HR: 15:00h
AN: H13J-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Cold-land Processes Pathfinder Mission (CLPP): Advanced Space-based Observation of Fresh Water Stored in Snow
AU: * Cline, D
EM: donald.cline@noaa.gov
AF: Don Cline, National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center National Weather Service, NOAA 1735 Lake Drive West, Chanhassen, MN 55317 United States
AU: Davis, R E
EM: Robert.E.Davis@erdc.usace.army.mil
AF: Robert E. Davis, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory 72 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755 United States
AU: Yueh, S
EM: Simon.H.Yueh@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Simon Yueh, Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AB: Fresh water stored in snow is an important component of the global water cycle. Across more than half of the Earth's land area, seasonal snowpacks function as dynamic fresh-water reservoirs by storing precipitation and delaying runoff. In many regions snowpacks are the dominant source of runoff, filling rivers and recharging aquifers that over a billion people depend on for their water resources. The importance of snow extends across many facets of science and society. Snow properties influence surface water and energy fluxes and other processes important to weather and climate. Snowpacks influence biogeochemical fluxes, permafrost and frozen soil characteristics, ecosystem dynamics, flooding, and even certain solid-earth hazards and dynamics such as landslides. The economic importance of snow water storage is very large, affecting many sectors of health and commerce. Accelerating shrinkage of seasonal snow packs due to our warming climate threatens water supplies, especially in semi-arid and arid regions where snow is the dominant source of runoff and fresh-water resources are already limited. Moreover, snow is strongly implicated in long-term climate-change hypotheses, which project widespread reduction of snow water storage in the future, affecting freshwater flows with severe adverse effects on biodiversity, regional food security and human health. It is a high priority to determine and understand the extent and causes of changes and variability in snow water storage in order to improve prediction. Advanced snow observations are needed to assess changes in snow water storage and to rigorously test models used to predict future changes. Our conventional ground and airborne snow observing-systems meet many specific local needs, but lack the consistency and coverage necessary for this larger purpose. Current and planned satellites do not have the necessary combination of frequencies and resolutions to measure snow water storage consistently across different environments or to observe the signatures of important terrestrial snow processes. Their capability is lowest in mountainous areas, where snow water storage is especially important. The Cold Land Processes Pathfinder Mission (CLPP) concept is proposed to significantly advance space-based observation of terrestrial snow water storage and other snow properties. The baseline mission concept consists of a high-resolution two-frequency synthetic aperture radar at 10 and 17 GHz (X- and Ku-bands) with VV- and VH- polarization, combined with a two-frequency radiometer at 19 and 37 GHz (K- and Ka-bands) with H-polarization. Developed and refined over the past five years by an interdisciplinary and international working group, this concept is the result of a coordinated effort to identify the best approach to address contemporary science and operational requirements for snow observation. The overarching objectives of the CLPP concept are to enable a major leap-ahead in understanding snow process dynamics in the global water cycle, rigorously test predictive models to decrease uncertainty about future changes in snow water storage, and to forge a pathway to operations, initiating significantly enhanced global monitoring and prediction of snow properties for multiple water, weather and climate applications.
DE: 0758 Remote sensing
DE: 0794 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1827 Glaciology (0736, 0776, 1863)
DE: 1863 Snow and ice (0736, 0738, 0776, 1827)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005