‘Citizen scientists’ sought to measure snow

Okanagan residents who enjoy spending time in the backcountry this winter can help NASA-funded researchers better determine how much snow is in the mountains.

Snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers in B.C. are asked to take snow-depth measurements and then upload the information using the free Mountain Hub app.

Such information gathered from thousands of locations around the U.S. Pacific Northwest and B.C. will help researchers better estimate snow depths, data that’s key to predicting freshet flows in the spring.

“Traditionally, the types of models we run have relied on ‘point’ measurements, such as snow telemetry stations,” David Hill, civil engineering professor at Oregon State University, says in a release.

“Citizen scientists who are travelling in backcountry snow environments can provide us with much more data than those stations can provide,” Hill says.

All that’s needed to participate is a centimetre-marked avalanche probe, commonly available at outdoor supply stores, and the Mountain Hub app, available online at the App Store and Google Play.

The so-called Community Snow Observations project began last February, primarily focused on Alaska. It’s been broadened now to include a wider area.

“If we get a whole bunch of measurements on one day in one spot, that has value, but the more we can get things stretched out, the more coverage we can get, the better modelling products we can produce,” Hill says.

The project is funded in part by NASA’s Citizen Science for Earth Systems program. For more information, see communitysnowobs.org.