PowerPoint Presentation

The Potential of Landscape Scale Treatments to Reduce Sublimation Losses of Critical Water Supply Snowpack in the Western United StatesAdam BringhurstKeri WilliamsonKevin WerbyloSnowpack Engineering

Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringSpring 20111Overview of PresentationProject Understanding BackgroundScope of ServicesScheduleMethodologyResultsAnalysisConclusions and RecommendationsFinal Budget

2Adam BringhurstProject UnderstandingOriginated by Dr. Rand Decker at Northern Arizona UniversityInvestigate at the study plot scale, treatments that will minimize sublimation losses of winter snowpack into the airWhy? To increase the amount of surface water flowsProject RequirementsConsider forest health issuesUnique treatment ideasTested on multiple landscapesLandscape scaleCost effective

What is Sublimation?3Adam BringhurstProject BackgroundWhy focus on snow and sublimation?Arid climates are most dependent on snowpack for water supplyUp to 70-80% of water in western US comes from snowpack

Why is this important in Arizona?Half of Arizonas total water originates as snowpackSublimation rates can account for over 50% of snow loss in Arizona

4Adam BringhurstScope of Services Task 1- Project ManagementTask 2- Research and BackgroundTask 3- Experiment DesignTask 4- Experimental Setup and Data CollectionTask 5- Data AnalysisTask 6- Cost AnalysisTask 7- Results and RecommendationsTask 8- Presentation of Results

Exclusions-Water quality considerationsLong-term environmental impactsRequired permits for treatment applications

5Adam Bringhurst

Schedule6

Adam BringhurstProject schedule begins November 22, 2010 and ends April 29, 2011. 6Planned MethodologyFour sampling sitesCanopyRepeated applicationMeadowRepeated applicationTwo roof structuresStart to finish data collectionFour subplots to a site

7Keri WilliamsonPlanned MethodologySelected Treatments for TestingVegetable OilCompactionBiomass blanket

8Keri WilliamsonPlanned Methodology

9Keri WilliamsonOn-site temperature recordingCollect samples using a snow sampling tubeWeight and densityCalculate snow water equivalent (SWE)

9Methodology as PerformedChanges:Unable to begin sampling until late FebruaryStarted with thin biomass layer switched to thick layerTemperature loggers produced unusable data, left temperature recordings out

10Keri Williamson

Results11Keri WilliamsonOpen meadow, canopy, roof #1, roof #211

Analysis Roof StructuresRoofs had sun exposure on southern subplotsFaster rates of snow loss observed visually and confirmed with samplingStrong correlation between subplot location and snow loss

12Kevin Werbylo

Analysis CanopyCaptured two stormsSecond storm analyzed, more data pointsBiomass performed bestOnly treatment that retained more snow than controlRetained 30% of SWE when all other subplots completely ablated

CanopySlope(inches SWE/day)R2 ValueControl-0.210.93Thick Biomass-0.080.7513Kevin WerbyloAnalysis Open MeadowMeadowSlope(inches SWE/day)R2 ValueControl-0.260.89Biomass-0.040.16

Captured two stormsSecond storm analyzed, more data pointsBiomass performed bestOnly treatment that retained more snow than controlRetained 78% of SWE when all other subplots completely ablatedLow R2 due to mounding

14Kevin WerbyloCostOperation CostWood Chipper$229.50Woodchip Spreader$3.60Tractor Operation$132.40Total for 4 inches over 1 acre$365.50Cost was analyzed for application of biomassUse slash piles for chippingExcluded:Chipping laborTransportation of chipped pilesStart up costs of buying equipment15Kevin WerbyloIncluded:Cost of operating a wood chipperMaintenance costs of a spreaderCost of operating a tractorConclusionsIsolation of sublimation monitoring was not achievedLosses included sublimation and meltCanopy and Meadow study plots showed that a biomass blanket of 3 to 4 inches will limit losses of snowpackHowever, treatment would be very expensive to implement at a landscape scale16Kevin WerbyloRecommendationsFurther study of biomass treatment to quantify how much sublimation has been preventedHydrologic study to determine amount of additional water that would be delivered to surface watersEconomic study to determine rate of return on the price of equipment, labor and application

17Kevin WerbyloFinal Budget

18Kevin WerbyloReferencesUSGS. The Water Cycle: Snowmelt Runoff. Web. Feb 2011. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesnowmelt,htmlArizona Department of Water Resources. Statewide Cultural Water Demand in 2001-2005 and 2006. 2010. Web. 14 April 2011. www.adwr.state.az.us/.../StatewidePlanning/WaterAtlas/.../statewide_demand_wed.pdfSalt River Project. Web. 27 April 2011. http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Water/Water_Supply_Planning/Sustainable_Supply/Salt_River_Project

19Questions?20