Processes Controlling Spatial Snow Distribution Variability at the Macro-Scale Level in Cold Regions

Abstract

Spatial snow distribution is a result of interactions between snow flakes and other factors such as vegetation, wind , topography. The accumulation of snow can be seen as a surface evolving snowfall after snowfall. The resulting snow depth distribution is the difference of the upper and lower surface of the snow. The lower interface of the snowpack changes winter to winter, but is fairly stable throughout a given winter. On the other hand, the upper surface’s morphology is incrementally evolving under external forces. Through three experiments, where external forces are isolated from each other, we attempt at understanding how they - vegetation, wind, and topography - interact with the snow pack, and ultimately control snow distribution.