Laserfiche WebLink
<br />'e:.....- ~"........... . .~l.--...__u.. ....... .. ......Ji..'. <br /> <br />. ............. _ ,....J. 0 :.~...._.._.. <br /> <br />, ~ <br /> <br />~"" . <br />'....... <br />.-.".- . <br />"~,~ I <br /> <br />Winter Precipitation, Snowpack and Atmospheric Conditions <br />in the Southern Canadian Rockies <br /> <br />N.H. Thyer <br /> <br />Division of Survey Engineering <br />University of Calgary <br />Calgary, Alberta <br /> <br />F.D. Barlow and F.E. Robitaille <br /> <br />Atmospheric Sciences Department <br />Alberta Research Council <br />Edmonton, Alberta <br /> <br />/ <br /> <br />ABSTRACT <br /> <br />The snow climate of the southern Canadian Rockies is being examined <br />by the Alberta Research Council to determine the modification potential <br />of clouds. This effort includes analyses of cloud and snowfall <br />characteristics. The results to date of the clima~ological analyses of <br />precipitation data and their relationship to features of the atmosphere <br />are discussed. <br /> <br />\' <br />~: <br /> <br />A summary of results of the analyses and examples are presented in <br />three sections. The first examines frequencies of occurrence of various <br />daily snowfall amounts over the season for selected climate stationso A <br />seasonal distribution index is presented that suggests different regimes <br />exist on each. side of the continental divide. The fractional <br />contribution of daily precipitation amounts to the total winter <br />preci pi tat ion is presented. The second aspect of thi s study exam;! nes <br />the relationship of daily snowfall amounts to meteorological <br />characteristics of the atmosphere. These characteristics are <br />interpolated from rawinsonde observations at the 700 millibar and 500 <br />millibar levels and include temperature, wind speed and direction, <br />vorticity and lapse rate. General results are summarized and examples <br />of relationships are given. Finally, the relationship between snowpack <br />observed at mountain stations and precipitation measured at climate <br />stations is examined. Results indicate a good correlation in some cases <br />but not in others. <br />