the east. We did manage to maintain the shape of
to remove the berms now would require consid-
the east berm to minimize drift snow accumula-
erable effort and expense, no doubt involving large
tion; eventually, near the end of the project, we
construction equipment. Continued monitoring
did some shaping of the west berm.
of the cross-sectional profile (App. C) will pro-
The long-term effect of these construction berms
vide an indication if the site is unstable. Minimiz-
is not known. Originally, we feared that they
ing berm height and side slopes will assist in
would attract large amounts of drift snow and
reducing snow buildup, but caution is required
quickly inundate the runway. However, we have
when shaping the berms to assure that small-
been monitoring the berm profile at several loca-
scale surface features associated with equipment
tions across the runway and have noted little net
operations do not trap and add significant
amounts of snow. Should it prove that the berms
gain in the volume of snow present in the vicinity
generated during construction eventually cause
of the site (see survey sections in App. C; Lang
the runway to be swallowed in drift snow, the
and Blaisdell, in press).
runway can be rebuilt more efficiently than ini-
Initially, the berms at the Pegasus runway were
tially and with management of construction
a mixture of fine-grained medium-density snow
wastes incorporated in the construction plan from
and ice chunks. In the three years since the berms
began to build, they have become firn. Attempts
the outset.
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