Snowpack

Snowpack modeling is done for snow stability, flood forecasting, water resource management, and climate studies. Snowpack modeling is either done by simple, statistical methods such as degree day or complex, physically based energy balance models such as SNOWPACK, CROCUS or SNOWMODEL. == Types ==

The three main types of snowpack are maritime, intermountain, and continental. Maritime snowpacks are typically found on the windward side of continents, near oceans. They usually feature warmer winter temperatures that stay around freezing () and more precipitation, leading to a snowpack that is over deep. Frequent storms deposit snow with a higher snow-water equivalent, often around 10 to 20 percent moisture. Most avalanches occur during or immediately after storms, as weak layers do not persist with warmer temperatures and frequent midwinter rain. Thus, it is typical to ski steep, avalanche prone terrain as soon as 24 to 36 hours after the storm. Many areas with a maritime snowpack receive of annual snowfall. Areas with a typically maritime snowpack include the Cascade Range, Coastal Range, western Norway, and the Sierra Nevada. Local and regional weather conditions can change the type of snowpack typical for a region, for example a typically maritime region might have a cold and thin early season snowpack that resembles continental type, while even a few feet apart the snowpack depth can vary enough to produce vastly different conditions. Elevation also dramatically affects the type of avalanches typically experienced in a particular area. ==Ecology==

Snowpack can affect ecological interactions in boreal and montane forests. In the inland rainforests of British Columbia, for example, deep snowpacks lift caribou into the lower tree canopy while also catching large amounts of fallen "hair" lichens such as Bryoria and Alectoria. These accumulations provide a dependable winter food supply for the endangered deep-snow mountain caribou, a process researchers have termed the "manna effect". ==See also==