IFRACS
Isotopic Fractionation in Snow
IFRACS is being lead by PIs Doug Lowenthal, Gannet Hallar and colleagues at the Desert Research Institute (DRI).
Snowpack is the main water source for the Rocky Mountain region. The amount of water that snow crystals hold is greatly influenced by how much riming occurs (in which crystals rapidly can grow as they fall through supercooled clouds), which depends on many factors such as temperature, humidity, aerosols, and pollution. This study aims to examine if the degree of riming can be determined by measuring the isotopic content of snow. Isotopic, cloud droplet, aerosol, and other in-situ measurements will be made at the DRI's Storm Peak Lab on top of Mt Werner at Steamboat Springs, Colorado. EOL is deploying a GAUS radiosonde sounding system near the base of the mountain to measure the temperature and humidity profiles up through the riming conditions.
Links:
Data Manager
EOL Archive, NCAR/EOL/DMS