Wetting front advance and freezing of meltwater within a snow cover: 1. Observations in the Canadian Arctic

In a naturally stratified snow cover the movement of meltwater into dry snow is complicated by the interaction of the wetting front with stratigraphic horizons. Field observations showed that when the wetting front reached premelt stratigraphic horizons, water ponded at the interface and then flow fingers developed and penetrated the lower stratum. The flux in these fingers, which was increased to about twice that of the surface flux, was used …