The Potential of Landscape Scale Treatments to Reduce Sublimation Losses of Critical Water Supply Snowpack in the Western United States

TitleThe Potential of Landscape Scale Treatments to Reduce Sublimation Losses of Critical Water Supply Snowpack in the Western United States
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference2011
AuthorsBringhurst, A., Williamson K., Werbylo K., and Decker R.
Conference Name79th Annual Western Snow Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the 79th Annual Western Snow Conference
Date PublishedApril 2011
PublisherWestern Snow Conference
Conference LocationStateline, NV
KeywordsArizona, snowpack, sublimation, water supply, snow preservation treatment, biomass blanket
Abstract

A variety of treatments were tested for their effectiveness at limiting sublimation losses from snowpack. Treatments tested included vertical compaction, spraying the snowpack with a coating of vegetable oil, and applying a layer of chipped Ponderosa Pines slash biomass over the top of the snowpack. In meadow areas, untreated snowpack ablated at a rate of 0.66 centimeters of snow water equivalent (SWE) per day, while snowpack covered with a thick blanket of biomass ablated at a rate of 0.10 centimeters of SWE per day. Further, at the end of the data collection period, the control had lost 100% of its original SWE, while the biomass treated snowpack only lost 22% of its original SWE. In areas with a dense forest canopy, untreated snowpack ablated at a rate of 0.53 centimeters of SWE per day, and the snowpack treated with a thick biomass blanket averaged a loss of 0.20 centimeters of SWE per day. It was determined that a thick layer of biomass (about seven to ten centimeters in depth) would help reduce sublimation losses of snowpack in both meadow and canopied areas. A cost analysis was performed to determine the price of application of the thick biomass blanket, and it was determined that one application would cost roughly $365 per 4,047 square meters (1 acre). This high cost of application poses a real challenge to the feasibility of implementing this treatment to reduce sublimation losses at landscape scales.

URLsites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/2011Bringhurst.pdf