Snow Sampling Locations:
Currently, we are working on putting together a collection of sites throughout the North Cascades to sample year round. If you have any ideas, or suggestions, we would love to hear them!
How to Sample Snow:
Select a sampling spot that is at least 100 feet away from any kind of contamination. “Clean” your tools and hands with snow from the surface. Using a ruler, measure a 12x12 inch square and scrape off a thin layer of snow, all that had contact with air, from the square. Place this snow in the Ziploc bag and label it with date, and gps coordinates, and “surface.” Next, from the same grid, mostly fill a pint bag of snow or about 5 cm down. Label using the same things as the other sample, except label
the bag “sub-surface.” Preserve the snow in a way that will stay frozen until filtering(i.e.
use a down jacket, sleeping bag)
How to Filter Snow Samples:
Once you have the snow samples, and have returned to an area with you filtering equipment, such as the trailhead, filter the snow and find a way to get it back to us for the samples to be processed.
Additional Resources:
For more help on filtering and sampling snow, here’s a couple of helpful resources we put together:
