Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory

15 Mar, 05 AM - 31 Jul, 05 AM

JPL has created the Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO), an imaging spectrometer and scanning LiDAR system, to quantify SWE and snow albedo, generate unprecedented knowledge of snow properties, and provide complete, robust inputs to water management models and systems of the future. ASO will be evaluated during a multi-year Demonstration Mission of weekly acquisitions in each of the Uncompahgre River Basin (Upper Colorado) and the Tuolumne River Basin (Sierra Nevada) beginning in spring 2013, anchored by snow-free acquisitions in summer 2012. Against the baseline snow-free LiDAR measurements, co-registered weekly maps of snow water equivalent and snow albedo will be made available to partner water managers and the snow hydrology community with sub-24 hour latency. In turn, we will compare forecast total volumes and timing driven by current, limited data sources with modeled forecasts driven by the comprehensive products from the ASO. In the Uncompahgre, we will use the DHSVM hydrologic model and migrate it to Bureau of Reclamation/Tri-Country Water operations at the Ridgway Dam. In the Tuolumne, we will use the existing USGS Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System hydrologic model. Both models will leverage the ASO data for markedly improved forecasts. At SNARL, we will deploy the ASO Mobile Compute System to perform near real-time processing of ASO data for delivery to water managers and scientists. This activity will involve use of a full office for computing and occasional FedEx shipments. All participants will be staying in Mammoth Lakes. ASO flight operators will be transiting between the Mammoth airport and SNARL with flight disks.

Visit #31252 @Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory

Approved

Under Project # 26946 | Research

Airborne Snow Observatory - Demonstration Mission 1

faculty - Jet Propulsion Laboratory (California Institute of Technology)

Reservation Members(s)

Thomas Painter Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013 (139 days)
Joseph Boardman Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013 (139 days)
Cate Heneghan Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013 (139 days)
Amy Trangsrud Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013 (139 days)
Chris Mattmann Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013 (139 days)

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Office space (monthly) 1 Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013
Office space (monthly) 1 Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013
Office space (monthly) 1 Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013
Office space (monthly) 1 Mar 15 - Jul 31, 2013
Office space (daily) 4 May 31 - Jun 10, 2013