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High elevation snowpack plays an important role in providing regional water resource management, however there is no current practice that efficiently summarizes data at high elevation sites. This gap in accessible information highlights the need for efficient data compilation methods and collaboration between researchers and resource managers. There is potential to consolidate high elevation snowpack data so it is better suited for use by Boulder’s water resource managers. As snow hydrology interns with Niwot Ridge LTER, we collect SWE from snow depth, snow temperature, grain type/size, and snow density. Data is collected on a weekly basis, with the source alternating between a subalpine forest site and an alpine tundra site. SWE varies drastically throughout the Boulder Creek Watershed, and can prove difficult to accurately estimate from data collected at the subalpine SNOTEL sites alone. The high elevation data is especially useful for resource managers obtaining an accurate representation of regional snowpack and water resources.

Our goal with this project is to compile the data we have collected throughout the 2025 season and standardize it in a usable format for resource managers. We intend to create a graphical representation that resembles a similar format to SNOTEL data, which is typically used by water resource managers in the City of Boulder. This will serve as a more accurate representation of snowpack close to our watershed and enable resource managers to see high-elevation snowpack from the alpine site, which they do not currently have easy access to, promoting collaboration between research institutions and water resource managers. There is potential for this data sharing framework to continue being used throughout the future snow seasons.