In this work we present experimental results of a novel actively heated fiber-optic (AHFO) observational wind-probing technique. We utilized a controlled wind-tunnel setup to assess both the accuracy and precision of AHFO under a range of operational conditions (wind speed, angles of attack and temperature differences). AHFO has the potential to provide high-resolution distributed observations of wind speeds, allowing for better spatial characterization of fine-scale processes.

Measuring fluxes of energy and trace gases using the surface renewal (SR) method can be economical and robust, but it requires computationally intensive calculations. Several new algorithms were written to perform the required calculations more efficiently and rapidly, and were tested with field data and computationally rigorous SR methods. These efficient algorithms facilitate expanded use of SR in atmospheric experiments, for applied monitoring, and in novel field implementations.

Reaction rates of radiatively and chemically active trace species are influenced by the mobility of air contained within the snowpack. By measuring wind speed and the evolution of a tracer gas with in situ sensors over a 1 m horizontal grid, we found that inhomogeneities in a single snow layer enhanced air movement unevenly as wind speed increased. This result suggests small-scale variability in reaction rates that increases with wind speed and variability in snow permeability.

Intrinsic permeability of snow is an important parameter that regulates snow–atmosphere exchange. Current permeability measurements require specialized equipment for acquisition in the field and have increased variability with increasing snow heterogeneity. To facilitate a field-based, volume-averaged measure of permeability, we designed and assembled an acoustic permeameter. When using reticulated foam samples of known permeability, the mean relative error from known values was less than 20 %.