Current Projects

The objective of the California Cold Content Initiative is to add snowpack temperature measurements to the existing California Department of Water Resources (DWR) hydrometeorological monitoring network. Snow temperature is the missing variable needed to quantify snowpack cold content—the energy required to initiate melt—which directly influences the timing and rate of snowmelt. Observation-based measurements of cold content, derived from vertical snow temperature profiles across a statewide network, will improve our understanding of snowmelt processes and reduce uncertainty in water supply forecasting. While cold content is currently estimated primarily through modeling, direct observations are needed to validate and strengthen these approaches.

To achieve this goal, robust instrumentation is being designed and tested for integration with existing DWR stations and data systems. Sensor configuration, structural design, and system development are being conducted at the Snow Lab prior to broader deployment. The resulting observations will be suitable for ingestion into a range of snow and hydrologic modeling frameworks (e.g. iSnobal, WRF-Hydro), supporting research-to-operations workflows and long-term water management applications. This project is sponsored and funded by the California DWR.

Understanding the effects that changing precipitation patterns will have on the snowpack of the Sierra Nevada is vital for determining how these changes will affect water availability and usage. As such, we have joined scientists at UC Davis, NCAR, and SEI under the funding of the California Energy Commission to examine precipitation enhancement opportunities for hydroelectric power generation.

CSSL's project tasks consist of both observation and modeling activities. Observations of aerosol particle counts and size distributions will occur at CSSL using a cloud condensation nuclei counter and scanning mobility particle sizer. A radiometer will also be used to determine atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles for the bottom 10 km of the atmosphere. Modeling activities will investigate how potential increases in precipitation will affect various snowpack physical properties and processes, using state-of-the art models such as WRF-Hydro and iSnobal.

The Snow Lab is collaborating with Sandia National Labs to develop a snow density sensor using dielectric spectroscopy. The goal of the sensor is measurement of density, temperature, and liquid water.

Testing has occurred on several prototypes over the past two years of the project and a novel instrument based on the prototypes has been installed at the CSSL for testing during the water year 2026 winter. Snow Lab staff will develop ground-truth datasets for comparison through digging and analysis of snow pits. The instrument is expected to be operational by the end of the water year 2026.

The Donner Lake Basin is a 29.5 square mile region just east of the Donner Summit and the crest of the Sierra Pacific mountains. The environmental and historical importance of the surrounding region has led to a dense network of hydrometeorological observations around Donner Summit, but no monitoring currently exists around the Donner Lake Basin.

This project has been developed in collaboration with the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) after identifying a need to better understand and monitor the Donner Lake Basin. The project will install and run a meteorology and hydrology monitoring system to track snowpack processes and influence on lake characteristics. The initial length is three years but may be extended. Funding for this program has been provided by Truckee Meadows Water Authority.

The CSSL is collaborating with local teachers to develop snow and water focused curriculum with educational materials for K-8 grades. This includes the development of classroom materials and outdoor snow activities for hands-on learning.

The key elements will be the curriculum itself to all nine elementary schools local to the Lake Tahoe area, classroom materials to execute lessons, and teacher training & check-ins to ensure teachers, as our primary partners, feel prepared and empowered to teach the curriculum. This program is generously funded by the Martis Camp Foundation.

hydrometPi, which uses Raspberry Pi customization, seeks to enable easier measurement and monitoring of hydrology and meteorology variables to support better research and management of our water resources. As such, it sets out to not only develop new customized systems that use cost-efficient sensor packages but to also interface with existing sensors to enable easy integration into existing measurement systems, giving the user ultimate utility.

These are some of the current and potential applications for hydrometPi: Monitoring of snowpack, river, and/or lake heights, Low-power cost-efficient and compact weather stations, Customizable physical process measurement. We aim to grow the hydrometPi community well beyond the walls of the Snow Lab and we're always looking for interested folks to contribute.