Snow Cover Data Collection

Project Updates

Updated March 2026

• Major Findings:
  • No findings of note yet.
    
    
• Current and Upcoming Work:
  • Snow sensor systems are currently being assembled and undergoing laboratory testing to verify their performance and reliability prior to field deployment. 
    
    
  • Deployment of the snow sensor systems is anticipated this summer, allowing them to be fully operational in time to collect measurements during the upcoming winter season. 
    
    
  • If the initial deployment is successful, additional sensors may be installed in the future winters to further expand the measurement network. 
    
    
• Problems:
  • The accuracy of the snow depth sensors is still being evaluated. If they do not meet our measurement requirements, alternative sensor options are available. 

 

 

Snow Monitoring Stations

1. Winter ozone formation in the Uinta Basin requires a specific sequence of weather conditions. First, sufficient snowfall must persist after a winter storm. The snow cover, combined with high pressure and calm weather, creates a persistent cold pool (temperature inversion) that traps emissions from oil and gas operations in the Basin. These trapped emissions—primarily nitrogen oxides and volatileorganic compounds—are then exposed to sunlight. The bright snow surface reflects sunlight back into the atmosphere, driving chemicalreactions that convert the trapped pollution into ozone. Ozone is harmful because it irritates the respiratory system, aggravates asthma andother lung conditions, and can cause permanent lung damage with repeated exposure. The Uinta Basin is one of only two documentedlocations in North America where this phenomenon occurs, due to its unique combination of latitude, elevation, and terrain shape that allowsboth persistent snow cover and strong enough sunlight to produce unhealthy ozone concentrations.

2. Long distances between stations, once-daily reports with coarse precision, and mountains that block radar signals contribute to largedata gaps in the monitoring network on the Basin floor—particularly where oil and gas operations are concentrated (Figure 1).  The monitoring network has also deteriorated, with 11% of stations becoming inactive since 2018. Snow depth varies in ways current monitoringdoes not capture well, making observations less representative of initial conditions and limiting prediction accuracy. This project will deploy additional sensors and process available webcams for snow detection to address critical gaps.  These additional sensors will improve our quantitative ozone forecasting system, Clyfar (Lawson and Lyman, 2024), which is used to provide alerts to industry and others when high winter ozone is expected.

 We will deploy small, solar-powered, low-cost snow depth sensors at locations where coverage is missing. Each station includes an ultrasonicsnow depth sensor, temperature sensor, micro-controller with wireless capability, data storage, solar panel and battery system,weatherproof enclosure, and mounting hardware. Live data and daily summaries will be published on basinwx.com (our public datawebsite) for community access. We will use best practices for data quality control, including automated screening and manual checks to remove erroneous spikes, while still preserving genuine weather events. Filtered data and station status will be visible in real-time on basinwx.com.

Additional snow depth observations will improve Clyfar’s accuracy because snow cover is one of the key factors for high ozone formation in the Basin. More frequent measurements at more locations will help Dbetter understand when snow coverage may be“sufficient” to create the cold pool conditions that trap emissions. This is especially important because small differences in snow depth caninfluence whether a high ozone episode occurs or not.

 Our goal is to deploy sensors before the first significant winter snow of the 2026-27 winter season (anticipated October–November 2026) and conduct initial operations throughout winter 2026-27.  If the project is a success, operations will continue, and perhaps expand, in subsequent winters.