Friday, June 1, 2012

Dry season begins

Following a snowy February, accumulation decreased steadily through March and April. Preliminary data indicate that maximum accumulation occurred on 4 May at 2.08 meters, which is an average depth for recent years. However, only when density measurements are made during fieldwork will we know the snowpack's water equivalence. This year we will make such measurements during July, when we plan to dig a very deep pit and investigate the role of vertical meltwater percolation.