CSAS News 2003/2004 Summary

Our second winter in Silverton began in late fall with an intensive effort to perform the initial development of our Senator Beck Basin Area study sites.  Thanks to prolonged Indian Summer, that work was completed 'by headlamp' on Halloween night, and the season snowpack began to accumulate the next day! The 2003/2004 winter also saw our first hosted researcher working at our Swamp Angel Study Plot, a 'second try' at finding a 'dust on snow' research project, a number of field camps, participation in several conferences, and some very interesting summer 'snow system science' field work with rock glaciers.

• Fall 2003: Study Area Special Use Permit Approved and Initial Study Site Development Completed
• Spring 2004: Investigating Snow Creep Around Melt-Freeze Crusts; Results at 2004 International Snow Science Workshop, Jackson Hole, WY
• Hosted Snow Science Field Camps from Northern Arizona University, Minnesota State University, Southern Illinois University, Colorado State University, and the Colorado Rocky Mountain School
• The Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies introduced our Senator Beck Basin Study Area to the Western Snow Conference in Vancouver, BC, April 2003 and our "Mountain Snow System Observation Protocol" concept to the Mountain Climate Sciences Symposium in Lake Tahoe, CA, in May 2004.
• Admiring the Delicate Effects of Wind Erosion, Small Slab Avalanche
• Storm # 17, February 27 through March 1, and a Notable Avalanche Cycle
• Submitted Collaborative Research Proposal to National Science Foundation with Tom Painter, National Snow and Ice Data Center - Boulder, CO to study "Radiative Effects of Desert Dust Deposits in Alpine Snow", March 2004.
•  Facilitated Rock Glacier Research for Lee Dexter and Don Friend, June 2004