Tuesday 2 February 2021

Mid-winter Snow Survey


Our first snow survey this winter season. And our first in two years, due to the lack of snow last winter. This year is perhaps close to average conditions. Tough weather for our survey, with first rain and wind, and then wet snow. The rain-on-snow conditions caused the river to be high (about 0.7m stage), and muddy with sediment.

After much rain over the past couple of days the snowpack was very soft and wet in the larch stand. It makes it difficult to take a snow core sample as the lower end will easily break off. The cedar stand was still a little hard and icy in certain layers.



Snow densities were high for this time of year! About 0.35 for both sites. As we measure every year, the larch stand has deeper accumulation and higher snow water equivalent (about 25% higher than cedar) due to the reduced snow interception in the deciduous larch stand.




Larch stand

Cedar stand

Rain-on-snow conditions


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