1. Measuring Snow Properties:
Albedo, Depth & Density
Elizabeth Burakowski, UNH
elizabeth.burakowski@gmail.com
14-May-2012

2. Equipment
Scraper
or
Spatula
Digital
Hanging
Scale
Field
Notebook
2-­‐?
and
4-­‐?
snow
tubes
with
caps
Pyranometer
on
leveling
boom
Yards:ck

3. Where to Measure
• In an level open area, with no shading
from trees, houses, fences, etc.
• Undisturbed snow pack (no trampling by
boots, pet waste, etc)
• Point leveling boom at sun (south) to
reduce shadowing
• If snowpack is thin or patchy, pick an
area that is most representative of overall
snow conditions.
• Measurement area should be about 1 m2

4. When to Measure
• Collect daily snow-covered and snow-free
measurements from first snowfall until end
of snow season.
• Take measurements under clear sky and
overcast conditions. Partly cloudy days
passing clouds affect measurements.
• Begin daily data collection ±30 min of
Local Solar Noon:
• http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/
solcalc/.

5. How To Measure
1. Identify area to measure and approach from north (do
not trample your sampling area).
2. Point leveling boom south with pyranometer facing
upward, use bubble at hip to level. Record UP1.
3. Flip boom and level at hip with MP-200 facing
downward. Record DOWN1.
4. Repeat steps 3 & 4 two more times, for total of three up
& down paired measurements.
5. Turn off pyranometer and replace green cap. Record
other values (e.g., cloud and snow conditions)
6. Enter recorded values at www.albedo.csrc.dev

6. How To Measure
Please also remember to record the following
at the time of albedo measurement:
Start Time (HHMM) and End Time (HHMM)
Cloud Cover:
OVC- overcast
PCL – partly cloudy
CLR – clear
ACLR – all clear or blue bird. 0% cloud cover.
Snowmelt: Yes or no.
Snowing: Yes or no.
Comments: passing clouds, grass or vegetation showing, debris
on snow, etc.

7. How To Measure
1. Power button 2
2. Meter read-out (in
Watts/m2
3. No need to use
3
these buttons.
Sensor will display
values instantly!8

8. Batteries
The Apogee MP-200 takes one Renata
Lithium CR2320 battery. One battery
should last you the whole winter.
If necessary, we will send you a
replacement battery.

9. Snow Depth
1. After you’ve measured albedo, take a snow depth
measurement from an area representative of your
albedo measurement area.
2. Place tube (2-ft or 4-ft) vertically into the snow
pack.
3. Scrape snow off the side of the tube and measure
snow depth to ground, rounding to nearest 0.5”. If
you are unable to reach the ground surface (i.e.,
ice layer at bottom of tube), record the snow
depth collected in the tube and note approximate
thickness of ice not collected in tube.

10. Snow Density
1. Place spatula under bottom of tube, lift way from
the snowpack and carefully secure cap on
bottom of tube. Bring the tube indoors to weigh
(scale does not work well in cold weather).
2. Hang the scale from a sturdy hook. Turn on the
scale and watch for 0.000 lb to appear. (Hit
mode button if in kg to switch).
3. Hang tube on metal scale hook, using hole at
the top of the tube. Measure to nearest hundreth
(0.00). Record the total weight (tube, caps and
snow!) in lab notebook.

11. Data Entry
h"p://www.albedo.csrcdev.com/

12. Data Entry
1. Select
your
CoCoRAHS
sta:on
number
from
the
drop-­‐down
list.
2. Start
and
end
observa:on
:me
apply
specifically
to
albedo
measurements.
3. Cloud
cover
at
:me
of
albedo
observa:on
4. An
error
will
occur
if
your
outgoing
(reflected)
value
is
greater
than
incoming.
5. Snow
depth
is
depth
of
snow
collected
in
the
tube.
Note
depth
of
any
snow/ice
unable
to
be
collected
in
tube
in
the
observa:on
notes
sec:on.
6. Snow
tube
tare
weight
is
the
weight
of
the
empty,
dry
tube
with
caps
(to
be
made
daily).
7. Snowmelt
since
last
observa:on
(yes/no)
8. Include
comments
on
grain
size,
patchiness,
leaf
liVer
and
debris
in
observa:on
notes.

13. How To Measure
1. Identify area to measure and approach from
north.
Questions?
2. Point leveling boom south with MP-200 facing
upward, use bubble at hip to level. Record UP1.
3. Flip boom and level at hip with MP-200 facing
downward. Record DOWN1.
Contact: Liz Burakowski
4. Repeat steps 3 & 4 two more times, for total of
ean2@unh.edu
three up & down paired measurements.
5. Turn off MP-200 and replace cap. Record other
comments (e.g., cloud and snow conditions)
6. Enter recorded values on CoCoRaHS.org