| Figure 3. Arizona and New Mexico SNOTEL sites, located in high-altitude mountain ranges, help scientists estimate regional snow cover. The western United States has a distributed network of SNOTEL sites that provide snow covered area information about Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota. All of the western states benefit from monitoring snow cover across the entire region because rivers depend on snowmelt that may come from thousands of miles away. In Arizona and New Mexico, SNOTEL sites are located primarily in mountains along the Mongollon Rim. Snowpack in these areas refills riversheds and provides water to wildlife and cities at lower altitudes throughout Arizona. Standard sensors measure snow water equivalent, precipitation, and temperature. Enhanced sensors may also measure soil moisture, soil temperature, wind conditions, solar radiation, humidity, and barometric pressure. |
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