ARL Weekly News – December 30, 2021

BAMS Features Snow Measurement Efforts

The Front Page, a blog of the AMS, published a seasonal highlight on snow measurement, titled: Even without a White Christmas….Snow Measurements Must Go On.  The entry highlighted the research paper on snowfall measurement techniques led by ARL’s John Kochendorfer with an array of international authors, highlights the challenges of snowfall measurements, which “are subject to significant errors and biases.”

The research by Kochendorfer et. al,  presented the results of the WMO Solid Precipitation Intercomparison Experiment (SPICE), which attempted to characterize and reduce some of the measurement uncertainties through an international effort involving 15 countries utilizing over 20 types and models of precipitation gauges from various manufacturers. The research also offers a series of recommendations to reduce uncertainty in snowfall measurement.