Correlation of average basin snow line estimates derived from SNOTEL, aircraft, and satellite snow cover data
Title | Correlation of average basin snow line estimates derived from SNOTEL, aircraft, and satellite snow cover data |
Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
Year of Conference | 1989 |
Authors | Allen, M. W., and Palmer P. L. |
Conference Name | 57th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Series Title | Proceedings of the 57th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Date Published | April 1989 |
Publisher | Western Snow Conference |
Conference Location | Fort Collins, Colorado |
Keywords | Aircraft snow cover mapping, Area/elevation curves, SNOTEL data, Snow covered area |
Abstract | For many years, water supply forecasters in the Western United States have employed various methods of estimating the average snow line elevation in mountainous watersheds. The US Army Corps of Engineers uses fixed-wing aircraft to estimate average snow line elevations for reservoir requlation. The US Soil Conservation Service operates a mountain snowpack telemetry system in the West (SNOTEL) for water supply forecasting. Since 1985, the National Weather Service (NWS) has been producing operational areal extent of snow cover data derived from satellite data for major basins in the West. In 1987, the NWS generated area/elevation curves for 275 Western basins using a digital elevation model. The area/elevation curves provide a common base for comparison of snow cover estimates by converting percent snow covered area to average snow line elevation. SNOTEL, airborne, and satellite snow cover estimates are (etc). |
URL | sites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/1989Allen.pdf |