TY - Generic T1 - Snow Density Observations in the Washington Cascades T2 - 74th Annual Western Snow Conference Y1 - 2006 A1 - Kay, J.E. KW - Snow density, Washington Cascades, SWE, snow modeling, SNOTEL, density profile, elevation AB - Density is a fundamental physical property of snow. Both the meteorological conditions during snowfall and snow pack processes affect snow density. As a result, field observations of snow density vary from 10 to 500 kgm-3. Yet, conversion between snow water equivalence (SWE) and snow depth and modeling of snow processes is often accomplished using a fixed snow density of 100 kgm-3. I use snow telemetry (SNOTEL) snow depth and snow water equivalent measurements to estimate snow density in the Washington Cascades, a maritime, temperature-driven snow pack. Spot field measurements are used to validate the seasonal evolution of densities estimated from SNOTEL observations and to understand the vertical profile of snow density. Then, using visual inspection and principal components analysis (PCA), I document and compare the seasonal evolution and regional coherency of SWE and snow density. Specifically, I address: Can SNOTEL observations reveal seasonal and spatial patterns in snow density?, What is the regional coherency of SWE and snow density on seasonal timescales?, and How is snow density influenced by elevation and location in a cross barrier flow? JF - 74th Annual Western Snow Conference T3 - Proceedings of the 74th Annual Western Snow Conference PB - Western Snow Conference CY - Las Cruces, NM UR - sites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/2006Kay.pdf ER -