Concepts

Duration that snowpack remains on the ground providing water inputs to trees

The combined process of water evaporation from soil and plant surfaces and water transpiration from plant leaves, representing a major component of the water budget that increases with warming tempera...

The depth of water that would result from melting the snowpack, quantified as peak snow water equivalent and snow disappearance rate

Environmental condition characterized by limited water availability

Proportion of area covered by snow

The study of water cycling processes in mountainous terrain, including complex interactions between snowpack dynamics, topography, vegetation, and subsurface water storage

Variations in aerosol concentrations and properties across both spatial scales and temporal scales

Temperature accumulation metric calculated using averaging method with base temperature, used to predict insect phenology and plant development

Accounting framework where annual discharge equals precipitation minus evapotranspiration minus storage changes

The fraction of solar radiation reflected by the surface, with snow-covered surfaces having high albedo (0.8) and snow-free surfaces having lower values

The accuracy of predicted values using root mean square error to assess model performance

The ratio of streamflow produced per unit of monsoon precipitation input compared to other seasonal water sources

Daily activity patterns and rhythms in organism behavior

The difference between net radiation flux at the surface under all-sky and clear-sky conditions, accounting for both downwelling and upwelling radiation changes

The balance of vertical radiative, conductive, and turbulent energy transfer across the infinitely thin plane of the surface

The percentage of ground area covered by a particular plant species when viewed from above

Seasonal precipitation system occurring July-September in the central Rocky Mountains bringing significant rainfall to Colorado River headwater basins

Meteorological events that are rare for a particular place or time of year and can have major ecological impacts

Atmospheric turbulence generated by airflow over mountainous terrain leading to enhanced mixing and modified precipitation processes

Spectral band ratio that leverages the fact that snow reflectance is high in visible wavelengths and low in shortwave infrared wavelengths

Valley wind that develops due to differential heating between valley floor and surrounding slopes, typically flowing upslope during daytime