| Optical Grain Size |
Metric that describes the average size of features within snow crystals when features are approximated as independent spheres. |
| Black Carbon | Highly absorptive atmospheric aerosol sourced from the incomplete combustion of biomass. |
| Major Ions | Charged particles that are common in normal environmental settings. |
| Albedo | Fraction of solar radiation that is reflected off of a given surface. |
| Spectral Albedo | Refers specifically to the fraction of solar radiation that is reflected off of a given surface when measured individually at every nm from wavelengths of 350nm - 1750nm, or across part of the electromagnetic “spectrum”. |
| Surface Energy Balance | Describes the balance of energy (in its different forms) at the surface of the earth. Main components include incoming and outgoing short and longwave radiation, latent heat, and sensible heat. |
| Snowpit Stratigraphy | Distinct layer characteristics of the snowpack formed during discrete weather events such as storms or melt events. |
| Density Cutter | A tool used to extract a snow sample of known volume from a snowpit. |
| Visible Radiation | Radiation that is in the part of spectrum visible to the human eye, typically referred to as 350-750nm. |
| Near Infrared Radiation | Radiation that is in the 750-1250 nm range. |
| Snow Metamorphism | Evolution of snow grain shape and size due to external environmental factors or to aging processes. |