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Snow accumulation in a Manzanita Brush Field in the Sierra Nevada
Author(s) -
Wilken Gene C.
Publication year - 1967
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr003i002p00409
Subject(s) - snow , brush , geology , storm , geomorphology , materials science , oceanography , composite material
Some physical features of greenleaf manzanita ( Arctostaphylos patula ), a dominant species in a brush field in the snow zone of the Sierra Nevada west side, are described and presented diagrammatically and related to snow accumulation under different storm conditions. Initially snow penetrates open manzanita canopies, but intercepted snow soon forms a nearly solid surface. The low sturdy shrubs support heavy weights of snow without bending or breaking, but side branches depress with sufficient loading. Such deformation increases surface roughness of the brush field. Voids or open spaces make up a large part of newly deposited brush field snowpacks but tend to disappear in interstorm periods of consolidation, suggesting that brush fields can fill from the ground up to form fairly solid packs. (Key words: Brush fields; snow accumulation; Sierra Nevada)