Snowpack Monitoring in the Central Alaska Network of National Parklands
Sousanes P and Hill K. Snowpack Monitoring in the Central Alaska Network of National Parklands. 2004. National Park Service
Climate, by determining the temperature and precipitation regimes for any ecosystem, is widely recognized as one of the most fundamental drivers of ecological condition. A predominate feature of climate in high latitude regions is the presence of a seasonal snowpack. The snowpack is a major influence on hydrology, vegetation, and faunal communities (Jones et al. 2001). Accordingly, the Central Alaska Network identified climate, and snowpack--as the dominating feature of the regional climate--as an important Vital Sign (MacCluskie and Oakley 2003). The snow cover protects and insulates the ground and low-lying plants, reduces desiccation, and maintains ground temperatures near the freezing level. This seasonal snow cover, lasting up to eight months out of the year, is an important ecological factor for subarctic park ecosystems. A main objective of the CAKN snowpack monitoring program is to record long-term trends in snow and monitor changes in the extent, duration, and character of the seasonal snow cover. This is accomplished through an interagency agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to survey snow courses and aerial snow markers and to install and maintain Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites in all three CAKN parks. The SNOTEL sites have proven to be the most accurate instrumented sites to document all forms of precipitation in Alaska, including snowfall which is difficult to measure in remote locations.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Sousanes, Pamela; Hill, Ken
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CAKN , DENA , WRST , YUCH
- Keywords
- Climate, Monitoring, Snow, Snowpack, Weather
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Weather and Climate | Weather and Climate
Program
Products
- Snowpack Monitoring: 2006-2007 Season - Central Alaska Network
- Snowpack monitoring, 2008-2009 annual summary: Central Alaska Network
- Snowpack monitoring, 2007-2008 annual summary: Central Alaska Network
- Snowpack Monitoring Protocol for the Central Alaska Network Denali National Park and Preserve, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve-DRAFT
- Snowpack Monitoring Protocol for the Central Alaska Network: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Annual snowpack report 2011-2012: Central Alaska Network
- Annual snowpack report 2009-2010: Central Alaska Network
- Annual snowpack report 2010-2011: Central Alaska Network
- WRST Snow Monitoring Sites
- WRST Snow Monitoring Sites by Type
- Annual climate summary 2013: Central Alaska Network
- Annual climate summary 2014: Central Alaska Network
- Annual climate summary 2015: Central Alaska Network
- Annual climate summary 2016: Central Alaska Network
- Annual climate summary 2018: Central Alaska Network
- Annual snowpack report 2012-2013: Central Alaska Network