snowpack
Mountain's frozen reservoir
Snowpack is the accumulated snow covering an area, especially in mountainous regions where it persists through winter.
The term appears most often in discussions of water supply, since melting snowpack feeds rivers and reservoirs: The Sierra snowpack is below average this year.
Snowpack levels serve as a key indicator of drought conditions and summer water availability.
Horizontal layer of material
- layerSingle thickness of material
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- crustHard outer layer
- granularityLevel of detail
porosity · permeability · sintering · facets · bonding · settlement · metamorphism · crystal structure
Distance below surface
- densityMass-to-volume ratio
- thicknessDepth of material
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
gauging · sampling · ablation · mass balance · percentile · median · benchmark · forecasting
Collected mass over time
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
- snowlinePermanent accumulation boundary
- glacierSlow-moving ice mass
- seasonalRecurring at fixed intervals
warming · decline · loss · drought · water security · climate change · alpine · subalpine
Snow sport on runners
- backcountrySparsely populated wilderness areas
- touringTraveling for pleasure
- snowshoeingWalking atop deep powder
- powderFine dry particles
conditions · coverage · grooming · resort · trailhead · mountaineering · sledding · snowmobile
Thick flat piece
- slideSmooth continuous movement
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- triggerWhat initiates action
- fractureSplit in hard material
propagation · burial · debris · crown · runout · terrain · backcountry · beacon
Liquefied winter precipitation
- runoffExcess water drainage
- streamflowRiver water's measured movement
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- aquiferGroundwater-bearing geological formation
irrigation · freshwater · groundwater · drought · precipitation · water supply · spring runoff · meltwater
Thermal transfer prevention
- hibernationProlonged winter dormancy
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- overwinteringEnduring the cold months
- small mammalsCompact fur-bearing animals
voles · shrews · protection · freeze-thaw · soil temperature · alpine meadow
stratum
Horizontal layer of material
granularity · porosity · permeability · sintering · facets · bonding · settlement · metamorphism · crystal structure · hardness
depth
Distance below surface
- densityMass-to-volume ratio
- thicknessDepth of material
- accumulationCollected mass over time
monitoring · gauging · sampling · ablation · mass balance · percentile · median · benchmark · forecasting
accumulation
Collected mass over time
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
- snowlinePermanent accumulation boundary
- glacierSlow-moving ice mass
seasonal · warming · decline · loss · drought · water security · climate change · alpine · subalpine · maritime
skiing
Snow sport on runners
- backcountrySparsely populated wilderness areas
- touringTraveling for pleasure
- snowshoeingWalking atop deep powder
powder · conditions · coverage · grooming · resort · trailhead · mountaineering · sledding · snowmobile
slab
Thick flat piece
- slideSmooth continuous movement
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- triggerWhat initiates action
fracture · propagation · burial · debris · crown · runout · terrain · backcountry · beacon · probe
snowmelt
Liquefied winter precipitation
- runoffExcess water drainage
- streamflowRiver water's measured movement
- watershedDrainage area boundary
aquifer · irrigation · freshwater · groundwater · drought · precipitation · water supply · spring runoff · meltwater · peak flow
insulation
Thermal transfer prevention
- hibernationProlonged winter dormancy
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- overwinteringEnduring the cold months
small mammals · voles · shrews · protection · freeze-thaw · soil temperature · alpine meadow
- glaciersglacier, crevasse, glacial movement, moraine, iceberg
- alpine zonealpine meadow, alpine lakes, alpine plants, alpine lake, alpine zone
- water managementwater supply, dam, water district, water authority, water allocation
- winterice, cold, frozen, frost, icicle
- ArcticArctic Circle, Arctic Ocean, Arctic wildlife, Arctic exploration, Arctic research
- ice and snowiceberg, ice floe, icicle, glacier, sea ice
snowpackrunoff
Excess water drainage
snowmelt · streamflow · meltwater · spring runoff · discharge