Cryospheric Environment Simulator (CES)

Introduction

The Cryospheric Environment Simulator (CES) is the world-biggest scale laboratory allowing to reproduce various cryospheric phenomena on the laboratory level. It has a snowfall machine making large amount of snow with crystal shape similar to those of natural snow. The change of the deposited snow in a cold room can be investigated under artificially controlled conditions. Therefore, it became able to make an efficient research based on an arbitrary experiment plan without waiting for a natural phenomenon to happen.

Cryospheric Environment Simulator (CES).

Purpose

Reproduce phenomena in cryosphere and elucidate the role of snow and ice in global climate system.
Reproduce the processes of the snow and ice disasters and elucidate the mechanism of disaster generation.

Research

The following researches are done, for example, by controlling air temperature, humidity, snowfall, rainfall and solar radiation in the CES.

Characteristic change of deposited snow due to air temperature and solar radiation.
Mechanism of drifting snow blown off by wind.
Movement of deposited snow on a slope and mechanism of snow avalanche generation.
Deposition of snow on/around a building under windy conditions.

Measurement room.

Arrangement of facilities in a large cold room.

Facilities

Facility	Specifications
Snowfall Machine(A)	Snowfall intensity : 0 - 1mm/h (water equiv.) Crystal type : dendrites etc. (size 0.5 - 5mm) Area : 3m x 5m
Snowfall Machine(B)	Snowfall intensity : 0 - 5mm/h (water equiv.) Crystal type : sphere (diameter 0.025mm) Area : 3m x 5m
Rainfall Machine	Rainfall intensity : 0 - 2mm/h Area : 3m x 5m
Solar Simulator	Solar radiation : 0 - 1000W/m2 Area : 3m x 5m
Snow Table	Size : 3m x 5m Inclination : 0 - 45°
Wind Tunnel	Wind speed : 0 - 20m/s

The cold room that contains the above facilities can be air-conditioned.
(air temperature : -30 - +25C, relative humidity : 20 - 80%)

Use

The CES can be used by domestic or foreign research organizations as a common facility. The CES operation committee coordinates working plans. Details of use can be obtained by contact with the secretariat of the CES operation committee (tsato@shinjo.bosai.go.jp).

Research using the Cryospheric Environment Simulator (CES)

Research Installations