Challenges and Capabilities in Estimating Snow Mass Intercepted in Conifer Canopies with Tree Sway Monitoring

Abstract

This a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary.

Comparison of snowpack structure in gaps and under the canopy in a humid boreal forest

“…Modelling the physical properties of seasonal snow cover and how it is affected by the forest structure is key to many applications, notably hydrological, meteorological and climate modelling, as well as hydropower reservoir inflow forecasting or forest management (Dickerson‐Lange et al, 2021; Musselman et al, 2012; Rutter et al, 2009). Fortunately, the effect of canopy structure on snow hydrology is being progressively addressed in recent model developments (Broxton et al, 2015; Mazzotti et al, 2019; Sun et al, 2018), but major challenges remain (Lundquist et al, 2021; Raleigh et al, 2022).…”

A Meteorology and Snow Data Set From Adjacent Forested and Meadow Sites at Crested Butte, CO, USA

“…Field observations are essential for improving our process knowledge and for assessing model predictions of snow water equivalent (SWE) and other states (Essery et al., 2009; Lundquist et al., 2021; Mazzotti, Essery, Webster, et al., 2020; Moeser et al., 2016; Rutter et al., 2009; Strasser et al., 2011). Model improvements can be facilitated by data collected in the field, including measuring the interception and unloading of canopy snow (e.g., Hedstrom & Pomeroy, 1998; Raleigh et al., 2022; Storck et al., 2002) and observing the forest‐altered energy balance regime (e.g., Malle et al., 2019; Musselman & Pomeroy, 2017). Ongoing improvement and validation of SWE predictions and snow models require detailed field observations of forest‐snow processes (Bonner, Raleigh, & Small, 2022).…”