Knowra Snowpack Snowpack Snowpack is snow accumulated on the ground over a season or longer. It stores freshwater and releases it as meltwater, shaping river flows and water availability.
Snow accumulation : The addition of snowfall and wind-deposited snow to a snow-covered surface. Accumulation builds the seasonal store, while wind can redistribute snow into deeper drifts.
Snow course : A fixed route where snow depth and water content are measured at multiple points. Repeated surveys provide ground measurements for estimating water stored across a basin.
Seasonal streamflow : The variation in river flow through the seasons of a year. Snowmelt often supplies a large, delayed share of annual flow in snow-fed basins.
Snow : Ice crystals and their aggregates that fall from clouds or accumulate on the ground. Snow is the material that accumulates and transforms into a snowpack.
Glacier : A persistent mass of land ice formed from compacted snow that moves under its own weight. Unlike seasonal snowpack, a glacier survives year to year and stores water over longer timescales.
Snow metamorphism : The physical transformation of snow grains through changes in temperature, vapor, and liquid water. Metamorphism alters snow density, layering, and the speed at which meltwater can pass through.
Snow pillow : A fluid-filled device that measures the weight of snow above it. Snow pillows continuously estimate snow water equivalent at monitoring stations.
Water resources : Naturally occurring water that can support human, ecological, and economic needs. Snowpack is a temporary freshwater reserve whose availability depends on accumulation and melt.
Snow density : The mass of snow per unit volume, which changes as snow accumulates and settles. Density connects snow depth to its water content and affects insulation and melt.
Sea ice : Frozen seawater that forms, grows, and melts in the ocean. Sea ice is oceanic frozen water, whereas snowpack is accumulated atmospheric snow on land.
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