Impact of Forest Canopy Density on Snow Accumulation and SWE Preservation Over Time

Submitted by Armida on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 11:47
TitleImpact of Forest Canopy Density on Snow Accumulation and SWE Preservation Over Time
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference2012
AuthorsHagberg, Daniel, Palmer Dane, and Decker Rand
Conference Name80th Annual Western Snow Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the Western Snow Conference
Date Published2012
PublisherOmnipress
Conference LocationAnchorage, Alaska
Keywordsand meteorological factors, canopy intercept, Ponderosa pine, Sublimation, SWE retention
Abstract

This study analyzes how four differing forest canopy densities affect the rate of snow ablation in the ponderosa pine type forest of Northern Arizona, and develops visual correlations between the rate of snow sublimation and temperature, wind, relative humidity and exposed snow surface area. Reported here are the results gathered during the 2011-2012 winter season, from four different forest states:

  • Alpine Meadow (0% canopy density) ~Meadow
  • Recently thinned (15-30% canopy density) ~ Light
  • Mature thinned (30-45% canopy density) ~ Medium
  • Untreated (45-60% canopy density) ~ Dense
URLsites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/2012Hagberg.pdf