Steven R. FASSNACHT Home Page

snow surveying above Silverton Mountain, Colorado

Steven R. FASSNACHT
Steven (dot) Fassnacht (at) colostate (dot) edu
Natural Resources Building Room 335
ESS - Watershed Science
Colorado State University
Fort Collins CO USA 80523-1476
voice +1.970.491.5454 / fax +1.970.491.1965

curriculum vitae
abstracts . research
courses . links
. . .
current students . former students

research:
My research interests include improving our understanding of snow and cold land hydrological processes (Fassnacht and Soulis, 2002), especially considering different complexities of models (Fassnacht, 2006). These models are used for water resources forecasting, hydrological simulations, and climate modelling. My focuses are improving the data used for modelling (e.g., Repass, McKim), and understanding the sensitivity of process formulations (Fassnacht et al., 2006). We have tried to improve weather radar estiamtion of snowfall (Fassnacht et al., 2001) for hydrological modelling (Fassnacht et al., 1999). We have created a time series of snow water equivalent maps for the Western United States (Fassnacht et al., 2003) that together with fractional snow covered area data (Bales et al., 2008) have been assimilated into a hydrological model (Dressler et al., 2006). We have examined how wind influences precipitation measurements (as snow) compared to snowpack losses via sublimation and blowing snow (Fassnacht, 2004).

Hydrological and meteorological data exist at various spatial and temporal scales that can influence our analysis (Fassnacht, 2007). Use of specific data can tell us a specific story that may not be relevant in the bigger picture. For example, a series of large snow storms in January of 1999 created havoc for transportation in Southern Ontario and early indications were that severe flooding was likely. However, due to several preceeding dry years and a dry spring, the lowest peak flows on record were observed (Fassnacht et al., 2004).

We have examined the scales for snow depth sampling using fractal analysis (Deems et al. ,2006), looked at averaging and sub-setting of large datasets (Fassnacht and Deems, 2006), and investigated the interannual consistency of snowpack distribution patterns (Deems et al., 2008). Together with Nolan Doesken at the Colorado Climate Center, we have examined the measurement of snow depth using Ultra Sonic Snow Depth Sensors (Ryan et al., 2008a; 2008b).

I am fascinated with fresh snow crystals (Fassnacht et al., 1999). Recently this has translated into investigating snow surface roughness. We have developed a method to use digital photography to analysis snow surface roughness and have compared different evaluation metrics (Fassnacht et al., 2009). We have shown how the snowpack surface roughness changes over time, has directionality, scales over space, and is influenced by dust on snow (Fassnacht et al., 2009).

the location of research projects past and present:

A: 1989 New Brunswick Canada: Noranda Mine Seismics

B: 1991 to 1994 Mackenzie Delta Northwest Territories Canada: Hydraulics and Sediment Transport

C: 1995 to 2000 Grand River Basin Ontario Canada: Weather Radar and Snowpack Hydrology Modelling

D: 2000 to present Salt-Verde Basin Arizona United States: Snowpack Mapping and Hydrological Modelling

E: 2002 to present Colorado and Wyoming: Snowpack Processes, Variability, Distribution

F: 2008 to present Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (China): HydroClimatic Change in Rangelands with Commmunity Based Management

G: 2008 to present Byer's Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctica: Climate Change, Hydrology and Snowpack Processes

H: 2009 to present Pyrenees Mountains, Spain and France: Snowpack Distribution

I: 2010 to present Hawai'i: Climate Change and Water Resources

courses:

Fall Semester:	[ WR 474 ]	Snow Hydrology	Spring Semester:	[ WR 406 ]	Seasonal Snow Environments (odd years)	Summer Semester:	[ NR 220 ]
	[ WR 574 ]	Advanced Topics in Snow Hydrology		[ WR 575 ]	Snow Hydrology Field Methods
	[ GR 100 ]	Introduction to Geography		[ WR 674 ]	Data Issues in Hydrology (even years)
	[ WR 420 ]	Watershed Practicum		[ WR 440 ]	Watershed Problem Analysis
	[ GR 210 ]	Physical Geopgraphy
	[ IU 193 ]	Snow and Society

current students:

PhD:
	Douglas Hultstrand	- Improving Water Balance Estimates
	Sara Simonson	- Avalanches and Vegetation
	Glenn Patterson	- to be determined
	Niah Venable	- Hydro-climatic variation in Mongolia
MS:
	Magdalena Skordahl	- Persistence and Variability of a Montane Snowpack
	Sharla Stevenson	- Paleo-streamflow Modelling Using A Monte Carlo Approach
	Amir Kashipazha	- Practical snow depth sampling around six snow telemetry (SNOTEL) stations in Colorado and Wyoming, United States
	Johannes Beeby	- Didymo in cold water streams (with John Stednick CSU FRS)
	Tumenjargal Sukh	- Local understanding of hydro-climatic changes in Mongolia
	Evan Blumberg	- Spatial variability of snow depths measurements at two mountain pass Snow Telemetry stations
	Graham Sexstone	- Evaluating the spatial and temporal variability of snowpack properties across a northern Colorado basin
	Rosemary Records	- Watershed-scale effects of wetland restoration on water quality (with Mazdak Arabi CSU Civ&Env Eng)
	William Milligan	- Public perception of snow and winter
	David Deitemeyer	- Snowmelt runoff modeling

former students:

PhD:
	Jeff Deems	2007	- Quantifying scale relationships in snow distributions {download dissertation} [started with Civil and Environmental Engineering ]
MS:
	Jared Heath	2011	- Motorized Vehicle Impacts on Snowpack Properties {download thesis} [started with Loch Vale Watershed Long-Term Research and Monitoring Program ]

	Molly Tedesche	2010	- Snow Depth Variability in Sagebrush Drifts in High Altitude Rangelands, North Park, Colorado {download thesis} [started with Three Parameters Plus ]

	Harold Moore	2010	- Bio-fouling and Well-head Protection
	Jeffrey Derry	2008	- Regional Patterns of Snow Water Equivalent in the Colorado River Basin Using Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) Data {download thesis} [started with GW Scientific ]

	Patrick Ewing	2007	- From the Tree to the Forest: the Influence of a Sparse Canopy on Stand Scale Snow Water Equivalent {download thesis}

	Anne Sawyer	2007	- Snowpack Depletion Modeling Using Fast All-season Soil Strength (FASST) and SNOWMODEL in a High-elevation, High Relief Catchment in the Central Rocky Mountains {download thesis} (with Kelly Elder US Forest Service) [started with NOHRSC ]

	Mark Corrao	2007	- Spatial, Temporal and Directional Changes in Snow Surface Roughness [started with Hydro Construction Co. Inc. ]

	Douglas Hultstrand	2006	- Geostatistical Methods for Estimating Snowmelt Contribution to the Annual Water Balance in an Alpine Watershed {download thesis} (with John Stednick CSU FRS) [started with Metstat ]

	Jennifer Mann	2006	- Instream Flow Methodologies: A Validation of the Tennant Method for Higher Gradient Streams in the National Forest System Lands in the Western U.S. {download thesis} [started with In-situ]

	Scott McKim	2006	- The Effects Of Input Data Degradation On Hydrological Model Performance For A Snowmelt Dominated Watershed {download thesis} [started with NWS-AKRFC - Alaska]

	Wendy (nee Brazenec) Ryan	2005	- Evaluation of Two Ultrasonic Snow Depth Sensors To Predict Six Hour Snowfall at National Weather Service Automated Surface Observing Sites {download thesis} (with Nolan Doesken CSU Atmospheric Sciences) [started with CSU Atmospheric Sciences]

	Julie Repass	2005	- Assessment of Digital Land Cover Maps for Hydrological Modeling of the Yampa River Basin, Colorado, USA {download thesis} [started with Red Hen Systems, Fort Collins, then ESRI]

	Bruce Davison	2004	- Snow Accumulation in a distributed Hydrological Model {download thesis} (with Ric Soulis U. Waterloo Civ Eng) [started with Environment Canada - NHRI Saskatoon]
	Julie (nee Holcombe) Koeberle	2004	- Modeling Snowcover Depletion and Soil Moisture Recharge at Two Different NASA Cold Land Processes Experiment Sites {download thesis} (with Kelly Elder USFS) [started with NWS - Seattle, then NRCS - Boise]

professional links:
[ Colorado Avalanche Information Center] [ Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the US]
[ Western Snow Conference] [ Eastern Snow Conference]
[ American Geophysical Union] [ Canadian Geophysical Union] [ European Geosciences Union]
[ International Association of Hydrological Sciences]
[ Professional Engineers Ontario]

local ski-related links:
[ Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol] [ Powderbuzz]

Local links:
[ Fort Collins ]