My name is Sarah Kilpatrick and I am studying Math and Data Science at New York University in New York City. This past summer I worked with Dr. Andy Chiodi exploring the impact of large climate systems on snowpack levels near Seattle. There is evidence that La Niña seasonal weather oscillations lead to higher amounts of snowfall over the Pacific Northwest. Combing over more than forty years of data, descriptive statistics suggest that just five La Niña years comprise of much higher recorded snowfall than average. Unlike conventional La Niña years, this recently developed subset of OLR (Outgoing Longwave Radiation) La Niña years proves useful in outlining anomalous snow water equivalent measurements against a composite backdrop.
If these years demonstrate a signal, both strong and statistically significant enough, then it is valuable to look at the conditions of OLR La Niña years in the Tropical Pacific Ocean as more than just a snowfall prediction tool. Using the forty-year composite data of nineteen SNOTEL stations maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture National Water and Climate Center, the development of MATLAB and Python scripts enabled the analysis and visualization of the OLR La Niña subset’s impact on the Cascade Mountains. Results suggest, with a statistical significance of 98%, that OLR La Niña conditions are in fact responsible for the increase in snow water equivalent height across all nineteen stations.
Thank you to Andy for his patience and leadership in such an incredible research experience. Thank you as well to Jed and the program’s staff for supporting our success every step of the way. I am so grateful to have been a part of CICOES’ 2021 cohort, and I am excited to discover what the future holds.
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