This steenburgh_readme20230714.txt file was updated on 20230915 by Kaylee Alexander ------------------- GENERAL INFORMATION ------------------- 1. Title of Dataset Dataset for: Alta-Collins Snow and Liquid Precipitation Equivalent Observations 2000–2023 2. Author Information Principal Investigator Contact Information Name: Jim Steenburgh Institution: University of Utah Address: 135 S 1460 East Rm 819 (WBB), Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Email: jim.steenburgh@utah.edu ORCID: 0000-0003-1028-4230 Associate or Co-investigator Contact Information Name: Michael Wasserstein Institution: University of Utah Address: 135 S 1460 East Rm 819 (WBB), Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Email: michael.wasserstein@utah.edu ORCID: 0009-0003-8524-824X 3. Date of data collection (single date, range, approximate date): 1999-2023 4. Geographic location of data collection (where was data collected?): Alta-Collins (CLN) snow-study plot, Alta, UT (111.63889 W, 40.57607 N) 5. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data: National Science Foundation; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -------------------------- SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION -------------------------- 1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: This data is available for use under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 4.0. Users are allowed to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. 2. Links to publications that cite or use the data: N/A 3. Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: N/A 4. Links/relationships to ancillary data sets: N/A 5. Was data derived from another source? If yes, list source(s): Alta Ski Area Avalanche Office/Alta Ski Area 6. Recommended citation for the data: M. L. Wasserstein and W. J. Steenburgh, "Dataset for: Alta-Collins Snow and Liquid Precipitation Equivalent Observations 2000–2023." The Hive: University of Utah Research Data Repository, www.doi.org/10.7278/S50d-nsy5-8bje. --------------------- DATA & FILE OVERVIEW --------------------- 1. File List A. Filename: CLN_1999_2023.csv Short description: This data set contains 12-hour manual new snow and liquid precipitation equivalent (LPE) observations collected at the Alta-Collins (CLN) snow-study plot during the 2000–2023 cool seasons (October 1–April 30 with the year defined by the ending calendar year). CLN is located mid-mountain at Alta Ski Area in the Wasatch Range of northern Utah (approximately 111.63889W, 40.57607N) at an elevation of 2945 m. 2. Relationship between files: N/A 3. Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: N/A 4. Are there multiple versions of the dataset? No -------------------------- METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION -------------------------- 1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data: Observations were collected at 0400 and 1600 LST on a standard snowboard placed on the ground or snowpack by the Alta Ski Area Ski Patrol. Since at least 2002, LPE was based on a core collected and weighed with a Snowmetrics coring tube. LPE measurement techniques prior to that are uncertain. 2. Methods for processing the data: The University of Utah team originally received a data set from Alta Ski Area for the 2000–2020 cool seasons via e-mail. Three additional data sets were received annually via e-mail for the 2021–2023 cool seasons. To generate this data set, we combined the four data sets, making necessary formatting adjustments for consistency. There is no data for October 1999. The original data indicated a trace of snow with a -1. These observations have been changed to zero. The data were quality controlled through comparison with precipitation and snow observations at the nearby Alta National Weather Service COOP site (2655 m MSL) and the Utah Department of Transportation Alta Guard Station (2682 m MSL) and by examining synoptic reanalyses during precipitation periods. 3. Instrument- or software-specific information needed to interpret the data: N/A 4. Standards and calibration information, if appropriate: N/A 5. Environmental/experimental conditions: N/A 6. Describe any quality-assurance procedures performed on the data: Four observations were deemed faulty. In those cases, adjustments were made as shown in the table below: Original Event Start Time (LST) New Event Start Time (LST) 16 Oct 2004 16:00 Removed from data set 22 Oct 2004 16:00 23 Oct 2004 16:00 30 Oct 2004 04:00 31 Oct 2004 04:00 26 Oct 2010 16:00 27 Oct 2010 04:00 7. People involved with sample collection, processing, analysis and/or submission: Alta Ski Area Avalanche Office, Alta Ski Area ----------------------------------------- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: CLN_1999_2023 ----------------------------------------- 1. Number of variables: 3 2. Number of cases/rows: 9940 3. Variable List A. Name: Time (LST) Description: The start time of a 12-hr observing period. For instance, if a 12 hr observing period starts at 4:00 on Jan 15 2005 and ends at 16:00 on Jan 15 2005, Time (LST) would be 2005-01-15 04. The format is given as YYYY-MM-DD HH. This time convention, based on the beginning of the observation period, apparently has a long history at Alta. B. Name: 12 hr Snow (in.) Description: The new snow in the 12-hr period, in inches. C. Name: 12 hr LPE (in.) Description: The new LPE in the 12-hr period, in inches. 4. Missing data codes: N/A 5. Specialized formats of other abbreviations used N/A