Members of the Maine Cooperative Snow Survey are undertaking their second data-collection session on Monday and Tuesday, part of their annual efforts to monitor the water content of Maine’s snow pack.
The survey participants already collected data once in January and will do weekly data collections beginning March 1, according to Robert Johnston, Maine Geological Survey (MGS) senior geologist. There are a total of 110 sites around the state measured during the surveys, he said.
The collected data is used to determine the potential for spring flooding by the River Flow Advisory Commission. So far in 2010, the data shows that there has been slightly more snow than last year, Johnston said. The MGS geologist added that he expected February numbers to show a decrease in snow, except in Aroostook and Washington counties, which recently received about 10 inches of snow.
About 15 people from the cooperating organizations will take place in this week’s measurement effort, Johnston said.
“The first of March is when it really gets going – we’ll do all 110 sites in two days,” he said.
As in previous years, two of the collector groups will be students at the Poland Area High School and Mt. Abram High School in Salem Township.
The Maine Cooperative Snow Survey annually collects, interprets, and distributes information on the depth and water content of Maine’s snow pack in the late winter and early spring. The data is obtained from a variety of sources, including: U.S. Geological Survey, the National Weather Service, and the Maine Department of Conservation’s Maine Geological Survey, Allagash Wilderness Waterway and Maine Forest Service.
Other contributors in January included: the two high schools; New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services; Poland Spring Water Co.; Kennebec Water Power Co.; NextEra Energy Resources; and Domtar Inc.
The power companies are particularly interested, Johnston said, so they can maintain full reservoirs to provide consistent hydro-electric power through the spring and summer.
The first measuring session this year took place Jan. 5 after a major weekend storm, with 77 sites reporting across the state and along the New Hampshire border. In Maine, the maximum snow depth was 29 inches with a water content of 5.4 inches at Knowles Corner in Aroostook County. The minimum amount of snow measured in Maine was in Falmouth, Cumberland County, with 6.4 inches of snow with a water content of 1 inch.
At the time, the measurement showed more snow compared to last year’s January depths of 6 to 12 inches, Johnston said.
“The density data tells us how ‘ripe’ the snow is,” the geologist explained.
The information is compiled, placed on maps and posted on the Maine Emergency Management Agency web site, Johnston said.
Last Thursday, Johnston and Jim Caldwell, the USGS hydrologist who participates in the survey, went to Mt. Abram High School to train new students in the collection methods. Those students are expected to take part in the collection on Monday and Tuesday.
Johnston said he will cover 18 sites over the two-day period. The ideal site is a south-facing slope in an open, hard-wood grove, about 1 to 2 acres in size. He said he will take 10 samples at each site, walking about one-quarter of a mile, to get a good snapshot of snow cover in the area.
The information then will be compiled and posted according to water content, change in the content from the preceding survey, depth, density, average and content in comparison to historical values.
For more information, go to the River Flow Advisory Commission at: http://www.maine.gov/rfac/index.shtml
For how surveying is done, go to: http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/hazards/flood/sites/feb97.htm
For snow survey data, go to: http://www.maine.gov/rfac/rfac_snow.shtml
For information about the Maine Geological Survey, go to:http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/mgs.htm
For information about the Maine Emergency Management Agency, go to: http://www.maine.gov/mema/
