Earth’s Cryosphere, 2009, Vol. XIII, No. 1, p. 40-45

TO THE EVALUATION OF THE ROLE OF INTRA-GROUND CONDENSATION IN THERMAL AND WATER REGIMES OF COARSE-GRAINED SLOPE DEPOSITS

T.V. Bantsekina, V.M. Mikhailov

North-Eastern Permafrost Research Station, Melnikov Permafrost Institute SB RAS, 685024, Magadan, Gagarina str., 12, Russia, svnims@mail.ru

At present, it is virtually generally accepted that intra-ground water vapor condensation plays a significant role in the hydrological regime of coarse-grained slope deposits. However, in some sources the contrary information can be encountered. In this paper, the factors causing convective heat and mass transfer in such deposits are considered. It has been shown that the existing mathematical models are not suitable for describing this process. The method is proposed for rough estimates of water vapor flux to the frozen aquitard. It is based on the close relationship of convective transfer of vapor and heat, and on the fact that the heat flux in principal can be determined independently. Using the results of field research, it has been demonstrated that the dominating literature information is unrealistic. The causes of the overestimations are discussed.

Key words: Coarse-grained slope deposits, seasonally thawed layer, hydrological regime, thermal regime, water vapor, condensation, convective heat and mass transfer.

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