The UV to IR transmittance of Antarctic snow

We report the transmittance of Antarctic snow as a function of the thickness of snow layers, in the range between 350 and 900 nm. Samples were studied near Scott Base, Ross Island, and data are presented for measurements made in early December 1996. The transmittance followed the two flux theoretical expressions well, and scattering and absorption parameters were obtained by curve fitting. Scattering dominated the transmittance at shorter wavelengths. The absorption at shorter wavelengths varied from one site to another, being lowest for snow samples measured furthest away from Ross Island, suggesting the effects of blown volcanic dust. The snow albedo derived from the transmittance parameters is compared with those of other workers.