Snow Depth Data Worksheet Use this worksheet as an aid in collecting field notes and calculating the snow data to report. Alternatively, you can download a spreadsheet designed to perform all the necessary calculations. You may want to do both to give your students an understanding of the math involved. The spreadsheet could serve as a check for accuracy or as a tool to perform the calculations for you. Two spreadsheets are available for the Macintosh in ClarisWorks 4.0 or Microsoft Excel 5.0 format. Find a link to them in the Resource Room. Week of... Measuring Snow Depth Insert the Snow Depth Pole into the snow. Make sure it makes contact with the ground. You will be reading the total of all old snow along with any newly fallen snow. Read the depth in centimeters. Repeat this 6 times in varying spots within 20 meters of your snow site. Record each measurement. Average these measurements to determine the average snow depth at your snow site.   Snow Depth Temperature (C) Sample #1 Wed  Sample #2 Thurs Sample #3 Fri Sample #4 Mon Sample #5 Tues Sample #6 Add Sum of samples ÷6 ÷5 Average Snow Depth (report this number) Average Weekly Temperature (report this number) New Snowfall Worksheet Prepare a snowboard according to the equipment list. Lay the snowboard in the snow site on top of the current snow. Press down so that the snowboard is flush with the level of the current snow. Check the snow board daily for any evidence of tampering or new snow. When new snow has fallen (at least 0.5 cm) hold a metric ruler vertically and push it gently into the snow until it reaches the surface of the snowboard. Record the depth on the data sheet to the nearest millimeter. Repeat this in several places, recording each measurement. If these is snow, but is less than 0.5 cm, mark a "T" for trace. Week of... New Snow (centimeters- measured off snowboard) Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday include weekend snow Tuesday Sample #1 Sample #2 Sample #3 Sample #4 Average Report this daily snowfall with date Water Content Worksheet Hold the open end of a coffee can over the snowboard. Press the can straight down until it is firmly in contact with the snowboard. It is OK to compact the snow as you do this as long as you are able to reach the snowboard. Clear snow away from the outside of the can. Slide a piece aluminum flashing (or similar thin rigid material) between the can and snowboard. Holding the metal tightly against the can to avoid spills, turn the can right side up again. Remove the metal making sure that any snow stuck to it within the ring of the can falls in. Bring it back into the classroom and allow it to melt. Once the snow has melted, carefully pour it into a graduated cylinder to measure its volume in milliliters. If there is more meltwater than the capacity of your graduated cylinder, you may have to fill it, pour the water into another container , and pour into the cylinder again. This is the amount of water in the new snowfall sample to be entered into the worksheet below. Week of... Water content of new snowfall Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Include weekend snow Tuesday milliliters of melted water Water Content (see formula below) Report this number Water Content = Volume (water) ÷ Volume (new snow) Volume(new snow)=Depth(new snow) x pi(Diameter(coffee can) ÷ 2)2 Volume (water)= The measure (mL) of the melted water in graduated cylinder. Report water content for each day. Return to: SNOW Home Page | SNAP Home Page For comments or questions, contact: Bill Lindquist at lindquis@stolaf.edu, 507-646-3977 Last update: January 8, 1999