Tundra snowpack

The impact of the temperature gradient on metamorphism explains many of the features of Figure 1. The typical HGM-type metamorphism of the taiga snowpack eventually transforms most of the snowpack into depth hoar, " while the QIM-type metamorphism of the maritime and Alpine snowpacks forms, in the absence of melting, layers of small rounded grains 0.2 to 0.4 mm in diameter. However, considering the effects of other climate variables such as wind speed is necessary to explain features such as the presence of windpacks formed of small rounded grains in the tundra snowpack. 

Among several existing classifications of seasonal snowpacks, we use that of Sturm et al. " that describes the tundra, taiga, Alpine, maritime, prairie and ephemeral snowpacks. Sturm et al. also mention the mountain snowpack, that displays such large spatial variations that it... 

Figure 1 Typical stratigraphies of the taiga, tundra and maritime snowpacks, with photomicrographs of typical snow crystal types. Scale bars 1 mm. Bold numbers next to the stratigraphies are density values, in g.cm. ...

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