Other Names

Definition

Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is a measurement of the amount of water contained in snow pack. It can be considered as the depth of water that would theoretically result if the whole snow pack instantaneously melts. Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is the product of snow depth and snow density. It can be presented in units of either kg/m2 or m:

• SWE (kg/m2) = snow depth (m) x snow density (kg/m3)
• SWE (m) = snow depth (m) x snow density (kg/m3) / water density (kg/m3)

Applications

1. Surface/subsurface runoff modeling
2. Water cycle
3. Energy cycle
4. Climate prediction model