{"id":118426,"date":"2020-01-23T13:52:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T20:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=118426"},"modified":"2020-01-27T09:09:40","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T16:09:40","slug":"12-uccs-students-study-snow-hydrology-in-silverton-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=118426","title":{"rendered":"12 UCCS students study snow hydrology in Silverton, Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"740\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hg-hS9Wtfew?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption>UCCS students Rachel Johnson and Dylan Anderson crunch through the snow above Silverton, Colorado during their January 2020 Geography and Environmental Studies field studies course in snow hydrology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continuing a tradition established in the mid-1970\u2019s, Brandon\nVogt, associate professor of geography and environmental studies, brought 12\nUCCS students to Silverton, Colorado to study snow hydrology over the winter\nbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the eight days of the upper-level undergraduate capstone course, students collected data on snowpack metamorphism and mountain meteorological processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E.jpeg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E-750x563.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E-326x245.jpeg 326w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E-80x60.jpeg 80w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Sophomore Rachel Johnson throws a handful of snow into the air. Photo credit: Rachel Johnson, Matthias Learned and Dylan Anderson.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of their field study, the course also saw students following moose tracks through the snow and voluntarily spending the night in a quinzee \u2013 a hollow shelter made of hard-packed snow \u2013 at 9,000 feet of elevation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe whole of geography is represented in this place,\u201d said\nVogt. \u201cDuring the course, the students have to search for the answer to their\nbig research question not just through the materials I provide, but also in the\ncommunity in Silverton. They have to search through books in the library and\nreally immerse themselves in a different place, which can be an eye-opening\nexperience. And the fact that it\u2019s such an experiential learning opportunity,\nwhere they can get cold and wet, helps the course really stick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s the core of the course \u2013 that experiential learning,\u201d he continued. \u201cHopefully, after the course finishes, they present a poster at Mountain Lion Research Day. Owning these data and having research experience under their belts and on their resumes is really helpful for them if they apply for grad school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/07BB791D-ACAC-40C5-8118-709EE2F04F9F.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/07BB791D-ACAC-40C5-8118-709EE2F04F9F-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/07BB791D-ACAC-40C5-8118-709EE2F04F9F-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/07BB791D-ACAC-40C5-8118-709EE2F04F9F-750x563.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/07BB791D-ACAC-40C5-8118-709EE2F04F9F-326x245.jpeg 326w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/07BB791D-ACAC-40C5-8118-709EE2F04F9F-80x60.jpeg 80w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Students braved temperatures below -9 degrees Fahrenheit during their eight days above 9,000 feet in elevation. Photo credit: Natalie Luther.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Rachel Johnson, a sophomore in the course, the opportunity to take classwork into the field was a highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy favorite part of the class was applying my knowledge of\nmeteorology, geology, geomorphology and hydrology to my own personal adventures,\u201d\nshe said. \u201cWe were given a lot of independence during the class, and so every\ntime I was up hiking or collecting snow depths with my lab group, I was\nrecalling everything that Brandon had taught us \u2013 looking for avalanche paths,\nevidence of an unstable snowpack, temperature inversions and more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI came back much more knowledgeable on climate in the San\nJuan mountains, as well as the characteristics of snowpack and weather,\u201d she\ncontinued. \u201cAnd I woke up every morning to hike with some of the other students\nbefore breakfast. One morning, my friend Dylan and I woke up a little before 5:00\nam and hiked just over 2,000 feet of vertical elevation on Kendall Peak. It was\nso worth the view of the Grand Turk, which is a nearby mountain. And we made it\nback in time for blueberry pancakes at 7:45!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Vogt, a highlight is seeing students work with UCCS\nalumnus Jeff Derry \u201994, executive director of the snow science nonprofit Center\nfor Snow and Avalanche Studies (CSAS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/D0853B9B-026E-464C-82B7-407C8C89EECF.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/D0853B9B-026E-464C-82B7-407C8C89EECF-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/D0853B9B-026E-464C-82B7-407C8C89EECF-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/D0853B9B-026E-464C-82B7-407C8C89EECF-750x563.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/D0853B9B-026E-464C-82B7-407C8C89EECF-326x245.jpeg 326w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/D0853B9B-026E-464C-82B7-407C8C89EECF-80x60.jpeg 80w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Students Rachel Johnson, Matthias Learned and Dylan Anderson pose with frosty beards and eyelashes. Photo credit: Rachel Johnson, Matthias Learned and Dylan Anderson.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJeff is an alumnus of the Geography and Environmental Studies department, and as they work with him and the CSAS, the students really connect with the kinds of things they can do with a degree from the department,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cThey see, for example, they can become a snow scientist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson seconds that. After graduation, students in the class plan to continue advanced studies in geographical topics ranging from water management and snow hydrology to avalanche paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for herself, \u201cI would absolutely love to work for one of the organizations in Silverton,\u201d Johnson said, \u201cwhether it\u2019s the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center or the CSAS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vogt, who earned his master&#8217;s degree and Ph.D. in geography at Arizona State University, traveled to Silverton for his own snow and ice field study course in the early 2000&#8217;s following the spirit of ASU professor of geography Mel Marcus, who taught the course for over 20 years. Today, some former ASU geography graduate students \u2013 like Vogt \u2013 keep the tradition strong by continuing to bring students from their respective universities to Silverton for field study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students interested in taking the course over the Winterim should see Vogt&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/academics.uccs.edu\/bvogt\/courses\/ges4460\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"academic site (opens in a new tab)\">academic site<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery aligncenter is-style-square\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row columns-1\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581.jpeg?ssl=1&amp;resize=2000%2C2000\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581-19.jpeg?resize=600,600&#038;strip=info 600w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581-19.jpeg?resize=900,900&#038;strip=info 900w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581-19.jpeg?resize=1200,1200&#038;strip=info 1200w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581-19.jpeg?resize=1500,1500&#038;strip=info 1500w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581-19.jpeg?resize=1800,1800&#038;strip=info 1800w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581-19.jpeg?resize=2000,2000&#038;strip=info 2000w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"3024\" data-id=\"118451\" data-link=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?attachment_id=118451\" data-url=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581.jpeg\" data-width=\"4032\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2B7CD01F-6983-4848-A0D0-1A9A6D0FD581-19.jpeg\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row columns-3\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/6F5CD73E-F8BA-4E0B-8168-86B03DF2752D.jpeg?ssl=1&amp;resize=2000%2C2000\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/6F5CD73E-F8BA-4E0B-8168-86B03DF2752D-10.jpeg?resize=600,600&#038;strip=info 600w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/6F5CD73E-F8BA-4E0B-8168-86B03DF2752D-10.jpeg?resize=900,900&#038;strip=info 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class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C.jpeg?ssl=1&amp;resize=1944%2C1944\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C-10.jpeg?resize=600,600&#038;strip=info 600w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C-10.jpeg?resize=900,900&#038;strip=info 900w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C-10.jpeg?resize=1200,1200&#038;strip=info 1200w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C-10.jpeg?resize=1500,1500&#038;strip=info 1500w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C-10.jpeg?resize=1800,1800&#038;strip=info 1800w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C-10.jpeg?resize=1944,1944&#038;strip=info 1944w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"1944\" data-id=\"118453\" data-link=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?attachment_id=118453\" data-url=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C.jpeg\" data-width=\"2592\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/41333FB6-D4BD-496A-8462-FB6FBC252F9C-10.jpeg\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AE636933-9262-4963-A95F-964B026F4CB2.jpeg?ssl=1&amp;resize=1435%2C1435\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AE636933-9262-4963-A95F-964B026F4CB2-10.jpeg?resize=600,600&#038;strip=info 600w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AE636933-9262-4963-A95F-964B026F4CB2-10.jpeg?resize=900,900&#038;strip=info 900w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AE636933-9262-4963-A95F-964B026F4CB2-10.jpeg?resize=1200,1200&#038;strip=info 1200w,https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AE636933-9262-4963-A95F-964B026F4CB2-10.jpeg?resize=1435,1435&#038;strip=info 1435w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"1435\" data-id=\"118454\" data-link=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?attachment_id=118454\" data-url=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AE636933-9262-4963-A95F-964B026F4CB2.jpeg\" data-width=\"1913\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AE636933-9262-4963-A95F-964B026F4CB2-10.jpeg\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo credits: Rachel Johnson, Matthias Learned, Dylan Anderson and Natalie Luther.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Students braved below-zero temperatures as they collected data on snowpack metamorphism and mountain meteorological processes. <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=118426\" title=\"12 UCCS students study snow hydrology in Silverton, Colorado\">(More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":118428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,13,48],"tags":[53,86,111,332],"class_list":["post-118426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-photo-features","category-science-and-tech","tag-academic-affairs","tag-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences","tag-department-of-geography-and-environmental-studies","tag-more-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/E8C9826A-8E04-4D08-9798-E87D7722045E.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-uO6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118426"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118681,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118426\/revisions\/118681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/118428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}