Gabrielle Antonioli

Degree Held:

B.S. Organismal Biology, Montana State University, 2013

Degree Sought:

MS in Earth Sciences - Snow Science

Advisors:

Karl Birkeland & Jordy Hendrikx

Email Address:

[email protected]

Title of Research Project:

Microclimate Study of Small-Scale Snowfall Patterns Across Hyalite Canyon

Summary of Research Project

The purpose of this research project is to identify and study snowfall patterns in the Northern Gallatin Mountain Range of southwest Montana. Specifically, this research is focused on the portion of the range that drains northward into Hyalite Creek, the water source for the city of Bozeman. Knowledge of the variation in snowpack conditions within a mountain range is essential for accurately predicting snow avalanches, and this variation is primarily a function of snow depth and amount of recent snowfall. In order to explore these previously unstudied snowfall patterns, this research addresses the following questions:

Is there a measurable variation in the amount of wintertime precipitation across the Northern Gallatin Range?
If measurable differences in snowfall amounts exist, is it possible to identify patterns within these variations and to link them to forecasted and observed weather patterns and the geography of the range?
Once these patterns are identified, is it possible to predict how certain weather patterns will affect snowfall across the range, and to use these predictions to aid in the forecasting of avalanches?