Precipitation (DP1.00006.001)

Up to three methods are used to determine bulk precipitation at each site. Primary - weighing gauge housed within a small double fence intercomparison reference (DFIR). Secondary - tipping bucket located on the top of the tower at terrestrial sites or at approx. 1.5 m above the ground at aquatic sites. Throughfall - tipping buckets below the canopy and equipped with troughs extending outward from the tipping bucket. Note that throughfall sensors are unheated to avoid melting the surrounding seasonal snowpack, therefore solid precipitation will only be recorded when it melts. However, the lag time between solid precipitation falling and subsequently melting means that measurements of melting solid precipitation may be less reliable than liquid precipitation because, for example, wind may blow snow off the throughfall collector prior to melting.

Latency:
Data collected in any given month are published during the second full week of the following month.