Water equivalent
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Water equivalent of snow cover:
Height of the water layer in mm that forms after the snow cover melts
would occur if the meltwater were to flow without infiltration or evaporation on a horizontal
area would remain. 1 mm water equivalent corresponds to 1 l meltwater / m²
Specific water equivalent:
Water equivalent of a snow cover per cm of snow cover height, expressed in mm / cm
Snow density:
Mass of fallen snow per unit volume in the state of natural
Storage, expressed in g/cm³.
Conversion of snow density and specific water equivalent:
1 g / cm³ = 10 mm / cm
1 mm / cm = 0.1 g / cm³
Specific water equivalent of each type of snow:
Type of snow | specific water equivalent [mm/cm] |
Fresh snow | 0.5 to 1.5 |
powder snow | 1.0 to 2.0 |
grainy snow | 1.5 to 4.5 |
accumulated snow | 3.5 to 6.0 |
Firn snow | 5.0 to 8.5 |
Glacier ice | 7.0 to 9.0 |
non-porous ice | 9.17 |
The transitions between the individual snow types are not precisely defined!
Fresh snow: freshly fallen snow that has not been on the ground for more than 3 days
Powder snow: dry snow that does not stick together even under pressure
Firn snow: at least 1 year old

