Simple estimation of snow density in an Alpine region

•Snow density estimation with the simple equation 0.2 + 0.001 DOY (t/m3, with DOY = day number from beginning of snow season) yields comparable results to more complex models and can be used to convert depth to snow water equivalents.

Study regionThe Upper Adige catchment, South Tyrol, Italy.Study focusThe empirical snow density models of Jonas et al. (2009) and Sturm et al. (2010), are compared with a simple equation that predicts snow density based on the day of the year only.New hydrological insightsThe simple equation presents similar uncertainty compared to the more complex empirical models. It appears robust for regions with snow of Alpine and Maritime characteristics, and can be easily recalibrated as more data become available. The proposed model estimates snowpack density as an initial value of 200 kg/m3 at the beginning of the snow cover season (November 1st), to be increased by 1 kg/m3 for each elapsed day. The model residuals standard deviation is about 13%, which is comparable to the within-site spatial variability.