GEO 151

Geomorphology

Term Project PresentationDecember, 2001

Performed and Presented by……

Keith Musselman

Colin Howard

Spatial Variability of Precipitation on Mount Mansfield, Stowe, Vermont

Methods Collected precipitation using nine soup can gauges, constructed ourselves.

Designated an acceptable ridge on which to implement our gauges.

The chosen ridge was the Toll Road Ridge.

Methods CONTINUED… Collected data as often as possible between 10/27 and 11/17. Four sets of data were collected.

Attempted to avoid collecting during a precipitation event: avoid the skew of data.

Data collected in milliliters of water (samples often had to be melted for measurement).

Gauge Elevation

0200400600800

1000120014001600

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Gauge Number

Ele

vati

on

(m

)

Elevation

Precipitation levels collected by each Gauge, 10/31 trip.

10/31/01Gauge # Elevation Volume Collected (cm^3) Precipitation (mm)

1 420 1 0.242 567 4 0.963 700 5 1.194 835 9 2.155 955 12 2.876 1038 14 3.347 1121 16 3.828 1133 20 4.789 1221 18 4.30

Calculations we used

• (mL collected in graduated cylinder)(1cm^3/mL) = 1 cm^3

• 1mL = 1 cm^3• (Volume Collected in Can) / (Can Orifice Area) = cm

precipitation• (cm precip)(10 mm/cm) = mm precipitation• Can Orifice Area = 41.854 cm^2

• Short Calculation = (Volume collected) (0.2389258) = mm of Precipitation

Summarized Project Data

10/31/01 11/5/01 11/8/01 11/17/01Gauge # Elevation Precip (mm)

1 420 0.24 0.06 6.45 18.642 567 0.96 0.23 5.97 18.643 700 1.19 0.28 6.21 20.074 835 2.15 x 9.56 15.295 955 2.87 x x 26.286 1038 3.34 x x X7 1121 3.82 x x 20.078 1133 4.78 x x 19.119 1221 4.30 x x X

X= Undeterminable Precipitation Amount (either buried or overflowing)

Snowpack on Mansfield

What our data means…

• Our data displays a linear pattern of increasing precipitation with elevation on Mt. Mansfield.

• This increasing pattern of precipitation suggests higher rates of erosion and runoff for upper elevations than would be observed in valleys.

• Erosion and runoff rates induced by precipitation should be considered in decisions concerning residential, commercial, and agricultural planning in the towns surrounding Mount Mansfield.

Use of larger gauges to prevent overflow.Use of larger gauges to prevent overflow.

Addition of synthetic oil to prevent Addition of synthetic oil to prevent evaporation and anti-freeze to prevent evaporation and anti-freeze to prevent freezing.freezing.

Choosing more uniform collection sites to Choosing more uniform collection sites to eradicate variability due to tree cover or eradicate variability due to tree cover or overexposure to wind and sunlight.overexposure to wind and sunlight.

Future Project Considerations

HIKED!!! We Climbed 11,080 Vertical Feet over a Span of 21 Days. This Project Required more Vertical Climbing than Required to Summit 14,410 ft Mount Rainier from its Base!!

First run of the year –First run of the year –Halloween Night 2001Halloween Night 2001

Happy Birthday Big Boy