2008 Experimental Catchment Snow Survey (depth and density) Measurements, Cape Bounty Melville Island

A total of eight 15 m long fences and two 30 m fences were added to the PX1 catchment, and four 15 m length snow fences were installed in the PX4 catchment. The snow fence was 1.2 m in height and consisted of orange plastic with an oriented oval grid design that provided 50% porosity (Quest Plastics Limited, Canada). Snow depth was measured every 25 m and density was measured every 50 m. A 100 X 200 meter grid area was surveyed for each of PX2 and PX1, and one 100 by 200 meter grid was surveyed for PX3 and PX4 combined. Snow depth was determined using an avalanche probe (±0.5 cm), and density was determined using a hanging scale (0.02 kg resolution) and a 3.7 cm (Mt. Rose or Federal, Rickly Hydrological Company) or a 7.0 cm (Prairie, Rickly Hydrological Company) diameter snow core tube depending on snow depth, the latter for snow depths < 50cm. The mean ambient (i.e. background or unamended) snow depth was determined as the average depth from all points within the catchment that were not within a drift (PX4: n=1; PX1: n=6). The SWE for each transect is determined using the product of the mean depth and density for the site.