Within‐Stand Boundary Effects on Snow Water Equivalent Distribution in Forested Areas Water Resources Research

Forested areas exhibit high spatial variability in the distribution of snow water equivalent (SWE). Previous work has focused on forested areas with respect to snow accumulation in adjacent clearings. There is generally less snow in forested areas with greater variability relative to open areas due tothe in fluence of tree canopies. However, the length scale of the transition from open areas to forested conditions is uncertain. Hence, the goal of this paper is to determine the length scales associated with forest boundary effects on SWE accumulation distribution patterns within forest stands. To accomplish this,we utilize a unique ground ‐penetrating radar data set collected during the NASA SnowEx campaign on Grand Mesa, Colorado, in February 2017 to determine spatial SWE distribution patterns of areas under canopy and in clearings, and the length scales of transitions between these patterns (i.e., the size ofwithin ‐stand boundary areas). We de fine within ‐stand boundary areas as the transitional zone from a