6.1.1 Introduction

A hydrologist needs to monitor water supplies to determine flooding potential. An avalanche forecaster needs to decide whether to issue any warnings. A climate researcher needs lots of ground and atmospheric observations to assess and monitor climate trends. These are the types of situations that require a steady stream of snowpack data gathered regularly throughout the cold season.

Snowpack is monitored extensively over many areas of the world, usually by government agencies. There are two primary methods: remotely-sensed (primarily satellite-based) and onsite (in-situ). Both methods measure a standard set of characteristics throughout the full snowpack depth to provide a complete profile analysis.

Montage of insitu and remotely sensed snow measurements

This section describes the various techniques used to assess snowpack, primarily in the context of avalanche stability. The techniques range from simple, hand-based tests to those that use complex tools to obtain precise measurements.