RAPID: An unusual opportunity to track snow ablation using stable isotope evolution of the 2011-2012 snowpack near Boise, Idaho

An unusually large isotopic step-function change within the current 2011-2012 snowpack offers the means to test a new methodology for quantifying sublimation processes in snowmelt. The team will measure oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in snow profiles over time at 2 cm resolution using a laser spectroscopic instrument (LGR liquid water isotope analyzer). This evolution of the step function with time will enable them to calculate isotopically distinct sublimation losses by fitting the isotopic profiles to the diffusion-advection equation. These data are crucial for understanding snowpack mass balance and thus the timing and magnitude of the delivery of snowmelt to riverflow. This project builds on the heavily instrumented and monitored current capability at the Dry Creek Experimental watershed, Idaho.