Inter-comparison of field snow measurements using different instruments in Türkiye

Snow is important in Türkiye especially in the mountainous eastern areas where it may stay on the ground for more than half of the year. This region plays a vital role in feeding the water resources of the trans-boundary Euphrates-Tigris Basin, supporting crucial dams for water supply, irrigation and energy production. Thus, easy, frequent, correct and economical ways of measuring the snowpack is crucial. The snow properties at specific locations in the mountainous eastern regions over the two snow seasons (2018 and 2019) were studied by using different instruments and techniques, snow pit (box/cylinder/wedge cutter types), snow tube (Federal Sampler) and SnoTel (Snowpack Analyzer). The results point out a 1.7%-7.1% variation between different cutter type snow density measurements within snow pit analysis and the long-term utilized snow tube observations show a closer relation to box/cylinder type cutters. As for the continuous SnoTel observations, a variation of 2.4%-9.8% with various cutter types and a 5.9% difference regarding the snow tube density results are detected. These findings indicate a close range among different instruments, but it is the best when all three systems complement each other to characterize the snowpack effectively in the complex terrain since each has its own advantages.