The Science of Snow: Data Collection is Key to Flood Damage Reduction
For New England District Park Rangers, winter isn't a time of rest. While park visits slow, a critical mission is ongoing: protecting the region from spring floods. One of these activities is the biweekly snow measurements at Hodges Village/Buffumville Lake collected through the winter.
“Snow measurements occur every other Tuesday starting in the beginning of January and conclude at the end of April,” said Park Ranger Aidan Buck.
Measuring the amount of snow during the season provides crucial information to the project teams.
“Snow survey data provides information to the district for potential spring flooding as the snowpack begins to melt,” said Buck. “The end date for snow collection varies from year to year and is determined by the New England District’s reservoir control center.”
Stephen Kissock, Reservoir Control, agreed that obtaining these measurements are important to New England District’s flood damage reduction mission.
“These data directly inform us on flood potential, particularly in the situation of rain events on top of snowmelt,” he said.
Ultimately, snow measurement information collected at New England District projects is shared with local partners.
“This is just a small contribution of surveys in the northeast from Pennsylvania to Maine, organized by the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University,” said Kissock. “The Northeast River Forecast Center, a branch of the Boston Forecast Office of the National Weather Service, uses that data to create forecast products that we use in our operational decisions to reduce flood risk.”
According to Buck, data for Hodges Village and Buffumville Lake are collected at four selected locations, each with five pre-determined sites where samples of the snow are gathered. The samples aren’t taken by shovel and bucket, but by an instrument called a federal snow sampling tube.
“The sampling tube is aluminum and is equipped with a standard cutter at its end that provides an accurate sample even through snow pack,” he said. “Once the snow sample is collected, the total inch count seen on the tube is documented on a data collection sheet.”
Both the tube and the snow sample are measured for weight using a Brecknell Electro Samson Scale. This number is also put on a data collection sheet. Because of the delicacy of the equipment and the precise measurements required, not just anyone can do it.
“Specialized training to collect and conduct snow sampling is achieved in-house at the project level,” said Buck.
During the snow measuring period, the samples are collected every two weeks whether there is snow on the ground.
“If no snow is present, it is logged accordingly,” said Buck.
Once all the measurements have been calculated and converted to a water equivalent to snow, an average for each location is determined and submitted to Reservoir Control Center’s Snow Survey Data Website.
“An average is also calculated and submitted for each locations total inch count,” said Buck.
This diligent, cold-weather work by New England District Park Rangers provides the information the District needs to manage reservoirs and protect lives and property. It’s a testament to the year-round commitment that the District has to New Englanders.
Those who are interested in seeing the numbers, the data collected is available to the public and can be found here:
[https://water.usace.army.mil/office/nae/data/snow-page](https://water.usace.army.mil/office/nae/data/snow-page)
