Name: Jo Marie G.
Status: Other
Age: 20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: October 9, 2004
Question:
At what point does the ground freeze (how deep does the
freeze go)?
Replies:
Jo Marie,
The depth of freezing during the winter is a function
of how cold the air temperature gets, how long the air
temperature stays below freezing, how clear the sky is
(clear skies allow the ground to cool more rapidly as
energy is lost from the ground radiatively), and whether
there is snow cover (and how deep it is). Long cold spells
with no snow cover can cause the ground to freeze to a greater
depth.
During a normal winter in northern Illinois, the ground will
freeze to a depth of about a foot. If there is persistent
snow cover, the ground may freeze only a few inches deep. If
there is little or no snow cover, the ground can freeze nearly
three feet deep.
David R. Cook
Atmospheric Research Section
Environmental Research Division
Argonne National Laboratory
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