This article presents the development of a sub-hourly database of
hydrometeorological conditions collected in British Columbia's (BC's) Cariboo
Mountains and surrounding area extending from 2006 to present. The Cariboo
Alpine Mesonet (CAMnet) forms a network of 11 active hydrometeorological
stations positioned at strategic locations across mid- to high elevations of
the Cariboo Mountains. This mountain region spans 44 150 km
As in many regions worldwide, amplified climate change is altering the
hydrometeorology of mountainous basins in northern British Columbia (BC).
Climate change in north-central BC's mountains is accelerating permafrost
degradation and thawing (Hasler et al., 2015), snowpack thinning (Kang et
al., 2016) and glacier retreat (Beedle et al., 2015) and decreasing the
proportion of snowfall to total precipitation (Kang et al., 2016). The
Cariboo Alpine Mesonet (CAMnet; MacLeod and Déry, 2007) is a mesoscale
network (
Since the summer of 2006, we have established 11 active and 7 deactivated automatic weather stations and 2 radio repeater stations in valley and mountain settings, at elevations ranging from 683 to 2105 m a.s.l. (Déry et al., 2010). Data from these weather stations have supported modelling studies of seasonal snowpack evolution (Younas et al., 2017), blowing snow fluxes (Déry et al., 2010), turbulent fluxes on a mountain glacier (Radić et al., 2017), glacial retreat (Beedle et al., 2009, 2015) and pro-glacial sediment transport dynamics (Leggat et al., 2015; Stott et al., 2016). These data have also been used to validate remote sensing products of snow (Tong et al., 2009a, b, 2010), gridded meteorological datasets (Sharma and Déry, 2016) and output from numerical weather prediction models over complex terrain (Schirmer and Jamieson, 2015). More recently, CAMnet stations have provided meteorological data to researchers investigating the long-term physical, chemical and biological effects of the Mount Polley mine tailings impoundment breach in August 2014 (see Sect. 3.2) (Petticrew et al., 2015). The CAMnet meteorological datasets thus have the potential to serve multiple users including the operational forecasting and climate modelling communities, the developers of gridded climate datasets such as ANUSPLIN (McKenney et al., 2011) and ClimateWNA (Wang et al., 2012), water resource managers, natural hazard mitigators (e.g., for the control of wildfire activity and avalanche potential), and the tourism and recreation industries (e.g., heli-skiing operations).
The purpose of this article is to document the development and current status of CAMnet, including the setting in which the meteorological stations are deployed; the hydrometeorological variables being monitored and collected; efforts to quality control the data; and data processing, archiving and availability. The paper also describes some of the challenges and opportunities incurred during the data collection process in the remote terrain of the Cariboo Mountains, the availability of ancillary data and prospects for future expansion of the network in the Cariboo Mountains and beyond.
Topographic map of the Cariboo Mountains region including the Quesnel River basin. Dots and triangles show the location of active weather, snow pillow and hydrometric stations operated by different agencies in this region including the BC River Forecast Centre (BCRFC), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), BC Wildfire Management Branch (WMB), and BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI). The grey line depicts a transect between Williams Lake and McBride, BC, for which climate data are extracted (see Fig. 6).
The Cariboo Mountains region spans
Within the North Cariboo region of BC lies the
Details for each CAMnet station.
As of 31 March 2018, CAMnet comprises 11 active meteorological stations and two radio repeaters positioned at strategic locations, predominantly at mid- to high elevations within the Quesnel River basin and the surrounding Cariboo Mountains of north-central BC (Figs. 3 and 4, Table 1). Specifically, the Quesnel watershed hosts five active CAMnet stations, the Upper and Lower Castle Creek Glacier stations reside on its eastern divide, and four others reside near Prince George and its vicinity. At each station, instruments measure atmospheric pressure, 2 m air temperature and relative humidity (with respect to water), wind speed and direction, liquid precipitation and snow depth among other variables that are only measured at specific stations (e.g., soil moisture, solar radiation, and near-surface air, snow, soil and water temperature) (Supplement Table S1). All the sensors are powered by 12 V batteries charged during the day by solar panels; however, both the QRRC and Ness Lake weather stations run on alternating current (AC) supplemented by batteries in case of electrical interruptions. The QRRC station records incoming and outgoing shortwave and longwave radiation in addition to the parameters measured by the remote stations. Table 2 lists the specifications of each instrument, including their accuracy and precision. Data loggers record the meteorological parameters and store data every 15 min. Stations located within the QRRC's proximity periodically send data via spread-spectrum radio to the operational base computer located in the housing residence (see Sect. 4.2). Despite remote data access for several stations, site visits for data downloads and routine maintenance occur at a minimum once a year at all stations (see Sect. 4.1).
Specifications for sensors used at each CAMnet station. NA – not available.
Continued.
Map of north-central BC showing the location of active and inactive CAMnet weather and radio repeater stations, numbered as in Table 1.
Photos of CAMnet weather stations:
Having identified a significant observational gap in the Cariboo Mountains
and addressing the needs of the QRRC's expanding research operations, UNBC's
NHG established its first four CAMnet weather stations during the summer of
2006 in the vicinity of Likely, BC. Given the QRRC's availability to other
UNBC researchers and those at other institutions, a dedicated effort was
made to establish a standard meteorological station with an extended suite
of instrumentation on the research centre's property. This station became
operational on 11 August 2006 and is located 2 km southwest of Likely, BC, in
an incised valley
Equipment previously installed at Blackbear Mountain was moved during August 2007
to a bedrock ridge at 2105 m a.s.l. near Castle Creek Glacier, 40 km
west of McBride, BC, to support research of the Western Canadian Cryospheric
Network. Despite its exposed and remote location, the station has
experienced only a few minor issues mainly from strong winds affecting
precipitation measurements, with the loss on several occasions of the
tipping bucket rain gauge's funnel and/or filter. A second weather station
was installed at 1803 m a.s.l. in 2008,
A basic weather station was installed in 2007 for a period of 2 years at Mt. Tom, in the Cariboo Highlands near Wells and Barkerville, BC, to support the research projects of two UNBC graduate students. This research was in collaboration with the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development's (FLNRORD) Mt. Tom adaptive management trial. The spatial distribution of snow cover in forested and clear-cut areas of different sizes as well as soil moisture memory was the focus of these two projects. Weekly snow survey data during one ablation season in addition to snow/surface temperatures were collected during this experiment.
Following the completion of the two graduate student projects at Mt. Tom, the
equipment was transferred in October 2009 to a site at the Ancient Forest
In proximity to the Ancient Forest, a basic meteorological station at Lunate
Creek was acquired from the BC Ministry of FLNRORD in May 2010. The equipment
at the station was fully updated and deployed in a regenerating western
redcedar and hemlock cutblock at an elevation of 953 m a.s.l. The tower sits on
a 20
Similarly to the Lunate Creek site, another weather station was acquired from BC Ministry of FLNRORD in July 2010 at Lucille Mountain, west of McBride, BC. The weather station is deployed in a regenerating cutblock (planted) at an elevation of 1587 m a.s.l. and faces the Rocky Mountain Trench. Due to its difficult access and animal activity, the station has not been visited nor maintained since 2013.
Following the conclusion of the intensive field campaign at Lunate Creek, its
upper station was transferred in July 2012 to Ness Lake,
To support a graduate student's project investigating the water balance of a
small boreal lake and its watershed, a weather station was deployed at Coles
Lake,
Completion of the field campaign at Coles Lake allowed its station to be
moved to the Kiskatinaw watershed in the summer of 2015. The site was located
300 m south of Arras Road and the John Hart Highway,
In a continuing effort to improve and integrate knowledge on the Nechako
River (a major tributary to the Fraser River) and its watershed, a weather
station was deployed at Tatuk Lake, BC, in September 2015. The weather
station stands
The catastrophic failure of a tailings pond impoundment at Mount Polley mine
near Likely, BC, in August 2014 (Petticrew et al., 2015) renewed interest in
monitoring closely atmospheric conditions at Quesnel Lake and the surrounding
area. While CAMnet included three weather stations near Likely, none was
located on the shores of Quesnel Lake. To fill this observational gap, two
lake-level sites were chosen for weather station deployment in August 2016
and 2017. The Plato Point weather station is located 22 km southeast of
Likely on the sandy shoreline of Quesnel Lake just east of the Plato Island
Resort. The tower sits at an elevation of 728 m a.s.l. and has
The majority of the meteorological equipment was purchased from Campbell
Scientific Canada (CSC) and its suppliers; however, this report should not be
construed as an endorsement of their products. Sole use of CSC equipment at
nearly all CAMnet sites facilitates data cross comparisons, equipment
substitutions, student and research staff training, and ensures the
homogeneity of the hydrometeorological records (see Sect. 5.2). Most remote
stations are assembled on 3 m tripods (i.e., CM110 or UT10) anchored to the
ground to maintain the orientation of the tower, ensure proper positioning of
sensors and prevent electrical damage from lightning strikes. Most of the
sensors are installed and configured as recommended in the manuals (e.g.,
anemometers
Table 2 provides the specifications, including precision and sensitivity, for sensors used at each CAMnet station. These sensors are manufactured to withstand strong variations in environmental conditions and often remain unattended for lengthy periods of time. Most of the instruments, including the tipping bucket rain gauges, barometers and wind monitors, are initially calibrated and come with a certificate of accuracy. Depending on the amount of usage and the presence of adverse atmospheric conditions, some of the CAMnet instrumentation undergoes periodic recalibration, as maintaining the precision and quality of data remains of utmost importance to the development of the database. Recalibration and regular maintenance are completed if the quality of the data being sampled starts to become affected or if there is obvious damage to the instrumentation. Common errors in sampling precision and accuracy stem from worn-out equipment such as the depth-to-target data recorded by the SR50 ultrasonic depth sensor that can contain outlying values when the transducer wears out. This causes peaks in the depth-to-target data that are carried over to the snow depth data through calculations. These peaks can be filtered out relatively easily so they do not significantly affect data quality.
All instrumentation used at CAMnet weather stations includes a recommended
temperature operating range where data collected outside these parameters are
subject to larger errors. However, these operating ranges are quite vast
(typically
Data loggers were programmed using the Loggernet SCWin, CRBasic and Edlog software from CSC. All of the station programs employ scan intervals of 1 min and data intervals of 15 min. Depending on the sensors and the specific variable being measured, sampling either occurs once every 15 min or is measured for the entire data interval and averaged. Some of the measurements are also simply summed over the 15 min period, such as precipitation and incoming solar radiation. Regardless of the sampling interval, all collected data are stored in 15 min timestamps in the data logger memory and the database spreadsheets.
All CAMnet weather stations are visited at least once annually for data downloads and maintenance, although repeat visits are not feasible at the most remote sites (i.e., Upper and Lower Castle Creek Glacier weather stations) given access is often by helicopter. All other sites, however, are usually visited two to four times a year, while others such as the Quesnel River Research Centre (QRRC) and Ness Lake are easily accessible and thus serviced much more regularly. The frequency of visits escalates during intensive field campaigns in association with a student's research project or accelerated to address promptly a known technical or instrumental issue.
Spread-spectrum radios facilitate communication and automated data transfers
between the weather stations at Spanish Mountain, Browntop Mountain and
Blackbear Mountain (no longer equipped with meteorological equipment) with
the operational base computer. Spread-spectrum radios have a range of
A second radio repeater station installed on a bedrock ridge at Castle Creek
Glacier within line of sight of the two nearby weather stations and the
Castle Creek Valley allowed remote data downloads at the end of a deactivated
forestry road accessed by a
Operating periods for active and inactive CAMnet weather stations (1 January 2006–31 December 2017), deduced by analyzing the battery voltage required to power each station's data logger and instruments. Gaps in datasets occur due to a variety of reasons outlined in Sect. 5.1. Note that data may not be available for all instruments even when a station is operational (e.g., the icing of anemometers during winter).
Some time series within the database have gaps (Fig. 5) either for entire
stations or individual instruments and for a variety of reasons. Stations
based in wilderness settings have experienced interruptions due to
environmental factors such as falling trees, intense storms and wintertime
icing (see ECCC, 2015). Less common, but potentially more destructive to the
equipment and instrumentation, are the wildlife interactions, particularly
with large mammals such as black and grizzly bears. Since the NHG's research
requires long-term historical climate records, it is necessary to find other
resources that may fill some of the data gaps. A few meteorological stations
exist in the vicinity of the Quesnel River basin that may be able to provide
additional data to complete this record (Fig. 2). Specifically, the BC
Ministry of FLNRORD Likely Aerodrome weather station (
Temporal gaps at one CAMnet station may also be infilled with data from
another proximal one in the network. For instance, daily air temperatures for
the QRRC, Spanish Mountain and Browntop Mountain weather stations are highly
correlated (
For CAMnet observed data, quality assessment is carried out for individual parameters at each station through statistical quality control procedures, analysis of frequency intervals, values, manual observations, etc. The CAMnet database consists of the original raw data allowing users to manipulate them according to their needs and desires. Missing timestamps are identified and filled with “NA” using codes developed in R (R Core Team, 2014) to maintain a complete yearly data record for each station. All data values assessed as erroneous, extreme or outside a predetermined frequency interval are simply flagged (highlighted in yellow) and recorded in the metadata documentation. Data from several sampled variables are also assessed for their quality through visual inspection and scatter plots such as snow depth and soil temperature. An outline of this quality assessment and control techniques can be found in a document located in the online database in each of the station's respective folders.
A particular concern with data quality is precipitation measurements in cold,
windy environments such as the Cariboo Mountains. Apart from the freezing of
tipping bucket rain gauges, high winds, evaporative losses and trace events
are factors that often induce errors in precipitation measurements,
especially for snowfall (Cherry et al., 2005). CAMnet data are not immune to
inaccuracies due to precipitation measurement errors; however, the
installation of single Alter shields at most of the CAMnet weather stations
with tipping bucket rain gauges reduces the effects of wind undercatch of
precipitation. Similarly to other CAMnet measurements, no modifications are
performed on the precipitation data to correct for possible wind undercatch
given the various strategies reported in the literature to address this
(e.g., Sevruk, 1982). A few of the tipping bucket precipitation gauges at
other CAMnet weather stations (most notably the Ancient Forest and Spanish
Mountain sites) are equipped seasonally with CS705 snowfall adapters that are
filled with antifreeze to melt and record solid precipitation. However, the
antifreeze remains prone to dilution from precipitation and hence often
freezes up, particularly during midwinter when air temperatures may reach
Metadata for each climate station in the CAMnet network are important to take into consideration when utilizing the associated data and are therefore summarized in a detailed .docx file. This document, a copy of which is available with the data for each station, outlines site location (coordinates, elevation, etc.) and access and provides a brief overview of the landscape, station equipment specifics (e.g., instrument heights) and data collection parameters.
Field notes and site logs are documented using a mediawiki.org web page allowing the ability to check on historical station visits dating back to the original deployment. These logs remain particularly valuable due to the high turnover of students and research staff in the NHG (e.g., summer field assistants) and serve as a complete and detailed resource. Weather conditions and equipment status, as well as work carried out, comprise important factors noted during each station visit and are therefore documented in these logs. Moreover, instrument serial numbers, recalibration and servicing schedules as well as an ongoing to-do list of field work activities are systematically updated on the CAMnet wiki.
CAMnet data compare favourably with measurements from independent
meteorological networks that meet WMO standards such as those collected by
Environment and Climate Change Canada and the BC Ministry of FLNRORD or with
gridded climate products such as ANUSPLIN (McKenney et al., 2011). For
example, monthly air temperature and precipitation collected at the BC
Ministry of FLNRORD Likely Aerodrome weather station (
Profiles of average
CAMnet data remain central to the NHG's goal of investigating the meteorological drivers influencing the hydrology of north-central BC. Indeed, CAMnet allows monitoring the antecedent and real-time conditions of hydrological extremes including droughts and floods, as experienced in the region during 2010 and 2011, respectively (Fig. 7). In late winter–early spring 2010, shallow snow depths (maximum of 45 cm) followed by a hot, dry summer during an El Niño event led to scant total annual precipitation (346 mm), 36 % lower than the decadal mean observed at the QRRC weather station. This yielded some of the lowest annual discharge rates ever recorded for the Quesnel River (Déry et al., 2012). These dry conditions were followed by a much deeper snowpack (peak snow depth of 114 cm) in winter–spring of 2011 with precipitation during the first half of 2011 (322 mm) nearly equating the total for 2010. These meteorological conditions led to saturated soils, increased overland flow and elevated river runoff throughout 2011.
Cumulative daily precipitation recorded at the QRRC CAMnet station (using a heated Ogawa Seiki tipping bucket rain gauge) for 2010, 2011 and the overall mean for 2007–2017.
The construction and maintenance of a highly sensitive, long-term database
such as CAMnet generates distinct challenges on a variety of scales. Power
outages due to battery failure or solar panel issues are a major contributor
towards data loss and interruptions in sampling (see Sect. 4.3), a risk that
is elevated during winter when snow and ice may cover solar panels and immerse
instrumentation while cold temperatures may accelerate the depletion of
batteries. CAMnet stations have also been plagued with several animal
incidents whereby the equipment has been displaced, damaged or rendered
inoperable. Additionally, wildlife also has the ability to influence data
solely by its presence, with snowpack measurements that rely on an
undisturbed section of snow beneath the sensor being especially vulnerable.
Other environmental considerations include lightning strikes that are
mitigated by robustly grounding each station and the risk of damage from
wildfires, which were extensive throughout the Cariboo region during the
summer of 2017 and led to ashfall in nearby precipitation gauges. Physical
challenges are presented by the complex terrain and remote locations of many
stations, which also preclude frequent site visits; some stations such as
those situated near Castle Creek Glacier are only visited once per year.
Methods to access station sites include the following: through the use of a
To minimize possible spurious trends or step changes in the hydrometeorological observations, all CAMnet sites are inspected and maintained regularly with faulty instrumentation repaired or replaced as necessary. While dedicated efforts are made in substituting deficient equipment with the same make and model, this is not always feasible if, for instance, the supplier no longer fabricates a given piece of equipment or specific model. Meteorological towers may shift under the influence of winds, frost heaving and heavy snowpacks, altering the measurement heights and possibly rendering the station unlevelled. Modifications to data logger programs (e.g., to switch on or off the heater for the QRRC radiometer) or operating systems may induce additional discontinuities in the CAMnet data.
Despite efforts to maintain consistency in the CAMnet datasets by routine station inspection and maintenance, various factors have resulted in a small fraction of data being influenced by external factors. Examples of these include the encroaching vegetation around the station on Spanish Mountain, the accidental rotation of the Browntop wind vane (away from north), and the replacement of instruments and equipment after various wildlife incidents and severe storms. As with data gaps, no post-processing of the data has been performed to assess their homogeneity, to remove suspect trends or erroneous data points. Site photos, field notes and post-trip updates of metadata remain invaluable resources in resolving issues related to these external influences and are available for any parties utilizing CAMnet data.
A primary objective of CAMnet remains to develop long-term hydrometeorological records in the poorly sampled Cariboo Mountains to assess climate change impacts on regional snow, glacier and water resources. This requires long-term homogeneous records of hydrometeorological conditions in the Cariboo Mountains at strategic locations such as the QRRC, Browntop and Spanish Mountains, and Castle Creek Glacier. A broader role of this long-term monitoring is the ability to answer unforeseen questions or research needs such as wildfires, pest infestations, mine spills (such as the Mount Polley mine accident), future resource extraction and land use and cover change in the area in addition to climate change. Indeed, CAMnet may assist in answering questions that have not yet been asked or even contemplated while providing baseline data in the event of future disturbances. Pushing CAMnet data online in (near-)real time also allows monitoring current atmospheric conditions remotely to assist in mitigating extreme events such as atmospheric rivers, floods or intense convective storms that can ignite wildfires such as in July 2017 in the BC interior. Finally, the mobile nature of the 3 m masts facilitates the transport and rapid deployment of weather stations to various sites, often to support a graduate student's research project or an intensive field campaign at a designated site.
CAMnet now assembles over a decade of sub-hourly hydrometeorological observations in the Cariboo Mountains and the surrounding area, forming the core data for multiple undergraduate and graduate student projects at UNBC and other institutions. It allows for training opportunities for students and research staff to develop skills in deploying meteorological instruments, data logger programming, data quality control and interpretation, as well as field expertise in remote terrain. CAMnet data and site photos are routinely used in undergraduate and graduate level courses to demonstrate regional examples of phenomena studied in class. CAMnet weather stations also provide staging sites for educational videos (e.g., for the Vancouver Aquarium's Year of Science series), for media interviews and for outreach activities for students of all levels. Finally, CAMnet provides opportunities to undertake interdisciplinary research at UNBC and institutions across Canada and abroad.
Other studies focused on the Cariboo Mountains and surrounding area have generated ample ancillary data to the CAMnet hydrometeorological records. This includes an ongoing effort to collect seasonal and annual mass balance measurements at Castle Creek Glacier initiated in 2008 by colleagues at UNBC. This site is of particular interest given its record of annual push moraines, allowing a reconstruction of the glacier's retreat since the mid-1940s (Beedle et al., 2009). Eddy covariance measurements of turbulent fluxes on Castle Creek Glacier were also conducted during two summer field campaigns (in 2010 and 2012), during which additional atmospheric measurements were collected on the glacier (Radić et al., 2017). Sediment fluxes in Castle Creek and its main tributaries were also sampled during two other summer field campaigns (in 2008 and 2011; Leggat et al., 2015; Stott et al., 2016). Meteorological observations along the shores of Quesnel Lake support ongoing efforts to understand the long-term impacts of the Mount Polley mine tailings pond spill on the water quality and ecology of the system (Petticrew et al., 2015). A dedicated effort, based at the QRRC, is being made to monitor lake conditions (e.g., vertical profiles of water temperature, electrical conductivity, turbidity), as well as downstream water quality, temperature, and sediment concentrations and quality in the Quesnel River. This ongoing project benefits from historical, background data collected on Quesnel Lake starting in the early 2000s (Laval et al., 2008). Finally, provincial and federal networks operate additional meteorological and snow pillow stations while the Water Survey of Canada manages several hydrometric gauging stations on the main waterways draining the Cariboo Mountains including the Fraser, North Thompson, Clearwater, Quesnel, Horsefly, Doré, Willow and Bowron rivers (see Fig. 2 and Déry et al., 2012). This assemblage of unique ecosystems in pristine landscapes, availability of existing hydrometeorological data and a reliable research station to base field activities make the Cariboo Mountains particularly attractive for ongoing environmental and ecological research.
During the summer of 2018, three additional meteorological stations were deployed along the shores of Quesnel Lake in support of an ongoing project investigating its resiliency to the Mount Polley mine tailings impoundment breach. Quesnel Lake has a complex morphometry with the steep surrounding topography often channelling winds. The area is also susceptible to mountain-valley circulations during clear summer days, with katabatic winds descending the steep, glacierized and snow-covered slopes towards the lower reaches of the valleys. Concerns over resuspension of lake-bottom sediments deposited during the tailings pond breach associated with wind-driven seiches require improved monitoring of atmospheric conditions including winds along Quesnel Lake.
In support of a new project titled the Storms and Precipitation Across the continental Divide Experiment (SPADE), a CAMnet weather station will be deployed near or within Kootenay National Park in southeastern BC during the fall of 2018. This will complement an existing array of meteorological stations operated by the University of Saskatchewan's Coldwater Laboratory at Fortress Mountain and Marmot Creek, Alberta, on the eastern flanks of the Canadian Rockies (Rothwell et al., 2016) and by the University of Calgary at Haig Glacier on the North American continental divide (Shea et al., 2005). An intensive field campaign will be conducted during May and June 2019 to obtain high-temporal-resolution atmospheric conditions with an emphasis on precipitation on a longitudinal transect across the continental divide.
Data described in this article may be downloaded from
Zenodo (
CAMnet was initiated from an interest and need to collect high-temporal-resolution data in elevated, complex terrain in a mountainous region where hydrometeorological data were previously quite sparse. Although challenges abound in obtaining high-quality data in a wilderness setting, our ever-expanding hydrometeorological datasets provide insight to the weather and climate of the Cariboo Mountains and surrounding region. We have presented an overview of CAMnet station locations, the instruments used, parameters measured and the resulting datasets since 2006. The recent and planned addition of stations around Quesnel Lake and along the continental divide demonstrates the ongoing expansion of the network, while an extensive collection of metadata contributes to the understanding of data inconsistencies and possible errors. We encourage interested parties to contact the NHG for information on using CAMnet data or for further discussion on the establishment and maintenance of a mesoscale network of hydrometeorological stations.
The supplement related to this article is available online at:
SJD initiated the development of CAMnet and designed the present report. MAHH wrote the first draft of the manuscript with contributions from ARS, MT, HDT and SJD, and all contributed to the discussion of the database and manuscript refinement and revisions.
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
This article is part of the special issue “Hydrometeorological data from mountain and alpine research catchments”. It is not associated with a conference.
Thanks to UNBC, Future Forest Ecosystems Scientific Council, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada through the Canadian Sea Ice and Snow Evolution network and the Discovery Grant and Research Tools and Instrumentation programs, Nechako Environmental Enhancement Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences through the Western Canadian Cryospheric Network, BC Knowledge Development Fund, Global Water Futures and the Canada Research Chair program of the Government of Canada for funding. Thanks to Sam Albers, Michael Allchin, Darwyn Coxson, Art Fredeen, Scott Green, Rachel Hay, Rick Holmes, Peter Jackson, Brian Menounos, Jeremy Morris, Ken Otter, Phil Owens, Margot Parkes, Ellen Petticrew and Roger Wheate (all previously or currently affiliated with UNBC); Bernard Laval (UBC); Vanessa Foord, Richard Kabzems and Pat Teti (FLNRORD); and many field assistants and volunteers for their contributions. Thank you to the staff at the QRRC (including past managers Rick Holmes and Sam Albers and the current manager Michael Allchin) and the people of Likely and the surrounding area for their continued support and interest in our research. Constructive and insightful comments from Phil Owens (UNBC), two anonymous referees and the Topical Editor (John Pomeroy, University of Saskatchewan) led to a much improved paper.Edited by: John Pomeroy Reviewed by: two anonymous referees