Blowing and drifting snow on roadways is a common occurrence in Minnesota due to the topographic, vegetative, and winter climate characteristics of this area. Through proper road design and the use of snow fences this problem can be alleviated, however snowfall and wind climatological information must first be analyzed. Archived climatological records for locations in Minnesota were recently compiled. Snowfall time series data show a statistically significant increase of 28cm in the annual total since 1890. The increase is shown to occur for November--December while February and March show a decrease. This increase is largely due to an increase in the frequency of snow events less than 10cm.; Wind data from federal observing sites in Minnesota show a correlation to landscape variability, with a high frequency of higher wind speeds in western and southern Minnesota. A snow relocation factor needed to quantify seasonal snow transport was calculated and shows a strong dependence on the wind speed distribution.; A case study of the 2000--01 winter season allowed for examination of snow storage and agricultural implications of three living snow fence designs in southern Minnesota (two 8-row strips of corn, twin-row honeysuckle, single-row honeysuckle/red cedar). For a winter with high seasonal snowfall and spring rainfall, results of snow storage and modeled seasonal snow transport show good agreement for the two corn row strips. However, snow storage totaled approximately 50% of the modeled snow transport for the honeysuckle fence designs, which appeared to reach storage capacity prior to the end of the snow season. A key factor is the absence of a bottom gap, which promotes leeward displacement of the downwind drift and prevents snow deposition on the fence.; Soil temperature and frost depth data show a moderation in temperatures and a decrease in freezing depth with an increase in associated snowpack depth. Post-season soil moisture shows no significant variability with respect to over-winter snowpack due to the anomalous rainfall received during and after snowmelt. Finally, crop yield samples show a 6%--36% reduction adjacent to the fence, but also show a relatively quick recovery.
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