Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4877-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4877-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 01 Sep 2026
| 01 Sep 2026
The missing drifts: snow density heterogeneity from wind-packing exacerbates systematic underestimation of deep snow storage from the scale of nivation hollows to mountain ranges
Elijah N. Boardman
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Mountain Hydrology LLC, Reno, NV, 89503, USA
Karen L. Boardman
independent researcher: Dubois, WY, 82513, USA
Christopher A. Jones
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
Sean D. Shipman
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
John A. Whiting
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
Graduate Program of Hydrological Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
Joseph W. Boardman
Analytical Imaging and Geophysics LLC, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
Airborne Snow Observatories, Inc., Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
Adrian A. Harpold
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
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Short summary
Deep wind drifts are an important component of the mountain snowpack, but drifts are underrepresented by most datasets. Our synthesis of field surveys, statistical modeling, and remote sensing quantifies the contribution of drift depth and bulk density to snowpack heterogeneity across scales, from the vertical structure at a single location to the kilometer-scale patterning of snow across a mountain range.
Deep wind drifts are an important component of the mountain snowpack, but drifts are...
