Correlation of average basin snow line estimates derived from SNOTEL, aircraft, and satellite snow cover data

Submitted by Armida on Mon, 02/11/2013 - 13:20
TitleCorrelation of average basin snow line estimates derived from SNOTEL, aircraft, and satellite snow cover data
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference1989
AuthorsAllen, M. W., and Palmer P. L.
Conference Name57th Annual Western Snow Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the 57th Annual Western Snow Conference
Date PublishedApril 1989
PublisherWestern Snow Conference
Conference LocationFort Collins, Colorado
KeywordsAircraft 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).
URLsites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/1989Allen.pdf