University of Nevada Reno A Survey of Soil Freezing on the East Side of the Sierra Nevada A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Hydrology by Michael Francis Taylor in June 1269 MINES library Thesis 3 L % c.3 The thesis of Michael Francis Taylor is approved: University of Nevada Reno June 1969 i i i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am particularly grateful to Dr. C. M. Skau, who served as my academic advisor and the co-leader of the project. He freely gave assistance and counsel throughout the duration of the study. His c ritic a l, but constructive, readings of this text are especially apprec i a ted. I am also grateful to Dr. R. 0. Meeuwig, co-leader of the project, for his patient and helpful reading of this text. Dr. John Sharp gave helpful assistance in his capacity as a member of my committee. I would like to thank Mr. Doug Jager, Lecturer in Watershed Management at the University of Nevada and Mr. Charles Raddon, Forester for the Eagle Lake Ranger D istrict of the Lassen National Forest, for accompanying me on some of my wanderings in the mountains during miserable weather and worse snow conditions; as well as Mr. Wilbert H. Blackburn, Junior Range Ecologist, who freely volunteered his assistance in soil texture determinations. I would also like to thank the Office of Water Resources Re­ search of the Department of the Interior for funding the project and the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station for furnishing and installing soil temperature measuring equipment near Slide Mountain. I am grateful for the cooperation of the personnel of the Carson Ranger D istrict of the Toiyabe National Forest, Milford Ranger D istrict of the Plumas National Forest and Mr. Troy Johnson of the Eagle Lake D istrict of the Lassen National Forest. i v I wish to thank University of Nevada students, Keith Cloudas, Bruce Glinisky, Richard Jones and Rich Randall for their assistance during the past two winters. Mrs. Lee Newman earned my gratitude for her fine typing of the final draft of the study. My wife, Linda, deserves a special vote of thanks for her patience, encouragement, and endurance on the weekends that I spent in the field. M.F.T. V TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 3 Structural Forms of Frost ................................................. 5 The Effect of Forest Vegetation on Freezing .............................................................................. 6 Effect of Litter on Freezing ........................................... 7 Effect of Snow on Freezing ............................................... 9 Permeability and Moisture Content of Frost Types ........................................................................ 10 Moisture Movement in Frozen Soil .................................... 11 OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE ................................................................. 12 SOIL TEMPERATURE STUDY (1967-1968) ......................................... 16 Description of 1967~1968 Study Area ............................ 16 Procedure for Winter of 1967-1968 .................................. 17 Vegetation Classification (1967-1968) ........................... 20 Results and Discussion of Winter of 1967-1968 ......................................................................... 22 North aspect forest plots ....................................... 2k North aspect brush plots ......................................... 31 South aspect ridge (high) and slope (low) plots ................................................ • 35 East aspect forest plots ...................................... ^5 East aspect brush plots ........................................... 57 Contour terraced plots .......................................... 66 Burnt and disturbed plots ........................................ 73 Mount Rose Ski Area .................................................. 80 Road f ill ................................................................... 80 Conclusions of Winter of 1967-1968 ................................. 83 vi Page SOIL FROST RECONNAISSANCE (I968-I 969) ................................. 38 Description of 1968-1969 Study Areas .......................... 88 Vegetation Classification (1968-1969) ........................ 89 Procedure for Winter of 1 968-1 969 ...................... 92 Results and Discussion of Winter of 1968-1969 .......... 95 Three period concept ............................................. 99 Period One (increasing frost occurrence) .. 99 Period Two (decreasing frost occurrence) .. 102 Period Three (spring snowmelt) ................... 109 Periodic study areas ............................................. 110 Observations over 7500 feet near Slide Mounta in ............................................... 110 Frost trends at Deans Ridge ........................ 118 Frost trends at Constantia .......................... 120 Frost trends at Pimentel Meadows ................ 125 The effect of soil frost on infiltration .......... 128 Hydrophobic soil observations .............................. 130 Conclusions of Winter of 1968-1969 .............................. 13’ LITERATURE CITED ..................................................................... 138 APPENDICES 1. Weekly soil temperature and snow depth of each temperature plot ............................. l^l 2. Summary of soil temperature data collected at each temperature plot near Slide Mountain during winter of 1967-1968 .................... 1^9 3. Maps of winter of 1968-1969 study sites .............. 158 k. Soil frost transects (winter I968-I 969) .............. 166 vi i LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Physical description of Slide Mountain temperature plots .............................................................. 18 2. Classification of winter of 1967-1968 temperature plots ............................................................. 22 3. Maximum and average depth of snow and number of weeks from first trace of snow to last trace at each temperature plot during the winter of 1967-1 968 .......................... 23 k. Areas studied during the winter of 1968-1969 ....................................................................... 88 5. Date and location of each transect run during the winter of 1968-1969 ................................... 97 6. Summary of frost trends at all sites for winter of 1 968- 1969 ...................................................... 98 7. Frost trends at Deans Ridge (1968-1969) ................... 119 8. Frost trends at Constantia (1968-1969) ..................... 122 9. Summary of frost trends at Pimentel Meadows (winter of 1968-1969) ..................................... 127 10. Results of infiltration tests of frozen V i i i LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Location of soil temperature plots, Slide Mountain, Nevada. Winter, I 967- 1968 ................................................................................ }k 2. Winter of 1968-19&9 study areas .......... 15 3. Soil temperature graph of plot 1 ................................. 25 4. Photograph of plot 1 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) .......................................................................... 26 5. Photograph of plot 2 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) .......................................................................... 27 6. Photograph of plot 6 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) .......................................................................... 28 7. Photograph of plot 7 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to b feet) ........................................................................... 29 8. Photograph of plot 37 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to b feet) .......................................................................... 30 9. Photograph of plot 8 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to *4 feet) ........................................................................... 32 10. Photograph of plot 9 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) .......................................................................... 33 11. Photograph of plot 26 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to b feet) .......................................................................... 34 12. Soil temperature graph of plot 14 ............................... 37 13. Soil temperature graph of plot 17 ............................... 38 14. Soil temperature graph of plot 18 ............................... 39 ix Figure page 15. Photograph of plot 14 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) ........................................................................... 4o 16. Photograph of plot 15 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) ........................................................................... 41 17- Photograph of plot 16 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) ........................................................................... 42 18. Photograph of plot 17 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) ........................................................................... 43 19- Photograph of plot 18 and diagram of thermistor locations (scale: 1 inch to 4 feet) ..........................................................................