WMOD00314

• Project Name: Uintah Ecology Project
• Title: Potential Ecological Impacts of Snowpack Augmentation in the Uintah Mountains, Utah
• Date: 4/20/1981
• State: UT
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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regression analysis can be obtained from Table 2-2. The data for total
and cool season (October - June) precipitation support our hypotheses
(i.e., the north slope does receive more precipitation than the south
and the west end of the range receives more precipitation than the east
end). At mid-elevations (2745 m), the models predict that the north
slope will receive 16.8% more annual precipitation than the south slope.
Similarly, at that elevation, the west end of the range should receive
18.2% more moisture than the east end. At. 2746 m, October . June precipi-
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tation is predicted to be 24.4% higher on the north than the south

slope, and 27.9% higher on the west than the east end of the range.

The tendency for the northwest corner of the range to receive

larger amounts of precipitation than the rest of the Uintas is also

observable in the April 1 snowpack. Using the average values for April

1 snowpacks on 24 snow courses on the west end of the Uintas (Whaley and

Lytton 1979b), we have computed the average relationships of snowpack to

elevation with a least squares regression model. The deviations of

individual snow courses from the regression line are summarized in both

absolute and relative terms in Table 2-3. The relativized data are

graphically reported in Figure 2-4. The isolines in that figure group

snow courses that show similar departues from the regression line based

on average tendencies for all snow courses. Figure 2-4 demonstrates

that large portions of the watersheds of the Provo and the Weber Rivers

receive over 150% as much snow as was predicted by the generalized

regression model. April 1 snowpack progressively declines in all direc-

tions as one moves away from the Provo and Weber drainages. The decline

is especially rapid as the crest of the range is crossed on the head-

waters of Rock Creek on the south slope (Figure 2-4).

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