Observation form
Date: _________________________
Observers name, class, school, city and country: ______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Coordinates of observation location: ________________ °N, ________________°E
Observation location in:
forest
peat land
field
Description of observation location: _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Table 1. Three snow depth measurement point values that are 10 meters apart and their calculated average.
Snow depth measurements
from right cm
from front cm
from left cm
Average
cm
1. measurement
2. measurement
3. measurement
4. measurement
5. measurement
Snow depth measurement campaign
Finnish meteorological institute has determined the depth of snow cover in Finland since 1919.
The measurements are based on voluntary work. The official snow depth measurement days are
15th of January and 15th of March. This winter GLOBE Finland is encourages schools to make
their own snow depth measurement. In addition to the official measurement days, schools can
measure the snow depth weekly or less frequently and share their observations at the
globefinland.fi website.
Fig.1. snow depth
measurement.
of.
Take the observation form, measurement stick (Fig. 1) and a pencil with you when you go outside to do the
measurements. You will need a cellphone, a gps or a map to determine the location coordinates when you do
the first measurements.
Choose the measurement spot. It should represent the snow cover of the whole area. Do not measure in a
location that is poorly suited: recently cut or very dense forest patches, lake or pond ice covers, roadsides and in
general places that are plowed like parking lots, sport tracks, steep south side
slopes, spots that have snow dunes due to wind like the sides of buildings.
Fill the background information to this observation form.
Walk ten meters from the starting point and measure the snow depth at a fully
stretched arm’s length first from your right side, then straight towards the
walking direction and last from your left side (Fig. 2.). Write the results to the
observation forms table, first to first row. Repeat the measurements as shown in
Fig. 2, resulting in five times three snow depth measurements.
30 to 40 meters
Measurement instructions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Fig. 2. Measurement points
Figures and instructions by Achim Drebs, FMI (achim.drebs@fmi.fi), more detailed instructions and reporting of results at globefinland.fi