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.
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.