CZNet DWCZ - CO - Gordon Gulch 1 & 2 - SWE Along Snow Pole Transects - (GG1-GG2-SWE) - (2023–2024)

Description/Abstract

Data collection began on March 1, 2023, and is ongoing on a seasonal basis.
Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) was measured using a calibrated scale, including the mass of the tube (units: cm).

For north-facing aspects, downslope refers to the area between the lowest snow pole and the second-lowest snow pole. Upslope refers to the area between the highest snow pole and the second-highest snow pole. For south-facing aspects, data were collected between the two snow poles, and the upslope/downslope distinction is left blank.

Location: Gordon Gulch (GG1 = lower, GG2 = upper).
Location Description: Gordon Gulch (2590 m) lies within Arapaho National Forest and is divided into lower (GG1) and upper (GG2) catchments. Gordon Gulch joins North Boulder Creek about 16 km downstream from Green Lakes Valley (GLV). The site is underlain by biotite gneiss and is mostly forested. Contrasting slopes produce differences in soils and vegetation: thinner, less-weathered rock with grasses and Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) on south-facing slopes, and thicker, more weathered rock with dense Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) on north-facing slopes.

The area is characterized by low-relief remnants of a dissected Tertiary erosion surface, with weathered rock profiles up to 15 m thick. Gordon Gulch lies within the montane climatic zone, with mean annual precipitation (MAP) of ~780 mm, ~70% of which falls as snow.

The number of replicates was recorded for each date × aspect × plot combination.

Creator/Author

Holly Barnard Holly.Barnard@colorado.edu (DWCZ, current)
Nicole Hornslein czfield@colorado.edu (DWCZ Field Manager)

CZNet

Dynamic Water Critical Zone

Contact

czdata@colorado.edu

Subtitle

IDs vary by year: GG_SWE

SUBJECTS

Disciplines

Hydrology

Topics

Snow

Subtopic

Snow Pole Transects, SWE (GG_SN_Array)

Keywords

snow, precipitation, Gordon Gulch, manual SWE measurement, snow water equivalent, snow sampling site, snow transects

Variables

Date, Aspect, Plot, Replicate, Snow Height (cm), Core Length (packed, cm), SWE Tube + Core (cm), SWE Tube (cm), Water Content (cm), Density (%)

Variables ODM2

Density, Grain Size, Temperature

TEMPORAL

Date Start

2023-03-01

Date End

Ongoing (seasonal)

SPATIAL

Field Areas

Gordon Gulch

Location

Gordon Gulch

North Latitude

40.02133

South Latitude

40.01337

West Longitude

-105.48379

East Longitude

-105.45775