End-of-Winter Snow Depth, Temperature, Density and SWE Measurements at Kougarok Road Site, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5440/1593874
NGEE Arctic Record ID: NGA223
Data Version: 1.0
Abstract

Measurements of snow properties were taken in 2018 at the NGEE Arctic Kougarok field site. This dataset contains spatially distributed values of snow depth, integrated snow pack density, snow water equivalent (SWE), temperature at the snow surface and at the bottom of the snow pack, and snow density as a function of depth from top of snow pack. Data was collected toward the end of the winter season, in late March, when snow pack would be near its maximum. 

The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska.

Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

Authors
Cathy Wilson (cjw@lanl.gov) 0000000198960912
Robert Bolton (wrbolton@alaska.edu) 000000024282242X
Robert Busey (rcbusey@alaska.edu) 0000000195381122
Emma Lathrop (elathrop@lanl.gov) 000000033079588X
Julian Dann (jdann@lanl.gov) 0000000173788845
Katrina Bennett (kbennett@lanl.gov) 0000-0003-2433-8607
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Dataset Citation
Cathy Wilson, Robert Bolton, Robert Busey, Emma Lathrop, Julian Dann, Katrina Bennett. 2021. End-of-Winter Snow Depth, Temperature, Density and SWE Measurements at Kougarok Road Site, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. Dataset accessed on [INSERT_DATE] at https://doi.org/10.5440/1593874.
Dates
2018-04-01 - 2018-04-03
Geographic Location
NGEE Arctic Kougarok Site, Mile Marker 64, Alaska
North65.171801
South65.153612
East-164.801947
West-164.844501
Place Keywords:
Teller Road, Alaska | Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Subject Keywords:
Solid Precipitation | Snow Water Equivalent | Cryospheric indicators | Snow depth | Snow cover | Snow density | Snow/ice | Snow temperature |
GCMD Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE > SNOW/ICE
Methodology
Snow cover plays an important role in the climate, hydrology, and ecological systems of the Arctic due to its influence on water balance, thermal regimes, vegetation, and carbon flux. However, the spatial distribution of snow depth and density properties are poorly represented for arctic regions where high-resolution snow data is limited. Characterizing peak snow depth and density at NGEE field sites allows modelers to define factors that drive snow accumulation. Among the factors affecting depth and density of snow are site elevation, slope, aspect, wind, vegetation type vegetation height, vegetation patchiness, and vegetation density. A standard set of measurements were collected to characterize peak snow at the Kougarok field site. Snow depths were taken along transects at approximately 10 m intervals. Triangle surveys, in which depth was recorded at 1-meter intervals along three 25-meter legs, were performed at intensive stations and snow grid points established on a 100m x100m grid prior to the field campaign (Figure 1). At each triangle survey, three or more integrated snow density and SWE measurements were taken with snow tubes with known cross-sectional area and snow depth (to determine snow volume) and weighed. At the same location, two temperature probes were inserted, one close to the snow surface and the other touching the ground. After allowing the temperature probes time to equilibrate, temperature was recorded.
Related References
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Related Identifiers
N/A
Metadata Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization that is knowledgeable about the data.
Person: Emma Lathrop
Organization: LANL
Email: elathrop@lanl.gov
Point of Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization that is knowledgeable about the data.
Person: Cathy Wilson
Organization: LANL
Email: cjw@lanl.gov
Dataset Usage Rights
Public Datasets

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

See the NGEE Arctic Data Policies for more details https://ngee-arctic.ornl.gov/data-policies.

Distribution Point of Contact
Contact: Data Center Support
Organization: Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE) Arctic Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Email: support@ngee-arctic.ornl.gov