Sublimation measurements of tundra and taiga snowpack in Alaska

Stockert, Kelsey A.; Euskirchen, Eugénie S.; Stuefer, Svetlana L.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1739-2025

Articles | Volume 19, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1739-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Northern hydrology in transition – impacts of a changing...

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1739-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 5

Research article

|

05 May 2025

Research article |

| 05 May 2025

Sublimation measurements of tundra and taiga snowpack in Alaska

Kelsey A. Stockert, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, and Svetlana L. Stuefer

Data sets

Snow water equivalent data from the Imnavait Creek watershed, Arctic Alaska, 1985-2017 Svetlana Stuefer et al. https://doi.org/10.18739/A29G5GD77

Bonanza Creek LTER: Hourly Snow Pillow Measurements from 1988 to Present in the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest near Fairbanks, Alaska Keith Van Cleve et al. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/8180b828d8f5244ac1042acb1ca97c97

AmeriFlux BASE US-BZB Bonanza Creek Thermokarst Bog, Ver. 4-5 E. Euskirchen https://doi.org/10.17190/AMF/1773401

AmeriFlux BASE US-BZS Bonanza Creek Black Spruce, Ver. 3-5 E. Euskirchen https://doi.org/10.17190/AMF/1756434

AmeriFlux BASE US-BZF Bonanza Creek Rich Fen, Ver. 4-5 E. Euskirchen https://doi.org/10.17190/AMF/1756433

AmeriFlux BASE US-ICt Imnavait Creek Watershed Tussock Tundra, Ver. 7-5 E. Euskirchen et al. https://doi.org/10.17190/AMF/1246131

AmeriFlux BASE US-ICh Imnavait Creek Watershed Heath Tundra, Ver. 6-5 E. Euskirchen et al. https://doi.org/10.17190/AMF/1246133

AmeriFlux BASE US-ICs Imnavait Creek Watershed Wet Sedge Tundra, Ver. 10-5 E. Euskirchen et al. https://doi.org/10.17190/AMF/1246130

Imnavait Creek SNOTEL Site USDA NRCS https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/nwcc/site?sitenum=968

Meteorological and radiation data, Kuparuk River and nearby watersheds, Alaska: Imnavait B site (IB) and Imnavait Weir (IH) 2017-2023 E. Youcha and S. L. Stuefer https://doi.org/10.18739/A2D795C6M

Model code and software

Calculating sublimation rates from eddy covariance data K. Stockert https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15284409

Short summary

Sublimation is the hidden portion of the water cycle where snow changes phase directly to water vapor, skipping the liquid state. Though sublimation is difficult to measure, especially in remote regions such as Arctic and subarctic Alaska where this study took place, our measurements confirm that sublimation is a substantial component of the annual water cycle. Results from this research contribute to knowledge of how site conditions affect sublimation rates and the winter hydrologic cycle.