Snow data from high-latitude boreal plains from 2009 to 2024 based on snow course surveys
2026-08-26
Snow plays a critical role in cold-region environments, from climate regulation to water storage and from spring freshet to ecosystem services. However, quantification of snow accumulation and redistribution across spatio-temporal scales is challenging, owing to non-uniform snowfall, topographic attributes, wind redistribution, and interception and sublimation by vegetation. Manual snow surveys are often conducted to improve understanding of snow processes across scales and to support societal needs (e.g., seasonal water supply projections, flood forecasting, reservoir filling, etc.). Nevertheless, manual snow surveys are time-consuming and expensive, which limits their temporal frequency and are rarely conducted in remote locations. This manuscript presents snow data from manual snow surveys conducted from 2009 to 2024 across four small watersheds in high-latitude boreal plains of northern Alberta in Canada. The dataset includes various snow properties, including depth, density and snow water equivalent across different watersheds and land cover types (i.e., Open, Flat Low Lying, Coniferous and Mixed Deciduous). The dataset is expected to be useful in understanding snow processes in high-latitude boreal plains, to help calibrate snow models and to validate airborne lidar or satellite-derived snow depth measurements.