Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3177-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3177-2025
Research article
 | 
22 Aug 2025
Research article |  | 22 Aug 2025

Influence of snow spatial variability on cosmic ray neutron snow water equivalent (SWE): case study in a northern prairie

Haejo Kim, Eric Sproles, and Samuel E. Tuttle

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Monitoring of a shallow and highly variable snowpack's water content has been shown to be reliable with cosmic ray neutron sensing (CRNS). After hundreds of simulations, we show a CRNS instrument is best placed near areas of low snow accumulation that are near regions of high snow accumulation for an accurate estimate of the prairie snowpack's water content. The snow water equivalent from a CRNS was 2 to 5 times more likely to be representative of the prairie snow, compared to traditional snow monitoring methods.
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