March 10, 2010 Sveta Berezovskaya, Snow management to augment water supplies on Alaska’s North Slope, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Snow management to augment water supplies on Alaska’s North Slope

Sveta Berezovskaya
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Oil and gas exploration operations use large amounts of fresh water for ice roads and ice pads during the long-lasting winter on the Alaska’s North Slope (ANS). A traditional water source is water withdrawn from the lakes. Hydrological regimes of these lakes are characterized by a spring snowmelt providing much of the recharge, followed by a subsequent drying of the lakes in summer when evaporation generally exceeds precipitation. This study evaluates the use of snow management and snow fences to augment lake water supplies in the ANS.