One of the aerial markers used to monitor snow depth on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

One of the aerial markers used to monitor snow depth on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Goodbye snow

The longer days and sun warming my office have me thinking somewhat disappointingly about trading out my skis for my bike. I am one of the many people on the Kenai Peninsula who loves snow. When the snow is good, we can ski, snowshoe, snowmachine, and mush dogs on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Each year’s snowfall pattern is different, so refuge staff monitor snow depths from December to April.

Federally-coordinated snow monitoring began in the 1930s because Congress needed information about mountain snowpack to forecast water supply for the western U.S. The SNOTEL (SNOwpack TELemetry) program was born and federal workers began to standardize and validate data collection. The first surveys, called Snow Courses, require a person to visit each site to measure snow depth and weigh the snow to estimate how much water is being held. Aerial markers were also used as a quicker method to gauge snow depth from a plane (see photo). The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, currently coordinates the SNOTEL program (https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/). Manual surveys are conducted during a 5-day window at the beginning of each month because snow levels can change quickly. Storms can dump snow over a couple days or a warm spell can cause significant melt.

In the 1980s, automated SNOTEL stations were added to the network. These stations have sensors to collect more information such as precipitation, soil temperature, and soil moisture. Measurements, taken several times a day, are remotely-transmitted to a central database. NRCS staff crunch the data into products and reports to help us understand snowpack and water availability.

Currently there are 15 SNOTEL stations in Alaska that collect snow and soil information including five on the Kenai Peninsula. One is located in the Kenai Moose Research Center at the end of Swan Lake Road. This April, the amount of water available as snow is 74 percent of normal levels, while precipitation accumulation is 111 percent of normal. In other words, this SNOTEL station had more water available as rain than snow this winter when compared to the last 30 years.

The Kenai Refuge is almost two million acres, of which a large portion is accessible only by aircraft, so we use aerial markers to measure how much snow is on the ground. Our refuge pilot recently flew over 17 markers and recorded how many panels were covered with snow. Caribou Hills had nearly 5 feet of snow in December and currently has over 6 feet. In contrast, the Kenai Lowlands had patchy snow in December, but had a foot of snow by February.

Another 25 locations are monitored by other agencies for snow depth elsewhere on the Kenai Peninsula. Collectively, these 42 sites are among the more than 200 locations in Alaska where snow depth information is collected as part of the NRCS program.

Snow insulates the ground during the very cold months. Subnivean habitats, which occur under the snow, remain around 32 degrees even when outside temperatures become bitterly cold. S mall mammals find shelter and food here, which increases their chances of surviving the winter. Snow insulation is also important for plants. Freeze events when snow is not present can damage plant tissue and this can stunt growth over the next year. For example, a study in Scandinavia linked a loss of snow followed by freezing temperatures to a loss of nearly 90 percent of summer growth for a crowberry species. The plant damage was so extensive it was visible in satellite imagery.

The impetus for the SNOTEL program was to understand water availability. When and how much water is available is also important to ecosystems here on the Kenai. Snow acts as a storage bank for water. Snow melt releases water slowly and can be a reliable source for plants and animals throughout the spring into the summer. For example, snowpack is a major source of water for both glacial and non-glacial salmon rivers. However, when winter precipitation occurs as rain, most of the water flows over frozen earth and ends up in the ocean.

We might not all love snow, but I think we probably all can find something we love that relies on snow.

Dr. Magness is a landscape ecologist at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Find more information at http://kenai.fws.gov or http://www.facebook.com/kenainationalwildliferefuge.

More in Life

This Korean rice porridge, called dak juk, is easy to digest but hearty and nutritious, perfect for when you’re learning how to eat. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A comforting meal for new beginnings

Rice porridge is a common first solid meal for many, many babies around the world

file
Minister’s Message: The sound of God’s voice

In all my desperate prayers, I sometimes forget that God has spoken definitively already

Rivers and Ice by Susan Pope. (Promotional photo)
KPC Showcase to feature discussion with Alaska author Susan Pope

Pope will discuss her memoir “Rivers and Ice: A Woman’s Journey Toward Family and Forgiveness”

Promotional photo courtesy Sony Pictures
Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Celeste O’Connor appear in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.”
On the Screen: New ‘Ghostbusters’ struggles to balance original ideas and nostalgia

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” picks up right where “Afterlife” left off, and it also succumbs to a lot of the same problems

document from ancestry.com
William Raymond “W.R.” Benson’s draft-registration card from 1942 reveals that he was 52 years old, living in Seward and self-employed. His wife, Mable, is listed as a person who will always know his address.
Hometown Booster: The W.R. Benson Story — Part 2

W.R. Benson was a mover and a shaker throughout his life, but particularly so in Alaska

Terri Zopf-Schoessler and Donna Shirnberg rehearse “The Odd Couple: The Female Version” at the Kenai Performers’ Theater near Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Iconic, classic comedy’

Kenai Performers debuts “The Odd Couple: The Female Version”

Photo provided by Sara Hondel
Sara Hondel stands with a leprechaun during Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Soldotna on Sunday. Green, leprechauns and Nugget the Moose poured down the streets for the 34th annual parade hosted by the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce. Under cloudy skies — but fortunately no precipitation — a procession of viridescent celebrants representing businesses and organizations brought festivities to an array of attendees lining Redoubt Avenue.
Go green or go home

Soldotna turns out for St. Patrick’s Day parade

Eggplants, garlic, lemon juice and tahini make up this recipe for baba ghanouj. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
When making a good example is hard to swallow

Preparing baba ghanouj despite a dislike of eggplant

William Raymond “W.R.” Benson (front row, far right) poses along with the rest of the Sigma Nu fraternity at Albion College in Michigan in about 1908. Despite a lifetime spent in the public eye, Benson was apparently seldom captured on film. This image is one of the few photos of him known to exist. (photo from the 1908 Albion College yearbook via ancestry.com)
Hometown Booster: The W.R. Benson Story — Part 1

W.R. Benson was a man almost constantly in motion

Most Read