Precipitation lab preparation
Associated lecture materials
To prepare for lab activities, first be sure you have reviewed the associated materials from lectures on watershed delineation and water budgets.
Contents of this module
The hypsometric method
The first part of this lab activity is to practice using the hypsometric method for estimating watershed precipitation for high-relief watersheds. If you wish to follow along with the video, download the Excel template for the hypsometric method. Thanks to Boise State University for the foundations of this lab exercise.
Link to download MS Excel template for the hypsometric methodÂ
The following video provides a detailed description of the hypsometric method and the use of the spreadsheet above to perform it (21:39).
Heat exchange and snowmelt
The second part of this lab is to build a relatively simple spreadsheet for estimating the energy required for snowmelt. This will be good practice in understanding the nature of energy budgets, specific heat, and latent heat. The following material from lecture is especially critical for understanding how to complete this activity (22:00).
Wet bulb temperature and humidity
Using wet and dry bulb temperatures to estimate relative humidity with a sling psychrometer (7:20 min).