{"id":205477,"date":"2025-04-25T07:36:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T21:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=854864"},"modified":"2025-04-25T07:36:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T21:36:07","slug":"nasa-tracks-snowmelt-to-improve-water-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=205477","title":{"rendered":"NASA Tracks Snowmelt to Improve Water Management"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

3 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>
\n
The C-20A aircraft, based at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flies over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California for the Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission on Feb. 28, 2025. The DUST mission collected airborne data about snow water to help improve water management and reservoir systems on the ground.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Starr Ginn<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As part of a science mission tracking one of Earth\u2019s most precious resources \u2013 water \u2013 NASA\u2019s C-20A aircraft conducted a series of seven research flights in March that can help researchers track the process and timeline as snow melts and transforms into a freshwater resource. The agency\u2019s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) installed on the aircraft collected measurements of seasonal snow cover and estimate the freshwater contained in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeasonal snow is a critical resource for drinking water, power generation, supporting multi-billion dollar agricultural and recreation industries,\u201d said Starr Ginn, C-20A project manager at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.  \u201cConsequently, understanding the distribution of seasonal snow storage and subsequent runoff is essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission mapped snow accumulation over the Sierra Nevada mountains in California and the Rocky Mountains in Idaho. Mission scientists can use these observations to estimate the amount of water stored in that snow.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>
\n
Peter Wu, radar operator from NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, observes data collected during the Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission onboard NASA\u2019s C-20A aircraft on Feb. 28, 2025. The C-20A flew from NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to collect data about snow water.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Starr Ginn<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cUntil recently, defining the best method for accurately measuring snow water equivalent (SWE) \u2013 or how much and when fresh water is converted from snow \u2013 has been a challenge,\u201d said Shadi Oveisgharan, principal investigator of DUST and scientist at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. \u201cThe UAVSAR has been shown to be a good instrument to retrieve SWE data.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent research<\/a> has shown that snow properties, weather patterns, and seasonal conditions in the American West have been shifting in recent decades. These changes have fundamentally altered previous expectations about snowpack monitoring and forecasts of snow runoff. The DUST mission aims to better track and understand those changes to develop more accurate estimates of snow-to-water conversions and their timelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to find the optimum window during which to retrieve snow data,\u201d Oveisgharan said. \u201cThis estimation will help us better estimate available fresh snow and manage our reservoirs better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Seven<\/a><\/figure>
\n
The Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission team assembles next to the C-20A aircraft at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Feb. 28, 2025. From left, radar operator Adam Vaccaro, avionics lead Kelly Jellison, C-20A project manager Starr Ginn, pilot Carrie Worth, pilot Troy Asher, aircraft mechanic Eric Apikian, and operations engineer Ian Elkin.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Starr Ginn<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The DUST mission achieved a new level of snow data accuracy, which is partly due to the specialized flight paths flown by the C-20A. The aircraft\u2019s Platform Precision Autopilot (PPA) enables the team to fly very specific routes at exact altitudes, speeds, and angles so the UAVSAR can more precisely measure terrain changes. <\/p>\n

\u201cImagine the rows made on grass by a lawn mower,\u201d said Joe Piotrowski Jr., operations engineer for NASA Armstrong\u2019s airborne science program. \u201cThe PPA system enables the C-20A to make those paths while measuring terrain changes down to the diameter of a centimeter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Share<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n