Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties
Snowmobile use is a popular form of winter recreation in Colorado, particularly on public lands. To examine the effects of differing levels of use on snowpack properties, experiments were performed at two different areas, Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat Springs and at Fraser Experimental Forest near...
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Copernicus Publications
2018
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:76ebdb64d1fd4f4babd52e2f89e080ef 2023-05-15T18:32:25+02:00 Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties S. R. Fassnacht J. T. Heath N. B. H. Venable K. J. Elder 2018-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1121-2018 https://doaj.org/article/76ebdb64d1fd4f4babd52e2f89e080ef EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1121/2018/tc-12-1121-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-1121-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/76ebdb64d1fd4f4babd52e2f89e080ef The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 1121-1135 (2018) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1121-2018 2022-12-30T21:51:19Z Snowmobile use is a popular form of winter recreation in Colorado, particularly on public lands. To examine the effects of differing levels of use on snowpack properties, experiments were performed at two different areas, Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat Springs and at Fraser Experimental Forest near Fraser, Colorado USA. Differences between no use and varying degrees of snowmobile use (low, medium and high) on shallow (the operational standard of 30 cm) and deeper snowpacks (120 cm) were quantified and statistically assessed using measurements of snow density, temperature, stratigraphy, hardness, and ram resistance from snow pit profiles. A simple model was explored that estimated snow density changes from snowmobile use based on experimental results. Snowpack property changes were more pronounced for thinner snow accumulations. When snowmobile use started in deeper snow conditions, there was less difference in density, hardness, and ram resistance compared to the control case of no snowmobile use. These results have implications for the management of snowmobile use in times and places of shallower snow conditions where underlying natural resources could be affected by denser and harder snowpacks. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Steamboat ENVELOPE(-123.720,-123.720,58.683,58.683) The Cryosphere 12 3 1121 1135 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 S. R. Fassnacht J. T. Heath N. B. H. Venable K. J. Elder Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Snowmobile use is a popular form of winter recreation in Colorado, particularly on public lands. To examine the effects of differing levels of use on snowpack properties, experiments were performed at two different areas, Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat Springs and at Fraser Experimental Forest near Fraser, Colorado USA. Differences between no use and varying degrees of snowmobile use (low, medium and high) on shallow (the operational standard of 30 cm) and deeper snowpacks (120 cm) were quantified and statistically assessed using measurements of snow density, temperature, stratigraphy, hardness, and ram resistance from snow pit profiles. A simple model was explored that estimated snow density changes from snowmobile use based on experimental results. Snowpack property changes were more pronounced for thinner snow accumulations. When snowmobile use started in deeper snow conditions, there was less difference in density, hardness, and ram resistance compared to the control case of no snowmobile use. These results have implications for the management of snowmobile use in times and places of shallower snow conditions where underlying natural resources could be affected by denser and harder snowpacks. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
S. R. Fassnacht J. T. Heath N. B. H. Venable K. J. Elder |
author_facet |
S. R. Fassnacht J. T. Heath N. B. H. Venable K. J. Elder |
author_sort |
S. R. Fassnacht |
title |
Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties |
title_short |
Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties |
title_full |
Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties |
title_fullStr |
Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties |
title_full_unstemmed |
Snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties |
title_sort |
snowmobile impacts on snowpack physical and mechanical properties |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1121-2018 https://doaj.org/article/76ebdb64d1fd4f4babd52e2f89e080ef |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-123.720,-123.720,58.683,58.683) |
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Steamboat |
geographic_facet |
Steamboat |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 1121-1135 (2018) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1121/2018/tc-12-1121-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-1121-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/76ebdb64d1fd4f4babd52e2f89e080ef |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1121-2018 |
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The Cryosphere |
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12 |
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3 |
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1121 |
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1135 |
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1766216530312298496 |