Researchers from the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nevada, are pioneering the use of infrared devices to measure the temperature of the Sierra Nevada snowpack. The Sierra’s snow serves as a crucial water source for California and parts of Nevada, providing about a third of California’s supply. With climate change accelerating snowmelt and increasing unpredictability in precipitation patterns, accurately predicting runoff is more critical than ever for managing water resources and avoiding droughts or floods. Traditional methods of snowpack measurement involve arduous manual labor, like digging snow pits and using Mt. Rose snow samplers—tools that have changed little since their invention in the early 20th century. Modern advancements such as the SNOTEL network have automated air temperature, snow depth, and water content readings, yet they still lack comprehensive data on the internal temperature profile of the snowpack.
The internal temperature, known as the snowpack’s cold content, dictates when and how rapidly snow will melt, especially during warming periods or after rain. Until recently, obtaining this data meant painstaking manual measurements, often requiring hours of digging and probing, while many attempts to automate the process have failed due to snow movement and equipment breakage. The innovation spearheaded by DRI combines infrared technology with lightweight devices that can be lowered into existing snow sampler holes, taking temperature readings at different depths without requiring the excavation of large snow trenches. Field tests and direct comparisons with traditional probes have shown early promise. The goal is to integrate these temperature readings into regular survey practices, allowing both state and federal teams to gather new data across the mountain West. As part of a three-year federally funded research project, 20 survey teams in multiple states are currently trialling the technology.
This research is part of larger regional and national efforts to improve snowpack temperature monitoring. University of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab and the Department of Water Resources are collaboratively examining rugged sensor arrays with the goal to identify instruments that can withstand a full season of snow coverage. The NRCS is also testing beaded temperature cables at select SNOTEL stations. These temperature profiles augment more sophisticated water forecasting models needed as the usual statistical relationships break down under changing climate conditions. Cultivating a robust network of snowpack observation is viewed as a crucial step in helping communities adapt to more volatile water supplies centering not just local, but global stakes, given that nearly a quarter of the world’s population depends on water from mountain snows and glaciers.
However, these scientific advances face administrative threats. Federal cutbacks under the Trump administration have seen thousands of positions eliminated in agencies that oversee snowpack monitoring, including the Department of Agriculture and its Natural Resources Conservation Service. Reduced staff and budget threaten the maintenance of crucial data-gathering instruments and the quality of forecasts, prompting bipartisan concern among lawmakers. While infrared devices could help fill gaps in some cases, experts caution that fully understanding ongoing climate and hydrological changes requires more—not fewer—measurements, sensors, and collaborating agencies. With summer droughts a perennial challenge in the West, investing in reliable snowpack data collection remains essential to managing the region’s most valuable resource: water.
