Environmental controls on soil frost activity in the Western Cape mountains, South Africa

This study aims to analyse the environmental controls on soil frost processes in the Western Cape mountains of South Africa. Two microclimatic monitoring stations were established on different substrates at about 1900 m a.s.l. recording air and soil temperature, soil moisture and precipitation over periods of five and two years respectively. Other data available are snow cover estimations and soil textural data. Results show the region to experience surficial diurnal frost only. The frequency of effective frost days in the sandstone areas is extremely limited due to insulation by snow cover and vegetation, effectiveness of the zero‐curtain effect and high albedo values of the surface. Irrespective of climatic controls, sandstone‐derived sediments are found to be too coarse to develop segregation ice. These strata underlie over 90 per cent of the Western Cape mountains over 1000 m a.s.l. Monitoring on shales indicates 12 and 16 diurnal frost cycles for needle‐ice growth for 1993 and 1994, respectively. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.