 °C and wind speeds of approximately 10 m s−1. This caused an enhanced sensible heat flux with peaks up to 250 W m−2, ultimately leading to significant surface melt. Overall, however, the influence of Foehn during summer is estimated to be small as such strong events were found to be rare.
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