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Introduction

The term "cryosphere" traces its origins to the Greek word kruos for frost. It collectively describes the portions of the earth's surface where water is in a solid form such as sea ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and permafrost. The relationship between snow water equivalent and water availability to rivers and streams is of paramount importance to the western United States. This area is typically arid and agriculture depends on irrigation. A large proportion of this water comes from melting snow that accumulated in the mountains of the region over the winter, and enters rivers and streams as melt-water in the spring and early summer.

Learner Outcomes

By completing this lesson, students will:

• Download and convert images from the Internet using Netscape, GifConverter, and (NIH image for MacIntosh, or Scion Image for PC).
• Gather appropriate data from the web site,
• Use NIH image to present the data in an understandable format,
• Make predictions of water availability for a region {including flood potential or possible drought}.
• Check their predictions either with the data from the Internet sites or from more conventional means such as T.V. or radio.

Activity
 

A. From the map on the image to the left, identify the major drainages in the western United States. (Columbia, Colorado, Missouri, Sierra-Nevada). To see a larger version of the map, click inside the borders.

B. Run the animation called Snow Water Equivalent(SWE). (Most Current Image) After viewing the animation, answer the following questions.

1. Which drainages seem to have high snow water equivalent values?

2. Which drainages seem to have low snow water equivalent values?

3. Predict which drainages might have adequate water supplies based on observed SWE.

4. Predict which drainages might have water shortages based on observed SWE.

5. Check your prediction using T. V., radio, or the stream flow sites on the net.

6. Create your own animation! The bimonthly images used for the Snow Water Equivalent(SWE) animation are from January 4th, to June 12th, 1997. Each individual image is located in the table below:
 

January 4	January 16	February 4	February 13	March 4	March 18
April 1	April 12	May 6	May 22	June 5	June 12

To create your own animation, click here and follow the directions.

1. Which drainages seem to have greater than normal snow water equivalent values?

2. Which drainages seem to have lower than normal snow water equivalent values?

3. Predict which drainages might experience flooding, based on observed Deviation from Normal Snow Water Equivalent.

4. Predict which drainages might have water shortages based on observed Deviation from Normal Snow Water Equivalent.

5. Check your prediction using T. V. radio or the river flow site on the net.

6. Create your own animation! The bimonthly images used for this animation are from January 4th, 1997 to June 12th, 1997. Each individual image is located in the table below:
 

January 4	January 16	February 4	March 4	March 18
April 1	April 12	May 5	May 22	June 5	June 12

To create your own animation, click here and follow the directions.

1. Have students go to specific sites on the internet and download precipitation images.

2. After students observe animation on snow water equivalent, predict areas of flooding or drought.

3. Check predictions for accuracy from the internet sites used in in the activity.

4. Go to Other Cryosphere Internet Sites and look for connections between snow and ice accumulation and water availability.

Other Cryosphere Internet Sites Cryospheric System (CRYSYS) Canadian Ice Service Northwest River Forecast Center Snow Information National Snow and Ice Data Center Polar Science Center North Atlantic and Pacific Vessel Icing Forecasts West Antarctic Sheet Ice Initiative British Antarctic Survey NCEP OMB Sea Ice Home Page

Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefield from 1994 TM image