Former Soviet Union Snow Surveys: Depth and Water Equivalent, 1966-1996

Observational snow data from 1,345 sites across the Former Soviet Union, collected between 1966 and 1996. The dataset includes ten-day average snow depths from WMO stations and spatially averaged snow depth and snow water equivalent measurements from nearby transects. Data were digitized under the supervision of Professor Alexander Krenke at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in snow depth and snow water equivalent across Northern Eurasia.
• Calibrating and validating satellite-derived snow cover or snow water equivalent products using ground-based transect measurements.
• Modeling spring runoff and water supply forecasts based on historical snowpack data.
• Studying the spatial variability of snowpack using averaged measurements from 100-200 points per transect.

Strengths

• Covers a significant 30-year time period from 1966 to 1996.
• Includes data from a large network of 1,345 observation sites.
• Provides both point (station) and spatially averaged (transect) measurements for depth and snow water equivalent.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one lists 1996-12-31, another lists 2026-03-13 (likely a metadata error).

Provenance

Source

Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, digitized under Professor Alexander Krenke.

Collection Method

Manual observations at stations and transects, with station data averaged over ten days and transect data spatially averaged from 20-200 points.

Time Range

1966 to 1996

Freshness

1996-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Former Soviet Union