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Using Artificial Barriers to Augment Fresh Water Supplies in Shallow Arctic Lakes (DE-NT0005684 )

The goal of this project is to implement a snow control practice to enhance snow drift formation as a local water source that recharges a depleted lake despite possible unfavorable climate and hydrology preconditions (i.e. surface storage deficit or/and low precipitation).

This project evaluates the use of snow management and snow fences to augment lake water supplies. Snow control practices will be implemented in order to enhance snow drift accumulation, which leads to decreased snow sublimation, increased melt water production, and an extended melting season that will recharge a depleted lake despite potentially unfavorable climate and hydrological conditions (i.e. surface storage deficit or/and low precipitation). Snow fences are widely used to control the amount of snow accumulated or eroded. They are designed to reduce wind speed, therefore causing snow to deposit at designated areas. The size and shape of snow drifts are quite distinctive and repeatable when wind direction is consistent, as it is on Alaska’s Arctic Slope. Although snow fences can augment water supplies by altering snow distribution, they also make “new” water available by reducing the sublimation losses from blowing particles and erosion process on large lakes.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
ISO Topics environment, inlandWaters, structure
Primary Contact Sveta Stuefer (sveta.stuefer@alaska.edu)
Other Contacts Sveta Stuefer (Email: sveta.stuefer@alaska.edu), Sandy McSurdy (Email: sandra.mcsurdy@netl.doe.gov)
Primary Organization US Department of Energy
Other Organizations University of Alaska Fairbanks
Organization Types Academic, Federal
Geo-keywords Alaska, North Slope
Start Date 2008-10-01
Created February 23, 2016, 01:43 (AKST)
Last Updated September 28, 2021, 13:49 (AKDT)