This document summarizes a student snow science project. It discusses background information on snow grains, avalanches, density, and avalanche safety. It outlines the project's question of whether density affects snowpack stability. The students hypothesized that denser snow would be more stable. They describe their methodology, including digging snow pits, measuring density and stability, and controlling variables. They present data on the stability tests and graphs of their results. In their conclusion, the students determine that density does not affect snowpack stability.

1. Snow Science
Monday, March 9, 2009

2. Group Members
Annie
Meg
Tayler
Pete
Monday, March 9, 2009

3. Background
Information
Snow Grain Information
Grain types are rounds, facets, depth hoar
and melt freeze crust.
Rounds and melt freeze crust both bond well
together making the snow more stabile.
Facets and depth hoar do not blend together
well making the snow less stabile and
vulnerable to avalanches.
Monday, March 9, 2009

4. Background Info
continued...
Avalanche Causes
Triggers start an avalanches.
Anchors stop avalanches.
Avalanches are effected by
weather, terrain, and snowpack.
Monday, March 9, 2009

5. What does density
mean?
Density is a measurement of mass and
volume.
Density can be found in snow by
calculating mass divided by volume.
Dense snow is snow that is thickly
packed and bonded together well.
Density is measured in g/cm cubed.
Monday, March 9, 2009

6. Avalanche Safety
On average 6
people die in
Colorado each year
because of
avalanches.
It is important to
understand dangers
of avalanches and
what can affect
them.
Monday, March 9, 2009

7. Question
?????
Does density
effect stability
of the snow pack?
Monday, March 9, 2009

8. Hypothesis
Yes the density will effect stability.
Because we think the more dense the snow is
the more it can withstand making it more
stabile (rounds or melt freeze crust are the
most dense of snow grains).
We think this because the dense snow will
bond together and be more stabile.
Monday, March 9, 2009

9. Materials used in
our project
popsicle sticks-labeling layers
measuring stick-measuring the height of the snow pit
shovel-compresion and sheer tests
Saw-cutting out chunks for stability tests
Ruler-measuring the height of the snow pit
Tube-calculating density
Spatula-for leveling out the snow in the tube
Squares of felt-looking at the grain type of the snow
Magnifying glass-looking at the grain
Pencil and paper-recording data
Monday, March 9, 2009

10. Procedure
Dig 3 pits in 3
different places
Control variables
Find layers
Measure density
Do stability tests
Find temperature
Monday, March 9, 2009

11. Video In Pit
Monday, March 9, 2009

12. Variables That We
Can Control
Aspect-north facing
Height of pit-between
66-101cm.
Elevation-10100 ft. to
10800 ft.
Slope-between 22 degrees
and 25 degrees
location-
coniferous,shady areas
Monday, March 9, 2009

13. Data Analysis
Energy
Q0-The snow had no failure and was very safe
Q1-A very clean break in the snow which is unsafe
for avalanches!
Q2-A combination of a very clean, unsafe break and a
safe, “caky” break
Q3-A very safe break where all the snow doesn’t pop
out, it resists and falls out like a piece of cake
Monday, March 9, 2009

14. Data Anaysis
Continued
Sally Barber 1:20 PM- compression=Q0 and
sheer=Q2
Peru Creek 10:45 AM- compression=Q0 and
sheer=Q0
Peru Creek 12:25 PM- compression=Q2 and
sheer=Q0
Monday, March 9, 2009

15. Graph at Sally
Barber
Monday, March 9, 2009

16. first graph at peru
creek
Monday, March 9, 2009

17. #2 Graph at
Peru Creek
Monday, March 9, 2009

18. Conclusion
Density of snow
does not affect
the stability of
the snowpack.
The snowpack will
still break under
pressure no matter
what the density
is.
Snowpack will
still withstand no
matter what the
density is.
Monday, March 9, 2009

19. Errors
We only dug three pits, so it would have
been better to have more data to work with.
We could have had the same people perform
the same tests, because different people
have different ways of hitting the snowpack
in the stability tests, therefore affecting
the tests.
We could have controlled the height of the
pits more
Monday, March 9, 2009

20. The End
Monday, March 9, 2009