SNOTEL and cooperative observer networks

Knowledge graph centered on SNOTEL and cooperative observer networks with 75 nodes and 280 connections. Top connected: Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Crested Butte, The East River, Colorado, Watershed: A mountainous, climatological variability.

Method synopsis

Comprehensive deployment of precipitation, atmospheric, and surface energy budget sensors across elevation and topographic gradients in complex terrain. Network includes core sites with full instrument suites and secondary sites with targeted measurements to characterize spatial variability.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 6 papers using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — The short life of upvalley wind in a high-altitude valley in the Colorado Rocky Mountains (2025), Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. The protocol was originally introduced by The East River Community Observatory Data Collection: Diverse, multiscale data from a mountainous watershed in the East River, Colorado (2020), Authorea. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Deploy surface meteorological stations
   Install automated weather stations at multiple heights: 3 m AGL for temperature and wind at Avery Picnic and Kettle Ponds, 3 m AGL for temperature at Gothic, 5 m AGL for humidity at Kettle Ponds, 4.6 m AGL for wind and turbulence at Avery Picnic, 10 m AGL for wind and turbulence at Kettle Ponds. Measure temperature, humidity, horizontal wind, air pressure, shortwave incoming and outgoing radiation, and turbulent kinetic energy.
   Quantities: 4 primary sites (Avery Picnic, Gothic, Kettle Ponds, Roaring Judy), measurement heights from 2-10 m AGLDuration: Continuous operation from November 2021 to June 2023Conditions: High-altitude valley environment (2800+ m elevation), year-round operation including winter snow conditions
   Equipment: Atmospheric Surface Flux Station (ASFS), mobile SURFRAD-like station, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, wind sensors, pressure sensors, radiation sensors, turbulence sensors

Typical Equipment

• Snow-Level Radar (SLR)
• precipitation gauges
• disdrometers
• ASSIST/AERI
• ceilometer
• microwave radiometer
• Doppler lidar
• mobile SURFRAD
• flux towers
• radiometers
• scanning dual-polarization X-band radar system
• 3-meter snow stakes
• time-lapse cameras
• temperature sensors
• humidity sensors

Output Measurements

• precipitation rate
• snow depth
• air temperature
• humidity
• wind speed
• radiative fluxes
• turbulent fluxes
• atmospheric profiles

Papers Using This Protocol (6)

Species Studied With This Protocol

Places Where Used